hardcore prawn

indonesian crab bisque, hardcore prawn and black bean
sirloin steak skewers

there has been much ado about street-food this year which is nowhere near dissipating. the focus is now on specific locations in central london providing a home for mobile carts, vans and trailers so that more of us can try them out. the eat.st collective at the brand new king’s boulevard is the newest kid on the block. described as a micro-market, eat.st at kx is on from wednesday to friday. i was there last friday especially for hardcore prawn. had i been a couple of minutes late i would have missed the indonesian crab bisque. i got the last helping scraped clean from the bottom.

hardcore prawn is run by dan tse a chinese londoner from york and his team of three. he’s petite with an effervescent energy. for the while that i was there he was tending to the skewers and soups in alternation, barely pausing in between. i had the indonesian crab bisque with two skewers, the hardcore prawn and black bean sirloin steak that are served balanced on the rim of the soup bowl. 

the prawn meat is pulled taut on the skewer and brushed with a chilli and tangy marinade. it is treated briefly to the hot grill to seal the outside so that the flesh is firm and juicy. the black bean sirloin steak was outstanding, very tender with a savoury dark chocolate taste. i settled in comfortably on the curb-side and lifted the fine wheat noodles from the bisque. they had a firm softness. there is nothing worse than soggy noodles and dan tse makes sure that hardcore prawns is far from that territory. the bisque has all the depth and creaminess of a classic french recipe but with the added perk of spice. the chilli is warm rather than peppery, subdued by the coconut milk. it leaves my skin in a flush. aside from the noodles, the fried shallots add a savoury caramel and the bean-sprouts and coriander freshness. this will be so good on a winter day as would be the tom kha or tom yum.

in other countries around the world, street-food has a distinctly national character. in britain street-food is a smorgasbord, a representation of its cosmopolitan nationalism and that is what i love about it. some of the best american and mexican food is to be found on the street. with that in mind i’m hoping to be back at eat.st kx for mexican from buen provencho, vietnmese banhmi from banhmi11, japanese yum bun and southern us of a classics from anna mae to mention just a few. i’d also recommend kimchi cult’sbulgogi subs which i tried earlier at chatsworth road market. now thanks to eat.st you won't have to travel east from north as i did as kimchi cult is at eat.st kx.

the dedicated eat.st site has a list of who will be trading when so you can plan your visit. the next stop for me is third november but how do i choose between yum bun, buen provecho and banhmi11? 

decisions

decisions

decisions