You Doughnut, London

I am fond of indulging in a doughnut (or three) from time to time. 

I'm counting down the days until I can merrily stroll down Brighton seafront and stop off at one of the food stalls dotted around the pier. I'll order a portion of their freshly fried doughnuts and request for them to slather it with melted Nutella. I'll then skip towards the sun whilst it's still piping hot and fend off the seagulls that have set their beady eyes on it.

The problem is, I'm back in London with no plans to return 'home home' for another two weeks. No need to fret though, I've found us a replacement to tide us over in the mean time.

Allow me to present... You Doughnut @ Hawker House.  

 

Always trust a vendor that promises you hot and fresh doughnuts with twinkling fairy lights to match. Warm salted caramel? Cinnamon sugar?? Mini marshmallows?!?! This is the place that dreams are made of - well, where amazing doughnuts are born but that's basically the same thing.

We ordered 10 bites for £6. 

Please Sir, May I have five of your finest cinnamon sugar covered doughnuts with warm salted caramel sauce topped with chopped walnuts...

...and five of your cinnamon sugar covered doughnuts with coffee maple syrup and chopped walnuts please?!

I handed over my coins and watched in awe as he prepared the batter and conjured them up with a flourish. Why don't I have a personal doughnut station in my bedroom?

 Look out for this lovely chap a.k.a the doughnut connoisseur, he very patiently endured my rambles before happily sending me on my way with the decorated fried goods in hand. 

It was a marriage of the sweet and savoury. 

We quickly blew on it as an attempt to cool it down. As you sink your teeth in for your first bite, you're met with an explosion of textures and flavours. 

There's the piping hot dough, the swirl of salted caramel/coffee syrup sauce, the crunch of the nuts before ending it all with a lick of the lips to get the rest of the delicious cinnamon sugar off. Not a lot compares to this, does it? 

You can find You Doughnut on Twitter and Facebook to keep up to date with where they'll be next! I hear they'll be moving to the Southbank from April - you'll know where to find me...

Spit & Roast - Street Feast @ Hawker House

I really love fried chicken.

And chilli anything.

I love burgers too.

So what do you get when you combine them all under a sesame topped bun with slaw and a river of Korean hot sauce?

Perfection that is Spit & Roast's Buttermilk Fried Chicken Bap, that's what. 

  

Specialising in rotisserie meat and known for their buttermilk fried chicken, Spit & Roast were another food trader that I was keen to try out at Hawker House (click here for more information about Street Feast and my post on Yum Bun). 

With my appetite now in full swing, we joined the queue and waited excitedly for our turn to get our hands on their baps (couldn't resist). The slow rotisserie pork belly sounded pretty dandy with their Memphis BBQ sauce but my eyes were fixed on the chicken.

It's marinated overnight in buttermilk before it's soaked in a secret pillow of spice and deep-fried until it's at the delicious shade of golden goodness. The Korean hot sauce appears to be a concoction of Sriracha sauce (instant win), peanut butter (double win), rice wine and light soy sauce.

SRIRACHA AND PEANUT BUTTER TOGETHER?!
Just give me a second.

   

This is Jordan after his first bite of the bap. That smug face of his says it all.

Too bad that shortly after this, I snatched the second half to spend some much-needed quality time with it. Note, at this point, I wasn't concerned with being particularly lady-like and devoured the burger in a matter of seconds (stopping occasionally to utter a 'oh my GOODNESS' to a sulking Jordan. He had his turn.)

 

The chicken was beautifully crisp with the perfect amount of spice. It was lightly battered and wasn't soaked in grease. Chicken has a danger of being marinated well on the outside but be extremely dry and bland as soon as you bite into it but there were no dangers of this happening with Spit & Roast's offering. We were wiping away the juices dribbling down our chins and licking away at the tell-tale signs of chilli sauce on our lips.

Speaking of the Korean hot sauce, it was the perfect marriage with the buttermilk chicken. Everything is always made better with spice and this was no exception. My tummy is already rumbling at the thought of this.

I'm never a fan of sesame-topped buns but would happily overlook it when considering the quality and taste of everything else. 10/10. Perfection. Beautiful.

GIVE ME MORE.

We were getting full at this point so couldn't stomach the food from the other vendors but Fundi's Pizzas, Breddos Tacos and Bleecker Burger were rustling up dishes that smelt and looked incredible too. Don't worry, we'll be back for you.

Unfortunately, Spit & Roast aren't currently trading at Hawker House but you can find them at KERB Kings Cross and Brockley Market. Follow them on Twitter to be updated with their latest news and for the love of fried chicken, give their buttermilk baps a try.

Yum Bun, Street Feast @ Hawker House

Street Feast @ Hawker House:

Address: 38-50 Pritchards Road, London, E2 9AP

Nearest Tube: Bethnal Green

Nearest Train: Cambridge Heath

 

Has this gotten your attention?

Good. It's about to get better. 

Forget roses, chocolate covered strawberries and teddy bears for Valentine's this year - the key to the heart (well, to mine at least) is good food and I've got just the ticket if you're scrambling for a last-minute date idea or fancy a foodie weekend.

Behold: Hawker House.

Every Friday and Saturday from 5pm-midnight until 21st/22nd March, London's finest street food magicians are here to feed you with the best grub that they have to offer. Think of an old factory filled with a giant disco ball, twinkling fairylights, mulled wine, hot cider and the greatest (but positively filthy) food stalls you can imagine. Now, I don't know about you but that's my perfect night ever right there.

Forget romantic candlelit dinners, I want my hands on the filthiest burger, fried chicken baps and steamed buns that these people have to offer... and go back for thirds.

 

I know, I couldn't believe something as amazing as this exists either.

Time for a drink to let this magical land sink in:



The view from the bar - isn't she a beauty? We turned up at 6PM (I had been saving my tummy all day for this and couldn't wait any longer. Going earlier means you're one of the first in the queue whereas going later means you can be merry, have a dance and eat your burger too. It's entirely up to you!)



El Diablo: Tequila, creme de cassis, lime, ginger and soda. Summer in a festival-sized cup.



After slurping that down (and predicting my tipsiness in 3...2...1...), I ran towards the first food stall I was keen to check off my list: Yum Bun. I've stalked them on Twitter for the longest time and have waited for the day that I could try their famous steamed buns. They used to have a pop-up shop but have since left. No fear though, they'll be returning in April this year with a bigger shop (with apparently more variety of buns) - look out for me - I'll be the first one in the line. In the meantime, keep up to date with their trading days on their Twitter page.



If you know me, you'll know my love for dim sum and my penchant for steamed buns. Inspired by Asian cuisine, these pockets of heaven didn't escape my eyes (or tum) and I think I scared the staff when I excitedly squealed upon ordering. Patience, young grasshopper.

 We opted for 2 buns to share (as much as I wish that we could've had 2 each, I had to prepare my body for the many other food stalls I had on my list, why don't I have 4 stomachs like a cow?! why?)

The first was the chicken bun:
Japanese fried chicken, tartare mayo, lettuce and chilli dressing.



An Asian twist of a traditional chicken burger. It won't excite your taste buds with extraordinary and mind-blowing flavours but it will offer you the comfort of a well-loved classic (with a winning steamed bun in replacement of the standard sesame topped bun).  

It wasn't greasy in the slightest and the lightly battered chicken had the perfect amount of crispiness. The cloud-shaped buns were fluffy and light yet had no problem with providing enough structure to the over bursting fillings.

The second was the pork bun:
Slow-roasted Blythburgh pork belly, cucumbers, hoi-sin sauce and spring onions. 



If you're a lover of the components that make up duck pancakes and a fan of tender meat, this is a must order and as usual, Jordan and I made some pretty awkward sounds when we first bit into it. It was delicious.

The pork belly was beautifully cooked and melted in your mouth upon contact. The hoisin sauce blended with the texture of the meat perfectly and the drizzle of sriracha sauce just about topped it off. The cucumber slices were refreshing and the steamed bun held their own, held the fillings and wasn't soggy in the slightest but offered a touch of chewiness (which worked well!)

I'm drooling just thinking about it.

Oh, the anticipation. In the tum, you go!

My reaction says it all - love at first bite ;)

I had a hard time eating only a half of it and begrudgingly handed it over to a waiting and open-mouthed Jordan. They're simply too good to share and the good news is, they have a more extensive menu consisting of fish, mushroom, duck and salmon buns all with their respective fillings and fair share of sauces. Two months to go and those babies will be mine.



Out of excitement and pure clumsiness, some of the sauce landed on my lap. I don't care, I would still lick it clean.

To the other buns, I'll be back for you.

In the wise words of Pokemon, I gotta catch them all (and eat it all up).

Look out for the continued Hawker House posts in the next week or so, I'll be reviewing Spit & Roast's chicken burger and You Doughnut (prepare yourselves, they're good'uns and will make your stomach groan with longing)

Grab your other half, your best friends or a randomer off the street this Valentine's Day and head down to Hawker House. You won't be disappointed. Forever alone? Bring your stomach and treat it to a wild night of food and booze.

Who says love is dead?