Kerb your appetite

I’m a huge fan of the street food movement that is taking London by storm. There are a whole host of restaurants purporting authentic global street style cooking which are excellent; however, you can’t beat the feeling of glee that comes from getting your street food from the streets. Perhaps it brings back memories of ice-cream van treats as a child or Americana fantasies of meet-cutes against the New York skyline. Maybe it’s just because inevitably in England you are cold and it’s nice to get something warm to scoff on your way to your next adventure.

As a by-product of the recession, comparatively low costs of a little cart vs opening a new cafe has made gourmand entrepreneurs take to the streets and so has dented, if not eliminated, the stereotype of the salmonella-infested kerb-side vendor. This is fantastic news for me as, while possessing the ability to be a charming dinner guest, with the new breed of street food there is no need for witty repartee and table manners: it is fine dining at hyper speed.

Spearheading this revolution is the Eat St cartel – a collection of vendors led by mobile chocolatier Petra Barran of ChocStar – who have formed a psuedo-union, all of whom (so far) have not only served delicious dishes but also been damned nice folk.

Perhaps the greatest success story, and illustration of my fine dining point, is Big Apple Hot Dogs*. Starting out in 2010 feeding workers around Old St, BAHD fast got a reputation for the best darned dogs in town and now supplies heavy hitters in the restaurant trade such as Hawksmoor and Russell Norman’s Mishkins (opening next week).

You can find these pavement pioneers at multiple locations e.g. Kings Boulevard, Kings Cross; Ridley Road Market, Dalston; The Stock MKT, Borough; and Broadway spin-off Netil Market, Hackney. Spoiled for choice with bargain prices and a smile-inducing air of camaraderie, I suggest you grab your coat and meet me at the corner of Great Eastern and Old.

*My personal BAHD favourite is The Big Frank, a delicately seasoned porker with a firm casing, nestled in a fluffy bun, laced with mustard and ketchup and piled with as much ‘kraut and onion as I can balance. Believe.