Tag Archives: pop-up

Spring Peckham Pop-ups

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Peckham is a fertile temporary home for pop-up ventures, with plenty of disused buildings to transform and a crowd of eager locals willing to try anything. And as the warm weather approaches, South London is beginning to boom again with markets, events and short-term food and drink offerings. Here are a few fleeting foodie fixtures I’ve discovered in my neighbourhood of Peckham recently.

Crust Conductor – the concept is simple… wood-fired pizza on a stationary double decker bus! The retro London Leyland Titan 1980s bus is found next door to Peckham Rye Station and is open for business all day Saturday and Friday nights. For the ultimate party you can hire the whole bus from Thursday-Sunday. Jonny Henfrey from popular Peckham pub The Gowlett uses a wood-fire oven within the vehicle to create cheesy delights. For a thirst-quenching drink buy a beer from Brick Brewery just outside the bus, the perfect pizza accompaniment. Pizzas start at £6, I loved the Spanish Archer with chorizo, chargrilled peppers and garlic (£8).

Burger Bear – I’d heard of this elusive burger company from fellow foodies, but had never made it along to one of its obscure market spots. Now that it’s got a residency in The Old Nun’s Head pub, I was the first in line to try the juicy burgers. This friendly pub is hosting the Burger Bear team every Monday and Tuesday 6-10pm and Saturdays 12-10pm. The BB boys like to keep it local, all their meat is sourced from South London butchery Flock & Herd. I recommend the sloppy and indulgent ‘Grizzly Bear’, a cheeseburger topped with double oak smoked bacon and Burger Bears Bacon Jam, £10.

Forza Win – Forza Win aims to create “awesome Italian cuisine using seasonal British ingredients”. The company has been around for a few years, touring London using neglected but atmospheric spaces and serving up flavoursome seasonal food. Last month the team came back to their Peckham homeland with a new concept: Spring Chickens. For £35 a head you will get a five course feast, featuring the ‘100 day chicken’. Or for something cheap and casual, every Wednesday you can just turn up for a bowl of pasta and glass of wine for £10.

Frank’s – London’s most popular seasonal rooftop bar is reopening in May ready for another summer of fun. Trek up to the top of the multi-storey carpark, grab an Aperol Spritz from the bar and enjoy the hazy views of London’s skyline.

For more ideas of things to do in Peckham see my post here.

Forza Win Spring Chickens, Peckham

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It’s fun discovering great things on your doorstep and in Peckham it happens most weekends. A few weeks ago, with a group of friends, I found a foodie event unlike any other…

Forza Win aims to create “awesome Italian cuisine using seasonal British ingredients”. The company has been around for a few years, touring London using disused but atmospheric spaces and serving up flavoursome seasonal food. The pop-ups have a celebratory vibe, with long communal tables and everyone together in one sitting. The banquets are accompanied by organic wines, flavoursome cocktails and a soundtrack of lively music. The mood is convivial as fellow diners fight over the sharing plates and bond over a love of good grub!

Last month the team came back to their Peckham with a new concept: Spring Chickens. For £35 a head you will get a five course feast, featuring the ‘100 day chicken’.

All produce is sourced from the UK and is cooked over wood, to accentuate the flavour. I was impressed with the venue, which has been transformed into a stylish ‘industrial’ dining room. We huddled on the benches, sipping our blood orange Bellinis and anticipating the meal ahead.

The dishes were rustic and simple with bold flavours made from the finest ingredients. Sizzling chickens were delivered systematically round the room, tender with a crispy skin and served with soft roast new potatoes. Silence fell over our group as we gorged on the feast.

Forza Win is a Peckham pop-up not to miss, the best of British, cooked to perfection and served up with a smile. And now every Wednesday they are offering a bowl of pasta and a glass of wine for £10. You don’t need a ticket, just turn up and eat.

Continues until Saturday 23 May. More information and book tickets here.

Bone Daddies Shackfuyu, Soho

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Bone Daddies made a relatively quiet entrance onto the Soho restaurant scene a few years ago. Since opening the ramen bar has gradually grown in popularity, serving up steaming bowls of goodness and satisfying sticky meaty treats. I found the food very salty, but cannot fault the concept.

It seems the trend for this oriental cuisine continues to soar… Shackfuyu is the recent pop-up from the Bone Daddies team, and London’s top foodies are falling over each other to taste the Japanese fusion food.

The space is big and allows for a dinky bar downstairs where hungry guests wait patiently for a free table. While we were down there, we took the opportunity to trial a few of the pre-bottled cocktails. This pre-mixed method usually perturbs me, but the concoctions at Shackfuyu are good enough to withstand a bit of fridge time, and are served in stylish little glass milk bottles. I loved the ‘Orenji What?!’ a whisky based drink with triple sec and orange misu, a slightly sweeter version of an Old Fashioned. We also tried the zestier ‘Ringo Starr’ a mix of gin, sake and apple juice.

Eventually we were seated upstairs, at this point we were ready to devour the entire menu. There is a tempting selection of small snacky plates so you can order a selection, share your way slowly through the feast. Aubergine with miso and babu arare is a sticky sweet delight and Prawn toast a delicate treat. The highlight for us was the Korean fried wings, coated in layers of treacle textured sauce and a sprinkle of sesame seeds – they are a messy dish, but once you’ve delved in you’ll barely want to come up for air. I enjoyed the theatre of the hot stone rice with goma tare, chilli and beef, delivered to the table with a raw egg on top, it is stirred rapidly and sizzles with excitement. The rice tends to stick to the side of the dish but this makes the dish crunchy and even yummier.

Sadly we didn’t have space for the solo dessert on the menu (kinaki French toast) but I will definitely be returning to try it soon. I’ve heard it is not to be missed.

Shackfuyu sounds rather rude when you say it aloud but with food this tasty, who cares? Settle down in one of the comfortable booths, order generously and enjoy.

More information and see the menu of Shackfuyu here: www.bonedaddies.com/shackfuyu