The Night Market is undoubtedly one of the highlights of the month-long Evening Standard London Food Month, and Melan Magazine was invited along to the launch event on 7 June 2017.
Located in Kensington Palace Gardens, you could already smell the delicious flavours as soon as you exited the Queensway tube station.
After receiving my VIP wristband and navigating the bag check, the first thing I saw was the Westfield open-air cinema to my left, decorated with colourful beach lounge chairs and small houses like the ones you find in Brighton, and a white-tented VIP area with wooden tables and benches to my right.
Reserved for press, you could sit and enjoy some tasters from each food stall, but I decided to walk around and get a feel of the whole market.
People were lined-up at the bars for their after-work drinks, while others headed straight to food.
I explored the maze of food trucks and stands, taking in all the different aromas. I walked past the Smokestak’s rustic stand where people were already lining up, eager to taste the aromatic foods on offer.
I continued to take in the atmosphere, stopping in front of Mama’s Jerk, my attention drawn to the menu signs of “Jerk Roti Wraps” and “Jerk BBQ Chicken Wings”.
I found a few more hidden gems of diverse food stalls, including Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen where Zoe Adjonyoh was cooking up a storm, and Vinn Goute, the Seychelles Kitchen.
It was at the latter that I chose my food. I decided not to shy away from the unfamiliar dishes on the menu, because where else are you going to try it? I opted for a delightful octopus curry with yellow rice. A little spicy for my taste buds, but perfectly delicious.
The market also included less mainstream food stands like the Indian Naughty Roti and Cinnamon Bar, wild food by Nat-ive, Taiwanese by Le Ban and quality Japanese street food by Rainbo.
Not only was there a near endless choice of food, you could hear the live music all the way from the entrance to the Gardens and VIPs were treated to live entertainment.
The Duchess of Cornwall even made a quick appearance, casually looking around the market amongst stares and whispers.
Tall hedges served as makeshift walls separating the stalls and creating a pathway, decorated with artwork and mirrors, and over the entire venue hung fairy lights, giving off a festival vibe.
Guests could sit and enjoy their food on chairs and wooden benches all around the market, or even in the grass near the open-air cinema.
It was great to see that most stands and trucks, if not all, accepted cards, so don’t worry if you’ve forgotten to take out cash, they’ve got you covered!
Why not take a trip to the Night Market, and enjoy wonderful, global cuisine, good company in a pleasant setting that truly makes you forget that you are in the centre of London?
#LondonLovesFood
