After a short break from Yelping and attending Elite Events, this was the perfect event to return to and get stuck in. It was brilliant to meet Matt for the first time in his capacity as Community Manager, and great to see the quality in event management has remained at the same high quality, which the bar was set by Jonny Q,
The Kitchens can be found at the quiet end of Spinnigfields, but it is truly a hidden gem; it comprises of two units on opposite sides, and a mock garden area in the middle. However, the best part is what you can find in the two units; made up of three stalls in each, and hosted by: Chaat Cart; Bangers and Bacon; Dim Sum Su; The Hip Hop Chip Shop; Nasi Lemak; Well Hung.
An additional host were the good people from Shindigger Brew & Co, providing one of their fine ales, which is greatly recommended.
For the evening, Matt started with a run down and we split into two groups to occupy each unit and receive a presentation from each vendor before switching sides and then getting stuck into the food on offer.
My first visit was to Dim Sum Su to sample the Bao Pork Belly, which is slow cooked belly pork in a Chinese steamed bun with spring onions, toasted peanuts, rock sugar and some spices. The taste of this was unbelievable! If you do have a nut allergy, then I am sorry, because it is your loss. The addition of the toasted peanuts make this dish absolutely sublime, and it was a genuine pleasure to chat with the one and only Su from Dim Sum Su. Su has been doing the street food scene for quite some time attending regularly at Manchester's Friday Night Food Fight and other food markets and events. Returning to Dim Sum Su would be worth it just for the chat. Certainly my favourite food from the evening.
After my pork belly fix, I thought I would mix it with some beef salad from Well Hung. Unfortunately, I am used to more flavourful salads and the addition of the cold beef slices, weren't a hit for me, but I would love to return to sample something else from their menu as I do like a good bit of beef. One good point from Well Hung, is that they source their meet locally. Well Hung and Banger and Bacon are founded and ran by the same people, and focus on specific meat products. I sampled the Cubano from Bangers and Bacon, and it was absolutely delicious! The pork was cooked superbly and contained within a crusty bun, and mixed with pickled courgette and really tasty mustard. Once again, the meat is locally sourced and Bangers and Bacon are experienced vendors around the street food scene. I recommend that people get down here before June, as they may only be around until then.
After having my fill of good food, I still had to try Nasi Lemak and Chaat Cart. Chaat Cart were offering sample of their Chicken Slider 65. which was fried chicken on a mini bun and an onion bhaji to add to it, which adds to the flavour. Very delicious!
Finally, to top it off and completely fill me up was the generous sample provided by Jimmy from Nasi Lemak Malay Street Food. This was fried chicken with sambal sauce, and was the perfect level of spiciness. Just how I like it. Very flavoursome, and very tasty.
One final note, is that I did not sample Hip Hop Chip Shop on the night, but have eaten their food before at Friday Night Food Fight, and if the quality has remained the same (which I believe so!), then it is definitely worth a visit, as they offer a concoction of alternative fish and chip flavours.
Thanks to Matt, the Vendors and all the other Yelpers for a great evening. It was nice to catch up with people and chat to some newbies. I look forward to the next time.
No comments:
Post a Comment