taste / Georgina Does

Friday, 30 June 2023

Taste of London is quickly becoming my favourite social night of the year.

I have been going consistently for the last few years and every one has been memorable for one reason or another. Whether its discovering a new dish, chatting to owners about their brands or just hanging out with my friends, there's so much to see, I often don't manage to get around it all.

Whilst it is an amazing event, it can end up becoming quite and expensive evening. That being said, there are lots of way to have an awesome time without spending a penny after entry. Here are my top tips from my past experience.

Be friendly to everyone

This is my biggest Taste tip and has afforded me most of my best Taste experiences. Last year we made friends with a group of guys whilst we were all doing a blind date challenge. Turned out there were all there on hospitality passes with work which meant we were able to hang out in (sneak into) the VIP tent with them. This meant free alcohol and a ready made bunch of new friends

This time around, we stuck to just our group of girls for the evening but that didn’t mean I spent any more cash. I found it was as simple as just chatting to the staff before they asked if we wanted anything from the menu – most of the time, that they were charging other people for.

Early ticket deals

Last year I managed to get us free tickets through the apartment complex where I was living at the time but we had such a good time that everyone was keen to buy tickets this time around. We went for the basic entry tickets but thanks to being signed up to the newsletter, I found out that if we bought them on a specific date, they came with a free glass of champagne upon entry; so we did that and it was a great way to kick off the evening.

Get there early

This was something I learnt the first time around (when I went with Georgia all those years ago.) Most of the sessions only last for 4 hours which sounds like a lot, but when you’re having fun, it fly’s by. We were there for almost the whole session and still didn’t get around any of the food stands. There's so much to see and do so make sure you get there early to make the most of your ticket.

Enjoy the free samples

Most stands sample their product which meant we left at the end of the night, totally full, having eaten free samples all evening. We all loved The English cheesecake Company samples so much that we stood talking to the guys for a half an hour and they just gave us one sample after another until we all felt sick.

I ate lots of cheese canapes from another stand but our biggest new discovery was the vanilla iced matcha lattes at Blank Street. They were handing out full sized, free samples and it turned out to be worth it from them because most of us have been out buying them every day since.

As well as food samples, there is usually have something interactive to get involved with. We spun wheels at Mirabeau and won free wine.

If you're after something particular, just ask

It's literally just as simple as asking. We asked the team at Holy Moly for merch and the guy came back with free sunglasses and stickers. The guys at Bol gave me a weeks supply of free lunch because I said I'd be interested to try them all and I got speaking to someone who turned out to the a GM at STK, who gave me a load of coupons for free cocktails.

Another amazing night in the bag. I came away on a high from having spoken to so many new and interesting people about brands they were passionate about. So in conclusion, maximizing your Taste London experience while staying within a budget is not only achievable but also incredibly rewarding.

Everything we ate and drank at Taste of London 2021

Monday, 26 July 2021

I have decided that Taste of London is all about indulgence.

Everything looked and smelt so delicious that I wanted to try it all - and I did, but like I said, that's what it's all about - trying something new, expanding your culinary horizons and indulging in delicious food.

I am not someone who enjoys sharing food, especially with David but on this occasion, it was a great way for us to try as many dishes as possible without filling up too quickly.

So here's a run down of everything we ate and drank:

Champagne and Smokin' Brothers Smoked Salmon Canapes (3 for £12)

We started off in the VIP tent which is where we got the free glass of bubbles, but before heading into the main festival, David was drawn over to the boujie smoked salmon canapes.

Highly over priced in my opinion, but also very high quality. One had an avocado mousse which was obviously delicious but my favourite was drizzled with lime juice, which was a really good flavour combination. I'm a big fan of citrus.

Heading into the main festival, we were ready for some more bubbles so whilst I went off in search of those, David got in queue for our next dish.

Manthans Ghati Prawn Masala (£8)

Turns out chef Rohit Ghai has quite the reputation when it comes to London's higher end Indian food and with Michelin-stars to his name, these quite rightly stood out from anything I've had before.

I'd never tried a dish quite like this; I think I saw the word 'masala' and just assumed (stupidly) that it was some kind of curry but actually I was very pleased we tried them because they were delicious - and also a great thing to start with because they worked well as a starter.

Topped with soothing coconut shreds, the big juicy prawns had a good level of spice and a wonderful crunch. Manthan is yet to open but after these, I am very keen to visit when it does later this year.

Espresso Martini from Artisan Coffee Co. (Approx £12)

David loves an espresso martini so we stopped off for one on the way to the next place. I was just as excited as a kid in a candy shop when the women also gave me a chocolate which they were pairing with the cocktails.

Casa Calaveras Fried chicken taco (£7)

Next was Mexican food which usually I love, but this was just a chicken taco and I wasnt all that excited about it. I took a bite and was quickly ready to find something new. Although having done some more research when I wrote this post, I learnt that Casa Calaveras is part of the Hakkasan group which pipped my interest. But what can I say, it just didnt compare.

Cafe Pacifico Cocktails (Approx £8 each)

Sticking with the Mexican theme, we headed to the Cafe Pacifico stand for some fruity coctails and some free shots of Mezcal which probably wasn't a good idea.

There was lots of talk around agave on their menu, which as a syrup, is something I eat on a weekly basis so I was interested to try. As a spirit however, it's more like tequila and less like honey, go figure.

We went for two different passionfruit cocktails here - a spiced mojito and a caiprinha - my kind of cocktails, both sweet, fruity and strong. Very good.

Flesh & Buns BBQ Pork Rib (£7) and Exclusive Black Cod Bao £10

This was the highlight of the evening by a mile.

We actually queued up for the bao buns but once I realised that the black cod was battered and not coated in sticky miso sauce; David went ahead and still ordered one and I went for the next best thing, a sticky BBQ rib - which turned out to be the best thing I ate all night.

The flavour of the sauce was just something else and it was literally dripping in it, with lots of sesame seeds as well. Plus as ribs go, it was big and very meaty, I would have eaten a whole plate of them given the opportunity. So delicious.

Burger & Lobster Original Lobster & Prawn Roll Slider (£7) & Lobster Burger Slider (£7)

It was getting late by now and having forgone the bao, I just felt like I needed some carbs, something comforting. Having always ordered the full lobster in the past, this was my chance to finally try the lobster roll and boy have I been missing out. It was good.

And surprisinly, so was the burger lobster slider. Initially I just thought it was a burger slider so I was pleasantly surprised when I got a hit of lobster in the little bite I took. I never understood why anyone would go to Burger and Lobster and order the burger but the combination does work very well together so I was gladly proven wrong.

Even though there were still so many things left that I wanted to try, we had run out of vouchers and it was getting cold so we decided to call it a night and left very full, and very satisfied - even without dessert!

SLIDER

How to get the best out of your taste London experience on a budget