From beer and meat to neurological phenomena, February brings with it another impressive array of foodie pop-ups, residencies and supperclubs around town.
We’ve picked only the most interesting sounding events and ordered them so that those ending soonest are at the top. If you give any of them a go, let us know what you think. And if we’re missing something that you reckon sounds great, then please tell us in the comments below.
Rotli in residence
The rather wonderfully named Rotli Crew is the latest residency to take over the kitchens at The Duke’s Head in Highgate. For the whole month they will offer curries on small rotis with chutneys and pickles, ready to be rolled up and eaten. Other dishes include spiced samosas (meat and veggie), cumin-spiced chicken wings and fries served with curry sauce — see the full menu. The Rotli Crew will serve seven days a week from midday to 10pm.
The Duke’s Head, 16 Highgate High Street, N6 5JG
Meatballs and murder
Meatballs are featuring as part of the third annual VAULT arts festival, being held this month in the tunnels under Waterloo station. Marco’s Meatballs is an immersive dining experience from the Peckham-based Forza Win team, promising to transport diners to “an imaginary 1980s traditional South London family Italian”, along with a murder mystery element. The £15 ticket price includes a meal of spaghetti and meatballs and a glass of red — what else happens will be revealed on the night. The restaurant runs until 8 March and tickets are available through Forza Win.
The Vaults, Leake Street, SE1 7NN
Beer and whiskey bar
For six weeks from 2 February, The Stevedores Beer & Whiskey Bar will pop-up at Bethnal Green’s The Pickle Factory — the name refers to the dockers who would load and unload cargo ships, often containing alcohol. A weekly rotating selection of beers (there are eight taps) from near and far will be paired with slow-cooked meats, live music and whiskey cocktails. Note the ‘e’ there, it’s all about the bourbon rather than anything Scottish, but that does make for better chasers and boilermakers. Breweries represented include Denmark’s Evil Twin, Magic Rock from Huddersfield, Hackney’s Pressure Drop, and Brew by Numbers, Kernel and Partizan, all based in Bermondsey. Entry is free.
The Pickle Factory, 29-32 The Oval, E2 9DT
Get pulled in Shoreditch
A spoof article did the rounds earlier this year, reporting on a man who had been arrested for smuggling unpulled pork into East London where it's been illegal since 2012. Jokes aside, we’re increasingly served meat that’s been shredded — with beef, lamb and chicken all following in the footsteps of pulled pork. Enter street food outfit Pulled, who will be taking over The Horse & Groom pub on Curtain Road. Their menu includes all of the above pulled meats and more, served in brioche buns, plus nachos, buffalo wings and chorizo-studded mac and cheese. Lunch options are available to take away. They’ll be serving all month, from Monday to Saturday.
The Horse & Groom, 28 Curtain Road, EC2A 3NZ
Hawker House is back
Today sees the relaunch of Hawker House — the now annual indoor street food market which allows us to eat and drink our hearts out without being exposed to the elements. It’s got a new home near the canal at Haggerston, and a mix of new and returning stalls including: Bleecker Burger, Breddos, Busan BBQ, Kimchinary, Smokestak and Yum Bun. There will also be six bars (including ones dedicated to beer, wine and whisky) and DJs. It will be open from 5pm through to midnight every Friday and Saturday for the next 10 weeks — that’s until 4 April.
Hawker House, 260-264 Kingsland Road, E8 4DG
Some more Som Saa
We reviewed Andy Oliver’s Thai pop-up Som Saa when it launched back in November, and fell for its explosive, in-your-face and endearingly rustic flavours. We’re very happy to report that its run at Climpson’s Arch (under London Fields station) has been extended and you can now eat there until spring. It’s open for weekend brunch as well as dinner, and has a set of new items on the menu including tom klong pla, a hot and sour soup with smoked fish, tamarind and dried chillies; geng ba moo yang, a jungle curry with grilled pork and green banana; and a Dragon’s Milk cocktail made with oolong tea, coconut milk, rum, salt and toasted coconut flakes.
Climpson’s Arch, Arch 374, Helmsley Place, E8 3SB
Waterloo beer bar
Waterloo coffee shop Love & Scandal will be swapping one kind of brew for another on Thursday and Friday evenings, with weekly takeovers from Druid Street’s The Bottle Shop. The beer-loving team will bring four taps featuring a rotating selection of local and international beers, alongside cans of London craft ales. It will reappear every Thursday and Friday for the foreseeable, from 6-11pm. Live updates about what beer is on will be available via Twitter.
Love & Scandal, 107 Lower Marsh, SE1 7AB
Mind-bending in Maida Vale
Synesthesia — a neurological phenomenon which can lead to associations between words, colours, numbers and smells — is the inspiration behind Kitchen Theory’s latest pop-up. A professor from Oxford University and the president of the American Synesthesia Association are among the team which has put together an undisclosed seven course menu (or three course lunch) designed to relate to synesthesia. Dish names include The Sight & Sound of Flavour, Cubist Vegetable Patch and Flavour Is In The Palette of The Beholder — your guess is as good as ours. Each sitting will consist of just 14 diners, so it's pretty intimate. The events run from Thursday to Saturday (lunches on Saturday only) from February through to June. Dinners cost £56 and lunches £32, it’s BYOB.
Kitchen Theory, Maida Hill Place, 4 Fernhead Road, W9 3ET
