Get ready to TITILLATE your tastebuds with yet another segment of @Buttpacker’s Mouthgasm!
If this is your first time reading Mouthgasm, this is the part of the blog where we showcase the drool-and-jizz-inducing food that we often like to treat ourselves to (after spending hours drooling and jizzing over food porn ourselves). Expect copious seafood and veggie dishes!
Broadway Market
- (Closest station : London Fields, check Google maps for directions)
London is famed for the plethora of markets that line its city streets. Brick Lane Market (see our video guide on Dtube), Portobello Road Market, Camden Market, Leather Lane Market - you name it! To quote Vogue “New Yorkers do brunch, Londoners do markets”, so visiting at least one or two is essential when in town. Luckily, there’s a different market to visit pretty much every day of the week!
I had heard and read extensively about Broadway Market, and had always wanted to visit - cheap vintage, great artisan food, live music, cool art and book stores...(hipster vibes). What more could a millennial wish for on a Saturday morning ? (Other than a cure for hangovers or free Tinder premium).
Broadway Market is open every Saturday from 9am-5pm, though most stalls start packing up from 4pm onwards. The locals seem to recommend that you hit the market earlier before the crowds start swarming. Unfortunately, us Buttpackers aren’t exactly morning people, so we managed to make it right in time for a late lunch.
Upon arriving at Broadway market, we were instantly blown away by the wonderful aromas all the cooking food was emitting - we sure were hungry! Even the grey, rainy weather couldn’t put us off from following our noses.
Once again, you can find a wide variety of cuisines - I must say that in comparison to Brick Lane market it was definitely not as varied although it was also much smaller.
However, there seemed to be more stalls selling homemade food, as well as organic fruits, vegetables and even meat and game.
All the food looked so beautiful and fresh, it was really hard to resist not bringing everything home. I guess it's a good thing that most of these places take cash only!
↠ Pro tip : Be sure to hit the ATM before you get to Broadway market as the only ATMs on nearby charge! Alternatively, there is a Texaco near Netil market on Mare St, where you can take cash out for free. Luckily some stalls do take card, but not all of them!
Oh, and how could I forget about Fin and Flounder, a fishmonger situated on Broadway market, offering one of the widest varieties of seafood I’ve ever seen in London.
All kinds of fish big and small, langoustines, shrimp, octopus, and even gooseneck barnacles/percebes, which I’ve never ever seen in the UK before!
If buying fresh seafood to bring home to cook is not your thing, they even have two stalls outside : one selling raw oysters and sea urchins, the other selling freshly cooked seafood specialties - fried shrimp, fish, brioches with scallops or lobster, oh and lets not forget their lobster mac n cheese!
Though it sure ain’t cheap for street food (8-12). Why must seafood be so expensive in the UK?! It’s an island for fuck’s sake!
Freshly made salads, pastries and baked goods that seemed to be cooked with love, cured meats from all over Europe.
Oh and did I mention the cheese? So many specialty cheeses that are normally rather difficult to find. I’ve been trying to get my hands on some ricotta salata for the LONGEST time to make some good old pasta/pizza alla Norma (named after the opera Norma by Vincenzo Bellini, just like me!) and this was where I finally found it!
I also tried some incredible truffle cheese called ‘perla grigia’ or ‘Grey Pearl’ which was aged in the ashes from beech trees… really really unique, and unlike any other truffle cheese that I’ve tried before! The ash gave the cheese a dusty, ashy flavour yet still quite floral at the same time. It was quite a strong taste however, and I felt as if it overpowered the truffle a little. When it comes to truffle cheese, I prefer it to be the key player in my mouth.
Food is not the only thing you can find at Broadway market. There are also plenty of stalls selling clothes, accessories, flowers, organic skincare, posters and other crafty items.
And of course, there are plenty of sweet treats for a happy ending after eating your way through the market!
Even some Easter themed little treats seeing as it was Easter weekend (see more in our last post) .
Broadway Vegan Market
- London Fields Primary School, Westgate St, London E8 3RUVegans and vegetarians don’t fret! As per usual veggie/vegan options are widely available, but there is also a special vegan market alcove, 2 minutes away from Broadway market where you can satisfy all your cravings with seitan and pulled jackfruit. We bought some delicious hummus at a stand which had a ton of unusual flavours such as beetroot, ginger with fenugreek and the one we took home - carrot, roasted paprika and garlic. The stand was called ‘Moist’, which was very fitting as that was exactly what my panties were like after having an entire pot of their divine hummus!
Lemlem Kitchen
- (Open only Saturdays) Netil Market, 13 - 23 Westgate Street, London E8 3RL
We’re all for unique and unusual things, which is why Lemlem kitchen caught our eye with their Afro-tacos (say whaaaaaaaa???). You heard correctly, I’m telling you the founders are GENIUSES! By using injera (pancake which is a staple food in the horn of Africa) as the taco shell and then using Eritrean spices and flavours to season the filling, this wonderful creation truly enriches the food market scene by bringing people something an entirely new cuisine that they may not have even heard of, in a relatively familiar and convenient manner. Injera is typically eaten as a big pancake with other foods during a sit-down meal, so it seemed so innovative to bring it to the streets in the form of tacos!
The lovely owner even offered us a shot of Eritrean ariki to start the day off - never say no to alcohol (yes I know it was 2pm already, shh you’re not my mum, I’ll drink shots for breakfast if I want to OK???). I must say, I’m normally not really into aniseed flavoured anything, but it just tasted like sambuca - and that’s not too surprising since Eritrea has a heavy Italian influence due to it being an Italian colony previously.
Overall we had such a great experience at the stand, learning more about the owner’s hometown of Asmara and the beautiful modernist architecture it’s known for - even the stand is inspired by a quirky gas station in Eritrea. Oh and of course the food was sublime, the fish was fried instantly before our eyes, and prepared fresh, and the flavours were really unique - sour and tangy yet with a hint of spice. I’m telling you, this is the next big thing - move aside baos!
✾Service: 5/5
✾Atmosphere: 4/5 (When it stops raining)
✾Value for money: 4/5
Rating: Panties were utterly soaked thanks to all that exotic flavour!
Netil 360
- 1 Westgate St, London E8 3RL
Finally, if you’re feeling like going for a pint, you can check out the pub on Broadway market called The Dove, which serves a wide range of Belgian beers (Aleks’ favourite!). Prices aren’t cheap however, so after a pint, we headed over to East London’s best kept secret (well maybe my friends and I are just too uncool hence we only discovered this gem recently).
Of course, London has no shortage of rooftop bars, but most of them aren’t cheap! If you’re on a budget but still want to soak up some rays (jokes, i meant RAIN) while you soak up some booze while admiring the cityscape of London, Netil360 IS YOUR ANSWER!
A fiver for a pint, hell there was even a special Easter offer of 2 a can of beer! What more could you ask for?
NETIL 360 FTW!
→ Wanna cum with us on a journey down Broadway Market? Check out our story on Instagram
→ Watch "Moroccan Tales" on Youtube
→ A naked man tried to break into our house. 2 min of pure awkwardness on dtube
→ Wanna know how to cream your pants in San Franisco? Check out MOUTHGASM #3
