Pregnancy is such a beautiful thing especially when it means your friend’s pregnant friend has to give away her tickets for a summer event in London and then on Friday night you find yourself at Summer Tales.
London is so much better in the summer! People are more friendly, it’s easier to choose what to wear and there’s so much to do. I am not usually a fan of Shoreditch because I find that it’s filled with people who are trying too hard to be cool but last night was different.
Our experience began with two free cocktails and then we walked around to see what was on offer. Apparently the food traders change weekly but we noticed Burger & Lobster, Pizza Pilgrims, Forza Win Walter & Monty’s and Nanny Bills.
We first settled on Nanny Bills, greeted by Darren, it was hard to resist. We opted for croquette roulette – one Pulled Pork & Sweet Potato croquette with Avocado Crème, one Pea, Broad Bean, Feta & Mint croquette with sriracha mayo, one 4 Cheese Dream croquette with chilli jam and one Ale Braised Beef croquette with horseradish crème plus two random flavours. My friend chose Shredded Jerk Chicken Bun with Mango Ketchup and Pickled Slaw despite my skepticism. I never order a Jerk dish because jerk is more than jerk seasoning and most people don’t get it right.
Verdict: Love the boys on the Nanny Bills food truck, the croquettes are nice and the Jerk Chicken bun looks good, has great texture but needs more flavour.
Next food stop was Burger and Lobster for a Lobster Roll. The dish was beautiful and so vibrant! The lobster in England doesn’t have that natural sweet saltiness that you get in Jamaica and perhaps this is why I felt the meat needed a boost of seasoning, even just a crack of black pepper. The brioche roll was definitely the highlight but there was too much of it; the bread to filling ratio needs some work.
The vibe at Summer Tales is relaxed, unpretentious and the perfect way to kick off the weekend. The Old Street venue is open Thursday (free entry), Friday (£5 on the door) and Saturday (£5 on the door) nights until August 29th, just make sure you get there before 11PM. Go to their website for more details.
Enjoy Summer before it’s too late.
Live, Love, Eat!
April x