Category Archives: Event

Emerald Street Brunch

July 24, 2015 Fork & Talk Leave a comment

Being greeted with a glass of Cava at the entrance (okay, would have been much happier with Prosecco) is my kind of festival. Kerb and Emerald Street have teamed up for this event and when you know these names you know you are in for a treat. The Twenty-something team should really take lessons from these guys.

The festival was held in the new up-and-coming, hip location of Lewis Cubitt Square in Kings Cross. It celebrated our new love of brunch. It’s true, on your days off breakfast is too early and lunch is too late so brunch is the perfect combination of the two.

There are so many places offering amazing brunches and Kerb our street food specialists selected a few to try at this brilliant event with amazing prices. Nothing really cost more than £5 and the portions were pretty decent.

Obviously our eyes and stomachs wanted it all. We started off our fun with a visit to the Tongue and Cheek stall. Elena ordered the ‘Improved’ BLT Sandwich, the improvement being that it had pork belly instead of bacon. I had the poached egg, on parmigiana waffle and sour dough bread. Both were lovely but nothing out of the ordinary in terms of the flavours but it hit the hungry spot.

We then quickly moved onto the Stax Pancake stall. We were like little children as we decided exactly what we wanted to eat. We finally agreed on the Bourbon Pancakes with Bourbon and maple syrup. It was amazing. Just enough sweetness and the bourbon wasn’t overpowering at all, just a happy after taste.

By this point we had finished our second free drink of Aperol Spritz, yes free and something as lovely as a traditional Italian aperitif. So we were basically thirsty again so headed to the Soda stall so I could get myself a pineapple, grapefruit and lemon soda, the flavours very much reminded me of drinking lilt as a child but clearly this was much healthier. So refreshing, almost makes me want to buy a soda stream. Almost.

Elena decided to quench her thirst with an iced coffee from Decatur. This was no ordinary iced coffee, no, no, no, it can be better described as an iced slush puppy. It was amazing. I think I drank most of it on my ‘try’ sip. Now, Decatur were making the most amazing fresh doughnut things which we were building up to trying but unfortunately by the time we got there, which was 15 mins before closing, they had finished. We will most definitely be making a trip to their store soon to give those bad boys a try.

This festival was so well thought out with games and activities to make it more layered and interested rather than ‘you go, you eat’ kind of thing, which we usually have no problem with. They also had craft stalls, a free hair braiding stall by Rush hair saloon and temporary tattoo for every visitor by Rosie’s Tattoos.

Elena and I don’t like to class ourselves as conservative (OK we so are at times) but we got so excited about the tattoos that apparently lasted a week by Rosie Wonders, love the idea we can be inked for a short space of time. Well I’m on day two and it’s still going strong.

This event was such an enjoyable event and it was so chilled that we could have been there for hours.

Kerb are at this location on weekdays during the whole of this summer between 12-2 pm exhibiting 6 different traders daily. Great if you work in the area or fancy a nice, chilled no fuss lunch is a nice location. We highly recommend it.

We haven’t even mentioned half the traders that were exhibiting at this event but there was just so much to eat and such little tummy space. A few that have gone on our list to try are: The Good Egg, Poke and Claw over the next couple of weeks so watch this space for their reviews soon.
http://www.emeraldstreet.com

American, Burger, Event

Burger Festival

July 11, 2015 Fork & Talk Leave a comment

The excitement of going to burger fest last weekend has spiraled through to this week. Sampling those sliders has made we want to visit each vendor who participated at Burger Fest 2015 at The Paper Works in Elephant and Castle.

As you remember, we reviewed this fun venue only a few weeks ago and on this night it was all about the fun with lots of board games, drinks and well to top it all off the best burgers in town.

We started of our feast with Wild Game and Co. It was said to be the best burger by whoever voted for this thing and well it didn’t disappoint. Even though the burger was slightly over cooked the flavours coming from the meat were to die for.

