Dalston’s night market draws a crowd.
With night markets being the new pop-up-restaurant, or the new vintage-bicycle-boutique, or the new coffee-milk-bullshit (ta Larry David!) we had to be at Dalston’s new Friday night effort! We made the schoolboy error of sauntering down Kingsland Road in flaneur style which meant we were caught in the queue. And what a queue it was, longer than for an Egyptian polling booth, it snaked right down Abbot Street, round the corner and back to Dalston Junction (the people of Hackney are hungry!). In the queue we chatted with a couple of tummy-rumbling hipsterkids asking how they’d heard about the event?
“The whole area’s a-buzz about it!” the cold, shrugging lad said “we’re meeting people inside, should be incredible if we can hold out from sneaking a crafty McDonalds!”
I think he managed to stop himself from ducking in for a Filet’o’fish, which is good because after an hour and a half the line finally shuffled us inside to a food arena of the gods. A kind man with free pizza calmed our barking bellies, and we began our search.
First port of call was Cassava Creole for southern-style prawn gumbo, a nice large plate for 6 pound sterlin’. This is a dish that can be done very badly in the wrong hands, not here! Delicately spiced rice, beautifully seasoned veggies and a nice chunk of cornbread.
We eyed up the oysters, hot-dogs, ribs and burgers but couldn’t resist more pizza, cooked nice and thin and slightly crisp in a wood-fired oven. We opted for lemon ricotta and mushroom that was served as a large slice; at £3 we were happy with our choice (possibly just a little heavy on the ricotta!).
To be fair we’d eaten a decent nosh and still had change from a tenner, so we were delighted; super-duper. We hadn’t been banking on the queue so couldn’t linger due to a prior engagement with a pint of Brewdog Trashy Blonde at the nearby Railway Tavern Ale House.
Dalston’s first Long Table was a great success and I’m looking forward to my next chowdown throwdown. The venue, and the thought and energy that went into it, created a great buzz reminiscent of a Mutate Britain or Vauxhall Car Boot event. The choice of international foods conjuring up an atmosphere of the banquet halls of Bedouin royalty or the crowded party streets of New Orleans!
“Please Sir, Can I have some more!”
The Long Table Abbot Street, Dalston
Tommy Rumbles 