Review of 'Taste of London 2015'

http://london.tastefestivals.com/

Taste of London is the annual festival showcasing many amazing, generally, high-end restaurants from around the city as well as other local food and drink suppliers. The restaurants each offer three dishes and, in recent years, a more expensive “icon dish”. Each restaurant has a small booth that tends to get crowded. They accept “crowns” in lieu of money which can be purchased around the site (cash and cards accepted for these).

Often it can get very crowded and in the rain it can be a problem. I purchase tickets well in advance (so knowing what the weather will be like is problematic) and tend to avoid the busy sessions on Saturday evening and pretty much all of Sunday. There are generally two sessions a day from Wednesday to Sunday.

The restaurants are a great way to try some of the best food in the city and the most well-known signature dishes. When waiting in the line before they open the doors I tend to get a copy of the programme and review the dishes on offer and highlight the ones I want to try as this way I have a list of things I should be trying to get, otherwise it can get VERY expensive as you end up buying so many different dishes at the very beginning and miss some of the dishes you see later.

There are a lot of other producers here handing out lots of samples (assuming you get to them before they run out). Additionally, there are several “theatres” scattered around the site with cooking and drinking sessions. Often a lot of these you have to pre-book though are free with your entry ticket - Best to reserve your space as soon as possible if there is one you absolutely must see.

This year was far busier and crowded than in recent years. I found the food on offer very good with portion sizes quite good for the money. I always do spend FAR too much money - Bank on a minimum of about £60 each for both the entry and crowns.

For an idea of what I tried (1 crown = £1):

• Barbecoa - Slow-Roasted Pit Beef - New York Slaw, Ketchup, Beef Dripping Crumble (6 crowns)
• Barbecoa - Salted Peanut Butter Cheesecake - Black Cherries, Sour Cherry Candy Floss (5 crowns)
• The Drapers Arms - Duck Hearts, radishes and duck fat croutons (5 crowns)
• The House of Ho - Slow-Cooked Apple-Smoked Pork Belly, braised Cabbage, served with Quail's Egg (6 crowns) - BEST DISH I had during my visit
• Sushisamba - SASA shrimp tempura, quinoa, shistio, coriander, spicy mayo, red onion (6 crowns)
• Sushisamba - Samba Desserts in a box (4 crowns)

My criteria for picking what to try (in order):

1. Must be something I have not had before and, preferably, from a restaurant I have never visited
2. Must be unusual
3. Must sound very good
4. Towards the end of my visit: Must be less than or equal to the number of crowns I have left!

Probably my most favourite food festival of the year.

Rating: “Really good but I have some issues”

Review Date: 2015-06-20

Location: London (England)

Address: Regent's Park, London ENGLAND

Public Transport: Regent's Park, Great Portland Street, Baker Street

URL: https://www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/the-regents-park

A wonderful, royal park just north of the centre of London. It is home to several attractions including the ZSL London Zoo and the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre.