Borough Market is a fascinating place. A real throwback to days of old when we were a little more picky about where our food and drink was sourced, it is a battleground for traders vying to sell their wares. It also provides the perfect excuse to eat and drink too much.
When the smells and noise all become a bit overwhelming, nothing beats getting yourself above the action. As you’ll know from my previous post on eateries in Morocco, I love to sit above a busy environment and watch the world go by as I scoff on some good food. Introducing….Roast.
The philosophy at Roast is simple. A celebration of the markets and stalls that buzz below it, the food is typically British with strong local flavours and meats combined to make what I like to call ‘real’ food. Calories are high but so is the taste. A starter of pan-fried chicken livers and wild garlic on toast with poached Burford brown egg was a mouthful to order but easy to digest. It’s very rare to have the chicken and egg arrive at the same time but the richness of the liver combined with a beautifully poached brown egg was delicious.
For the Lady it was a lighter option; chicory with blood orange and goats cheese. Still packed full over flavour but a little easier to digest. After people-watching for a good few minutes, we then moved on to mains; the Borough burger and pork, leek and cider sausages served on the most incredible mash. It was rich, it was decadent, but it was worth it.
As we opted for the three-course set menu we had already committed to a final course, not that we needed it. After an enforced half-hour break, desert arrived and didn’t disappoint. Possibly the best Apple Crumble I have ever tasted (sorry Mum!) and a Sticky Date Pudding that melted in the mouth. It tasted even better than it looks, honest.
A meal as good as this deserved a worthy beverage to wash it down with so I opted for the ‘Shard Sour’, a whiskey-based homage to the glass plinth that overlooks the market. It was a slightly fruitier version of a basic whiskey sour with the Hakushu whiskey and cherry juice giving it a sweeter hit on the tongue. Perfect for lunch.
Leaving far fuller than we had anticipated, it was back down to Borough Market for a final wander as the stalls began to close shop. A fair bit easier to navigate a half-empty market after eating your weight in food!
Do you have a favourite market you like to go to? What foods do you try and source locally?
