KERB

Street food is all the rage at the moment, with food trucks having popped up here there and just about everywhere across London over the past year or so. The fast and on-the-go nature of street food definitely appeals to me... in a lot of countries it is pretty normal to be able to grab some fantastic and interesting quick meals on the streets - I'm thinking of India, Mexico etc. So I like the fact that a similar movement seems to be happening here, giving people more interesting options for fast food than a Pret sandwich or McDonald's burger.

KERB (formerly Eat Street), which can be found in the 'no-man's-land' of King's Boulevard, situated between King's Cross Station and University of the Arts London's new campus, is a place I've frequented for a while, and where I've been able to try a number of foods from these new up-and-coming street food traders. The market trades during the working week, and there's always a selection of five or so different stalls cooking a whole variety of different things. KERB have quite a large roster of traders, so it's always easy to try something you've not had before.

The stalls I've tried include:

Kooky Bakes
Bleecker St. Burger
Mother Flipper
Tongue 'N Cheek
Banh Mi 11
Big Apple Hot Dogs (well, I visited them at another location, but they do trade at KERB)

The two I would most highly recommend are Kooky Bakes and Big Apple Hot Dogs. If you've got a sweet tooth you will think you have died and gone to heaven when you approach the Kooky Bakes stall, piled high with (very generously sized) whoopie pies, slices and cupcakes. I inevitably come away from this stall with at least two tasty items; my favourites include their signature slice and malteser whoopie pie. Big Apple Hot Dogs quite simply make the best hotdog I have ever eaten - The Big Frank. The flavours, textures, everything about it is just perfect. They use free range pork and prime beef, so you're not only getting a tasty dog but also a very high quality one which, in the days of horsemeatgate is always good to know.

The central location of KERB is great because it means you can visit these traders during the working week, without having to trek to markets on the weekend that perhaps aren't anywhere near where you live (like Brockley or Netil markets for example). If you work nearby I definitely recommend checking it out. I actually don't work nearby but I still try to make it out there when I can because it is so great having all these different traders in one place. There's always something that will catch your eye and tickle your tastebuds. The combination of different mouth-watering scents coming from each stall often makes it difficult to decide what to choose.

I last visited KERB a couple of days ago, and decided to opt for a stall I had visited before - Bleecker St. Burger.

I had previously had the Blue Burger with sweet potato fries and really enjoyed it. I thought it tasted like a really good home-made burger, which I mean in a good way. This time I chose the regular cheeseburger instead, and as I wasn't completely ravenous I didn't order fries.

Sadly, this time the burger didn't live up to expectations. They state that the burgers are served medium rare unless otherwise requested, but my burger unfortunately was just about medium in the centre and pretty much well done around the outside, which is not at all how I like my burgers. I also found the bun too sweet and the meat/sauces too salty, so the two elements were battling for attention on my palate rather than complimenting each other. I also didn't like - and I know this is a very slight niggle - the fact that it was served in a rather large polystyrene box. It really didn't need it. Last time it was just wrapped in some foil which worked fine - and less packaging is better for the environment. It's a shame that my second experience of their burgers was so different to my first. I ended up getting food envy and wishing I'd got a free range chicken burger from Spit and Roast instead. Oh well - there's always next time!

Sorry to end the review on a slightly bum note, but overall I think KERB is great and definitely worth a visit if you like your food.