Taste Of London 2019! - ON IN LONDON

We went along to the opening night of this 5 day foodie’s paradise and with so much to try we didn’t know where to begin. Even though it rained we still had a great time and made the most of everything on offer! 40 of London’s best restaurants are gathered here, displaying those signature dishes you know and love but also off menu items they’ve created exclusively for Taste. If you’re a Taste of London regular, you’ll be excited to hear that half of the restaurants at the festival this year are newcomers giving it a brand a new feel.

If you’re feeling adventurous this is the perfect place to try cuisines you’ve always wanted to give a go. The majority of dishes are less than £10 and of a perfect size enabling you to mix and match across restaurants. This year’s ‘Best in Taste dish’ was awarded to Hoppers 42 hour roast elumas (goat) roti. Experience it here before the end of the week because you won’t find it anywhere else, trust me when I say it’s worth the trip! We also tried dishes from newcomer Berenjak, Persian cuisine. My vegetarian friend had the mirza ghasemi (aubergine) whilst I gave the jujeh (chicken) kebab a go, which was cooked on a charcoal grill. We are arranging a time to go and check out their restaurant in Soho already!

Make sure you leave room for dessert as there are plenty of places to choose from. We went to Pleesecakes where you can customise your own cheesecake! It was simply a heaven in a pot and they also won the ‘most instagramable dish’ award for all those who love a food selfie.

Alongside all the food Taste of London is also home to a range of bars serving an alcoholic beverage or two. Be sure to check out Ketel One Kitchen, House of Tanqueray at No.10, World Class Lounge and the Johnnie Walker Discovery Bar.

Once you’ve been fed and watered you can also check out live cooking demonstrations, meet some of London’s leading chefs, participate in masterclasses and shop at more than 200 food and drink stalls.

We went to a masterclass at the House of Tanqueray where our senses were explored via analysing our brain activity. Presented with scented vials we had our brain read in order to determine particular scents that gave us the most pleasure before receiving a personalised report based on the results. A personalised cocktail was then made for us based on the results – I had Gin Fizz (Tanqueray, lemon juice, orange marmalade, angelica syrup and cream soda).

There were many businesses showcasing their produce and two of our favourites was Black Powder Gin and Duppyshare Rum (we really wanted to buy bottle of each!).