Monday 7 May 2012

The Lunchtime Legends of Eat St

[Update Oct 2012 - Eat St is no more, but in its place is Kerb. Pretty much the same traders are operating under this banner, and they continue to operate on King's Boulevard.]

Those of you that follow me on twitter or instagram are probably already fed up of me forever banging on about how great my lunch from Eat St is. For those not in the know, Eat St is a collective of street food traders that can be found on King's Boulevard (round the back of King's Cross station). It's quite a loose collective; the various stalls come and go, and don't necessarily always operate on the same day of the week. So it's best to check out their website to see who's on when.


I'm hard pushed to name a favourite, but I think Bánhmì11 just edges it. After all, I was pretty gutted when they took a break from Eat St earlier this year. Not only do these guys knock up great bánh mì (Vietnamese baguettes) but their beef pho noodle soup is pretty damn tasty, too. If you're going for bánh mì, I recommend either the Fish Q (grilled catfish marinated in turmeric and galangal), or the Imperial BBQ (grilled pork marinated in caramel and lemongrass).


On another day, I may have chosen The Ribman as my favourite. In a short time, this fella has become a bit of a legend with his ribmeat rolls (or wraps for the lightweights) topped with a bit of smokey BBQ sauce and/or the notorious Holy F**k hot sauce. Being a northerner, I like to playfully mock southern portion sizes, but The Ribman doesn't skimp. In fact, the only fault I can find with him is that he's a devoted West Ham fan.


I also like Homeslice, who knock up fantastic pizzas, despite coming from a small country located somewhere in the south Pacific called New Zealand. Seriously though, the ribmeat pizza (with ribmeat provided by The Ribman) is a must-order. Otherwise, the chorizo & rocket is a top choice. The pizza can be ordered by the slice or whole.


Recently, I've become a big fan of Eat My Pies, who knock up pies and pasties (both hot and cold) as well as a range of Scotch eggs. But as much as I like the occasional rabbit pie or smoked haddock Scotch egg, the custard tart eclipses all of their savouries.

Other stalls that I like include the much-underrated Tongue 'n Cheek whose ox cheek with polenta is a favourite of mine, and the new kid on the block: Mother Flipper with their signature double candy bacon burger. And if you have room for something sweet, the salted caramel whoopee pies from Kookybakes always hits the spot.

In fact, such is the diversity and quality of the food found on Eat St, I've only just remembered that the likes of Big Apple Hot Dogs and Yum Bun (both big names in the London street food scene) are Eat St regulars. And I have no doubt that there are other favourites that I haven't mentioned in this post!

I don't want to get too preachy, but in my opinion Eat St is far more important than the multitude of high-end Michelin-starred restaurants with big name, big bollocked chefs that operate in London. And that's because I believe that the richness of a food culture is defined by the quality of everyday food from the bottom-up rather than posh food from the top-down. And while the street food scene in London won't be troubling the likes of Hanoi anytime soon, we should treasure the lunchtime legends of Eat St.

PS: All of the traders mentioned in this post are not exclusive to Eat St's site on King's Boulevard. They also work other pitches across London such as Brick Lane Market, Broadway Market and Brockley Market.

15 comments:

  1. Is it mainly East Asian cuisine in that market? Do they have Indian food there?

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  2. Great post! I think Eat.ST is one of the best thing to come out of the recent resurgence of street food culture. Such diverse selections and even though I have only been there once (it's too far from my workplace!) I've had excellent Kimchi and pulled pork Torta from Kimchi Cult and the Yorkies from Eat My Pies. There are lots more that I'm dying to try and will definitely pop down for lunch if I'm ever near King's cross.
    A Legend indeed!

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  3. Thanks for this post ELN, KX has been a great showcase for all these curb side stars we've picked up along the way. More to come still - this industry is attracting some great new ideas to sit alongside the established old guard. It's growing. thanks for being part of it.

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  4. It's amazing that I've never ever really made the effort to eat on Eat St. Laziness me thinks.
    I agree with you on Banh Mi 11 and I've particularly enjoyed them moving to Berwick Street in Soho, although I'll be happier if they move to Clapham now.
    I've tasted the Rib Man once at his Brick Lane stall on Sunday and was less than impressed, especially with his sweet bar-b-que sauce. But I've heard he has made some improvements.
    Am looking forward to sampling Tongue in Cheek one day, and also to have some more of Big Apple Hot Dogs.
    One day.

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  5. Not been yet - I have holiday next week so will visit. I have the fortune of having Bahn Mi 11 just a few streets away most days (Berwick St) - truly a delicious lunch.

    Rib man was good - but I don't think I appreciated how hot his Holy F**k hot sauce was and it kind of ruined the experience. It has a great first taste of scotch bonnet peppers then it blows your tongue right out your mouth. Tasty but a step too far for me and the boyfriend as we couldn't then taste the ribmeat.

    Known Kookybakes for a while - I find most of his stuff too sweet - but the salted caramel sounds like it might be a winner!

    Great article Mr. N - and don't be afraid to keep banging on about the things you love. That's what I want to read!

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  6. Asma - Eat St is very varied, and East Asian food forms just a small part of their selection. In terms of Indian food, I can think of only Bhangra Burgers off the top of my head (although it's more fusion). Why don't you check out the Eat St website for more details?

    J - if you find it difficult to get to Eat St during the week, remember that many of the stalls work other pitches at the weekend.

    ESB - thank you for your comment! Eat St has immeasurably improved my lunchtimes!

    Mzungu - Be happy! Banh Mi 11 operate a stall at Venn St Market nr Clapham Common, in addition to their original Broadway Market pitch, on Saturdays.

    Frank - I advise mixing the Holy F**k with some normal BBQ sauce to take the edge off it. Otherwise, it can be a bit too deadly.

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  7. OMG that rib meat roll looks TO DIE FOR. reckon they serve beetroot with that? ;)

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  8. Eat Street is indeed a ray of hope for English food. Long live Eat Street!

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  9. catty - LOL! Although I'm not sure if The Ribman is ready to Aussie-up just yet!

    Linda - absolutely!

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  10. You are so lucky working close to Eat Street! I've only been there once and I loved the choice, the prices and ultimately the taste. will be working close to Euston from August so almost in walking distance...

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    1. Ute - I don't work in the greatest part of town, but Eat St is a welcome boon! And we must meet-up for lunch if you're going to be working around Euston!

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  11. Hah I study at central saint martins, eat street is literally at the doorstep. Reason to look forward to school?

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    1. Shu Han - who knows I may have been in the same Q as you at Eat St!

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  12. Eat my pies rocks. He used to do Whitecross Street when I was working by there. His horseraddish and raw beef yorkshire pudding sandwich thing rocked. As did his pies.

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    1. I think Eat My Pies still does Whitecross St in addition to Eat St as well as Broadway Market on Sats, too. Any joy in tracking down the beef-Yorkshire pud thing in Seoul?

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