Off to see 1990s pop icons Saint Etienne performing at the Royal Festival Hall last weekend, it was a nice surprise once again to stumble across the always-reliable Southbank Food Market.
Operating in Market Square behind the venue, it’s open all days Friday-Sundays and is an obvious choice if you want to eat riverside but without resorting to a big bland chain (or spending a fortune in an upscale restaurant or gastropub).
There are 35 stalls so the feel is very much like a community farmers’ market, with farms – such as Woodwards in Cambridge – flipping their own juicy burgers, as well a multicultural range of stalls selling a non-predictable range of Levantine, Athenian, Ethopian, Italian, British and Indian fare.
After circling a few times, pint of Kernel India Pale Ale swishing about in hand (a steep 6.5% ABV) from one of the bars, we settled on Ladle and Skillet, run by an enterprising couple called Gary and Catherine.
Specialising in all things lamb, they make their own flatbread with organic stoneground flour from one of the last working water-mills in the country.
Our Lamb Box (£8) contained very tender pieces of spicy neck fillet, marinaded overnight, and served with a fresh tomato chilli sauce, crunchy salad and yoghurt mint dressing. On a warmish evening, it was the perfect streetfood with a pint, all shouty flavours like cumin, garlic, chill and lemon. Oh, and extremely moreish skin-on fries.
Next time? We simply have to return and try wittily-named stall The Indians Next Door, whose slow-cooked lamb raan and chicken masala smelt incredible. Thankfully summer’s only just begun.