We then moved onto a burger by Craft. Now we must say, the bacon was chargrilled to the max that it just snapped. The pattie was flavourless. You would think if you are at an event to showcase your best burger then some thought would go into ensuring that ever offering is top notch. Especially when each customer is spending £35 a ticket to get in and the cost of only receiving five sliders. Poor show Craft, thought you would do a lot better.

We then swiftly moved onto Dip and Flip and their Green Chili Burger in gravy.

Omg, I have wanted to try this place for ages and well I will be visiting this week to sample a whole burger as a slider just wasn’t enough. The pattie was meaty, the cheese was oozing and the chilies just added a nice little kick. I loved it being smothered in gravy. Nice.

Street Kitchen was our fourth offering and we were pleasantly surprised to find that they actually didn’t specialise in burgers at all. The pattie was perfect, medium rare and not a minute over cooked. They were a tad heavy on the condiments which did over power the meat. However, it’s definitely something I would try again with less of the condiments.

Hotbox. Now you know we love a bit of Hotbox!!! We have tried this burger before so it was more of a déjà vu burger of happy memories. Amazing pattie, perfect relish and that perfect balance of sweet and savoury. You can not fault this burger and its definitely one of our faves.

To be honest we loved our burgers. However, the event was awfully organised and many people were left hungry and frustrated. Many of our friends had to eat the the same burgers two – three times and some got there when there was nothing left even though they had purchased an evening ticket. The music ended early and there was silence for the last hour of the event. The vendors are not to blame but Twenty Something London really need to learn about organisation and customer satisfaction before they organise another event. This was not worth £35 and we won’t be going to anymore Twenty Something London events.

English, Event, Seafood

The Paperworks

June 20, 2015 Fork & Talk 1 Comment

The pop up bar/restaurant/music venue of the summer. Set in between warehouses and the train tracks of elephant and castle this is the perfect venue for that Friday feeling.

Walking into the venue you almost feel like you are at some sort of music festival which is so not my thing. However, with the crowed being young urban professionals like myself I was safe in the knowledge there would be no mosh pits or beer spraying. Instead I was knocking back prossecco like it was going out of fashion.

There are a number of bars and food stands dotted all over the venue. My attention went straight to the lobster grill which had a long cue. I had to find out what the fuss was about. For half a lobster, salad and chips you pay £15 and have the food prepared in front of you. I was uber excited to watch my lobster sizzle away on the grill.
One thing I hadn’t really thought about was how I was going to eat this thing. There are some bench seating options which unfortunately for myself and my friends were taken up on this night. We ended up sitting on railway sleepers and eating off our laps. The next hurdle was how to eat the lobster with only a plastic knife and fork. I realised very early on that there would be a lot of wastage as there was no way I would be able to get all the meat off it with those. I have to admit it was a lot of fun trying.

The lobster itself was not the freshest thing I have eaten nor was it meaty. The chips were the largest I have ever seen and were much better than the lobster. The salad was a bit of a waste as it wilted from the heat of the other food. Not worth the £15 price tag.

Despite the food The Paperworks is a cool and chilled out venue. People sitting on the floor having a chin wag, bodies dancing in free spaces, live music blaring and every under the London Sky.

Calm and happiness are the two things I will link to this little pop up. Great for a summers evening.

Ladies, word of warning, this is not a place for heels or suede shoes. You will be facing a range of different terrains: gravel, grit, stones and dirt. Play safe and stick to flats. I learnt the hard way.

The Paperworks
48-50 Newington Causeway, London
www.thepaperworks.co.uk

English, Event

Borough Market: Sandwich special

May 14, 2015 Fork & Talk Leave a comment

It’s been almost six months that my office moved to London Bridge and for that whole time I have been waiting for the perfect lunch break to sample Borough Market’s finest treats. The time finally has come. It was a bank holiday Monday, the office was quite but the food market was buzzing. I took out some cash and clutching it in my fist started sifting the market row by row.

If anyone that’s ever been to Borough market knows that depending which way wind blows, you might get a strong whiff of cheese. I traced this smell to Kappacasein and my my my it was a stand serving grilled heaven on toast.

