This weekend is a particularly poignant weekend for me because its our last Street Feast at the Merchant Yard (317-319 Kingsland Road, E8 4DL, streetfeastlondon.com). Twelve weeks ago my business partner Jonathan Downey and I took over this old builders merchants on Kingsland Road to create Street Feast, and since then something like 50,000 people have come to enjoy the food.
------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------
Ben Spaldings Stripped Back has been one of the best dining experiences in London over the past few months. You eat up on a mezzanine overlooking the thousands of people at Street Feast below, while Ben and his team serve you dishes like savoury trifle with Parma ham, or bread and butter foam, which you lick off your own hand. He creates a different menu every week and Ill definitely pop up there to see what hes created for tonights send off.
------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------
I have to leave Street Feast early tonight as Ive got to rush across London for an interview on the BBC Late Show. Host Nikki Beddi has asked me to bring a doggy bag from Street Feast.Think Ill bring her some of Yum Buns (31 Featherstone St London EC1Y 2BJ, www.yumbun.co.uk) soft steamed gua bao, Octopus curry from Vinn Goute (vinn-goute.co.uk) and bourbon, baked banana, and butterscotch milkshake from Sorbitium (Unit 8, Park Royal Road, NW10 7LQ, enq: 07989977346, sorbitiumices.com). I've just got to stop myself scoffing the lot in the cab over there.
------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------
Saturday is the Merchant Yard Closing Party and will be a day of mixed emotions. Im going to be very sad to see the place go, but were signing off in style with some of our favourite chefs and restaurants from across London coming into to cook for the day. Ceviche (17 Frith Street Soho, W1D 4RG, cevicheuk.com) will be heading from Soho to Dalston armed with their famous fresh sea bass ceviche and pisco sours. Flat Iron (17 Beak Street Soho, W1F 9RW, flatironsteak.co.uk), Redhook (89 Turnmill Street London, EC1M 5QR, redhooklondon.com) and Roti Chai Street Kitchen (3 Portman Mews South, London, W1H 6HS, www.rotichai.com) have all been lined up for a mini reprise of Ribstock, a competition we held earlier this summer to find the best rib chef in town. A Mexican flavour comes courtesy of the Young Turks James Lowe (youngturks.co) and his Old Spot pork shoulder carnitas tacos. Similarly international will be limited number of US/Japanese mash-up Akita hotdogs. Disco Bistro (First floor above the Rising Sun, 61 Carter Lane, EC4V 5DY, discobistroec4.co.uk) are on hand to whip up this street food creation consisting of rare breed smoked beef and park sausages finished off with Tokyo-inspired toppings.
------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------
Finally, Lardo (197- 205 Richmond Road E8 3NJ, www.lardo.co.uk) and their cart COPPA will be making their Street Feast debut with pork belly ciabatta rolls with fennel pollen, anchovy, rocket and mayo alongside stewed pigs trotters with borlotti beans, guanciale and wilted rocket. Were open from 12pm to 10pm, so Ive got enough time to work my way around all of them. The night will end with cocktails in the Gin Store in the old Travis Perkins site office at Street Feast, where weve kept the lighting low and standard of the gin cocktails very high. It could well be a late one.
------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------
Sunday will begin slowly until my 4 year old son arrives back from his holiday in Marbella. Therell be no time for reminiscing about the Merchant Yard, as weve got his best friends Harry Potter themed birthday party to attend down in East Dulwich at 11am. Seeing as well be down South well follow the kids party mayhem with a trip over to Peckham for the opening of Frank's Cafe (10
Before we head back east well no doubt pop into The Effra (89 Effra Road, London SW2 1DF, enq: 020 7737 6800, effrasocial.com) in Brixton. Its one of my favourite pubs in London and a rare breed where you can enjoy some proper jerk pork for dinner while catching quality live jazz. When we finally head back home to Haggerston Ill probably take the little fella for a calming walk down Regents Canal before putting him to bed.
Dominic Cools-Lartigue is the founder of Street Feast (streetfeastlondon.com), a nomadic street food circus showcasing some of London's best food traders. A former club promoter and music manager, Cools-Lartigue has revolutionised Londons street food culture through his regular events.
Wondering what else to do this weekend? See ELLE's pick of cultural highlights
