"Street Feast's Dalston Yard incarnation is back for a fourth glorious year, this time boasting 17 traders and 13 bars and promoting itself as the International Capital of street food. A visit to this spacious outdoor market will offer visitors the opportunity to gorge on Mexican fish tacos, Venezuelan arepas and Taiwanese gua bao- all congregated in one place. Bars offer craft beer and cocktails as standard, but some specialise in wine, award-winning whiskeys or gin. Frontier is heavily peddled at the large bars, but there is a smaller, well-stocked craft beer kiosk replete with examples from local breweries including Beavertown and Fourpure. Camden Town Brewery is also represented, pouring their brews in the Camden Town Pump Station. Whether afternoon or evening, the atmosphere at Dalston Yard is electric- people are always jostling around for delicious food and most vendors will require queuing, especially at busy times, where the call of Smokestak has previously warranted a 40 minute wait for their extolled ribs. Seating is communal- think minimal wooden tables and benches- and there are scattered ledges for those predisposed to leaning. Most revellers barely travel a few feet from the venders, unable to contain themselves and immediately tucking into their prize. This is a street market, so expect dribbling juices, sticky fingers and gooey cheese messes. Leave your table manners at the gate. All of the vendors are seriously top-notch behemoths on the street food scene and we were able to sample this year's selection- nothing disappointed, but I can vouch for Yum Bum's pork belly steamed buns: little pillows of chewy delight that are stuffed with shredded succulent pork, dosed in sticky hoisin sauce and topped with crispy cucumber slices and zingy pickled cabbage. These are dangerously addictive, so never opt for a single helping because, frankly, you'll find yourself back in the queue before you've finished your lone bun. Another unmissable event is Breddo's tacos, which are heavily represented on foodie Instagram feeds with good reason: they are simply wonderful. I tried the fried chicken- a moist piece of poultry that was battered in a crispy golden shell and served with creamy chipotle mayo- and the Baja fish- which were lightly fried but fell apart in the mouth, topped with freshly chopped jalapeno, coriander leaves, radish slices, a lime wedge and wrapped in a black corn tortilla. If you have a hankering for something sweet, eking out Bad Brownie is worth your while. Offering brownie bowls and the now infamous Freakshake- you can spend £9 for the most indulgent treat that is a milkshake and brownie hybrid, packed with hunks of brownie and whipped cream and chopped nuts spilling out of a mason jar- it's a gloriously beautiful specimen of indulgence. The only question is: spoon or straw? You'll want to visit Dalston Yard for the chilled Dalston vibes, good music and exemplary food. On a sunny day, this is a literal urban oasis, but make sure you eat early and often to sample everything on offer. It's not exactly cheap, so choose wisely, but I haven't been let down yet. Drop in mid-afternoon and you can wander around for free, but to access the serious night vibes, you will have to pay £3 on the door after 7pm. Now if only the weather would cooperate, I know where you can find me throughout the summer."
Pulled Pork Sandwich