Mountain of grated cheddar cheese pressed between two slabs of Poilane (French sourdough) bread, with a touch of garlic, onion and leek it is toasted in most hardworking toasters I have ever seen. Queues so big you have to be given a paper ticket! Great way to avoid hungry squabbles.

019e3c823b636239e5f2c321cce601e496fb284267

And queues don’t lie- this was the best cheese sandwich I have ever had. It was crunchy on the outside and oozing with cheese on the inside. Toasted perfection! I still dream of it sometimes…

Grilled cheese sandwich is £6 a pop, but for a taste of childhood it is definitely worth it!

Because I have an appetite of a python and I am terribly bad at making food decisions, I have decided to use this opportunity to sample another delight of Borough a Market – Hot Salt beef sandwich by Northfield Kitchen.

Mountain of fluffy tender beef is efficiently stuffed between fresh white bread. Spiced with a classic pickle it is a killer of a sandwich. Beef flavouring is delicate and whole thing melts in your mouth.

01dc076a23e95c50821a8195717cb9a5ab465859c0

Looking at the size of these babies for £6 you are getting a bargain! With a big smile on my face I headed back to the office. This was one epic lunch break. It is almost impossible for me to tell you which sandwich is best.

They both satisfied very different cravings and hit completely opposite spots on the palate. I will however have to give it another year before my liver can handle a repeat session of carbocide.

For Cheese: http://www.kappacasein.com/

For Beef: http://www.northfieldfarm.com/

Event

The Cocoa Box

March 8, 2015 Fork & Talk Leave a comment

Cupcake cake decoration at its best. Who could have thought there was a place you could sip on Cosmopolitans and be taught how to decorate cupcakes like a professional and well have lots of fun doing it. The Cocoa Box are making these dreams come true.

I bought tickets for one of their London workshops for Elena’s birthday and I was skeptical at how they would pull it off in a hotel but boy was I about to eat my words.

The Cocoa Box is you didn’t know already are a company that make amazing cakes and chocolates that make your eyes and mouth water. Stunning is the only way to describe them.

During our 2.5 hours course we were show how to make fondant bows and flowers, we learnt how to ice using icing paste and cream cheese frosting and we were even taught how to pipe. The best thing about it was that we were all able to do it without any difficulty, our teacher Nathan was so clear and helpful and made the learning experience fun. I had thought that it could be quiet stressful as I’m not your natural baker but once Elena stopped throwing fondant balls at me I got stuck in. It was all rather therapeutic.

The Cocoa Box have done wonders with this workshop I must say. I left feeling very proud of myself with a cake box full of cakes that I had decorated myself. I also left high on sugar sampling the icing and a little tipsy from the endless supply of cocktails.

The Cocoa Box workshops a are great for spending time with friends, the start of a hen party, birthday party or you could even go alone as many people did during our session.

The Cocoa Box workshop costs £35 per person. Totally worth the money. We will defiantly be going to their chocolate workshops in the near future.

Star Rating: *****

http://www.thecocoabox.co.uk/

Event

Real Food Market

February 21, 2015 Fork & Talk Leave a comment

Who doesn’t love a good food market? An opportunity to nibble on every type of sausage ever made, taste 100 different cheeses and perhaps even sip on finest home made ciders!

If you are serious about your markets you might even bring a carrier bag and stash away these saucisson for months ahead. Unfortunately I am not those people, even though I often dream about foods I tried for days after. I like to spend my afternoons at food markets, have a laugh with friends, eat as much as I can and go home happy.

I find Southbank’s Real Food Market perfect for that. Just a short walk from Waterloo station is all it takes to find yourself in the middle of fresh farm produce. They have a neat sitting area where you can diminish your findings. Everyone there has great passion for food and fun chatter. It can be a really positive atmosphere and trust me time would fly as you make your way through the stalls.

Going to food markets is a great way to support your local producers. Now I am not saying that everything sold at Sainsburys is crap but here everything you see has been made with love and passion. Cattle fed on grass and veg grown without pesticides…. can’t get much better than that!

Real Food Market is open Friday, Saturday and Sunday. They have a stream of regular shoppers, it can get a little bit busy but it’s all for good cause.