I have been meaning to go along and check out Taste London for many years, and this time finally, I managed to book tickets and not find something had to take priority! So, finding my perfect partner in crime to sample all the food and drink on offer, off we skipped to Regent’s Park this sunny evening on June 19th!
816 is a global connoisseur of venues, catering and all things events. Before this post gets confusing, let me explain that 816 is not a vendor, chef or wikipaedia entry… she is one of my favourite people in the world (big statement, I know!). So for the two of us to be set loose on this foodie adventure park (usually we are to be found in our matching Nike air max – throwback to our 90’s upbringing) is a big deal – watch out people!
Like an x-rated Alice in Wonderland we entered the garden of foodie fetish with eyes wide and drooling. Before we even arrived, with the foreplay of reviewing Taste’s website, we knew there was so much in store for us that we daren’t eat all day beforehand! My interest was piqued by the Taste of Korea section of the event, my pulse was racing at the thought of beautiful Ametsa goodies to try, and perhaps we could see visions for dessert with a bit of Peyote! And so we descended down the rabbit-hole…
Walking in we were pounced on by the guys from DSTRKT. A cool setup and friendly staff… but we had a menu planned we needed to attack, so unfortunately no tasting here – but we will be sure to use the vouchers at Yaneff asap!
First stop in the Thailand corner was… Singha Beer! Ok, so I dislike beer… but this was a beer cocktail with pimms-like twist. I think I have finally found a way to drink a pint! We saw a stall with thai massage on offer and vowed to get back there by the end for a reward, but even then I think we knew it wasnt on the cards with all there was yet to sample!
Rosa’s was our first taste test (stand TR6), a thai cafe experience in Spitalfields. The spicy minced chicken patties with Thai herbs (£5) were just as moist and delicious as I had imagined. We were transported back to Bangkok in a heartbeat, and could have been walking the back street markets at night all over again. 816 and I reveled in our first tantalizing teaser.
I had pre-planned our hit-list, which always changes depending on what you see and feel when you get to the stand. Also dont underestimate the power of people… I was SO looking forward to sampling something at Club Gascon (duck and dog/ truffled crackling duck egg) but the unenthusiastic Frenchman who we had to drag answers about the food from, made us leave without buying or trying a thing. I have to say, we didn’t go to my favourites as I felt that was cheating… so, a shout out of quality to those that were skipped but are tried and tested amazeballs: Roka, L’Anima, Duck & Waffle, Mango Tree, Bleeding Heart, Le Gavroche and Maze!
One of the Club Gason goodies we didnt sample:
We did however drop by L’Anima and 816 sampled this mad chorizo-type spicy as hell meat (which one visitor was yelling was “what Spain wishes it could be!”):
Italian Tartufo (stand R31) wowed us with its Super Light Truffle Tortellini: liquid parmesan, mascarpone cream, fresh walnut, summer truffles (£8). Oh. My. God. The truffle and walnut combo was a delicate oral explosion. The creamy liquid parmesan was a great backdrop without being overpowering and not too rich. Being a pretty critical of Italian food, both 816 and I were pretty blown away!
Next we hit Plum + Spilt Milk (stand R18) for some British wagyu beef dripping on toast (£4) which was a guilty pleasure. This could be just a bit of fat on toast with some salad… but in reality with the chef’s TLC it became a thing of aesthetic beauty and flavourful wonder.
As we wandered past, we tried out the new craze – biscuit butter – delicious but only a sick mind could come up with something so addictive and calorific! It is Belgian in origin and unveiled on their version of Dragons Den! Since I married ze German, I enjoy having my Spekulatius biscuits every christmas and this is what this alternative to peanut butter is made of! If you bought this home you would probably spend your time pretending not to eat it but taking a secret spoonful everytime you walked past the cupboard and blame it on the dog! We kept ahold of ourselves and didnt buy!
At the W Hotel’s Spice Market (stand R17), I had marked on my planner ‘ALL’ this meant that everything they had to offer sounded like my cup of tea… but eyes are bigger than the stomach! So we opted to try the Salmon and Avocado Sashimi on Warm Crunchy Rice with Chipotle Emulsion (£5)… nom nom nom. Really enjoyed this one! Certainly need to taste test the resto soon.
Yauatcha (stand R15) was as good as I remembered it. Dim sum meaning ‘touch the heart’ is one of my favourite things, and when it is good, it can be amazing; as this was. We went for the dim sum platter (£7): scallop shui mai, venison puff, wild mushroom dumpling; with a healthy dollop of chilli sauce. They were all good and my favourite, the venison puff, was a multi-layered sensation.
We bought a bottle of Grana Padano prosecco at this point to celebrate the amount of sampling we had managed to achieve and relaxed by a Korean stand, enjoying the evening, the food and the bubbles. We met some interesting folks like ‘Tommy’ who was living the life of Riley as far as we were concerned, working the Balvenie lounge and eating at all these great places for free! He did raise a good point though (which is probably contraversial) but there should be a smoking lounge with some cigars and cigarettes too!
Finally finding our legs again we realised it was getting late, so decided to make a dash for the end. As we rushed past Good Shot Drink (stand A6c) we were lured in off the path to check out a claim to end all hangovers. We were of course dubious. Hasn’t everyone tried many ‘fool-proof’ methods to not be a zombie the morning after? 816 and I are hardcore veterans. However the nice lady told us a bit about the drink and we were intrigued – we liked her style. So the barman mixed us our drinks; one with mint and lemon, the other with cucumber. It was like drinking a boozy summer cocktail! Hard to believe that this was not only alcohol free but supposed to battle the booze within! Normally you are meant to drink this before you start drinking but it was obv too late for us, however we gave it a try. I can tell you I have had a cold all week and this morning I woke up feeling great! Checked with 816 – thumbs up there too – these guys are really onto something. Think I need to order a crate!
We weren’t quite ready for dessert at this stage but we were running out of time (like the England team that were simultaneously losing to Uruguay while we were feasting and checking scores), so we had to stop and grab the Peanut butter parfait with salted caramel & raspberry (£4, stand R24) by André Garrett at Cliveden House, which had been voted the dessert of the day by Taste. We agreed that it was honestly one of the most yummy desserts we had ever tasted (and some other taste exhibitors that we introduced it to, also agreed!)
Last but definitely not least, one last stop – a mad dash for Tamarind to try the pudhina lamb chops we had heard so much about. 20 mins til shut down (already!?) I introduced myself to the manager Jes, who kindly put on a spread of all the dishes for us to try; and no word of a lie, each one was a dream. From the Shrimp chaat with pomelo, to the silky chicken in the Murgh Makhni, we were in awe of the delicate flavours and tenderness of the meat. Chef Peter must have gone to Hogwarts, because what he does is pure magic. I can only tell you that I plan to get over to Tamarind for a proper meal at the next earliest opportunity!
As I shovelled a last mouthful in, I turned to find another celebrity on my right, Mr Bobby Chinn himself. He had come over to Tamarind just to try the lamb chops too! As we sampled the goodies and had a chat, he decided to reveal his other talent and demonstrated his back cracking skills – hands that heal as well as cook, awesome! It was a real TrEat to meet Mr C and we wished House of Ho success as we bounded off looking for the nearest loo and exit after 3 straight hours of eating and drinking.
Unfortunately we never made it to Flesh & Buns or Ametsa’s stands that were on my hit-list… there is was just so much to see. I definitely plan to go for an entire day next time and pop into the silent disco to work up an appetite!
Some other pics to get you in the mood for what it is like to be at this amazing place… doesnt do it justice:
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