Today’s attraction was Borough Market! It was bustling and very crowded as we arrived during lunch time. Not only is this a massive area to get delicious food from nearly every culture and country you can think of: it has existed for a millennium! In its beginning, Borough Market was located one end of the London Bridge but moved to the current located in the year 1756. It is not hard to imagine that this would be the location of such diverse and incredible food.
My group and I first checked the pastries section. Booth upon booth had many different cookies, cakes, and breads! Our stop in this area was The Free From Bakehouse. This booth had several vegan and non-vegan options! We picked up a vegan lemon meringue cupcake and a red velvet cupcake. They both taste so fresh and rich. There are zero complaints from me about this yummy stop! The woman who helped us at the stand was also very kind, which is always a great experience.
Moving on to our next stop, we wandered around for a few minutes when we landed on a stand that sold Iraqi food! With this trip to Borough Market, we were encouraged to try a meal we have not previously. I have not had Iraqi food before and was excited for this specific prompt! London has treated my vegan tummy so well thus far and I was not too worried that I would not be able to find something. Kubba Iraqi Cuisine had a vegan combo option that sounded interesting to me. It was entirely plant based Uroog and Kubba. Uroog is a meat patty that has onion and parsley on it and is fried. Kubba or kibbeh is traditionally minced meat, spices, and rice and deep fried. Everything was made with plant based meat and dairy free for me. It was very good, especially dipped in the sauce provided. I am not sure what the sauce was made of, but I could taste hints of brown sugar and tomato. I was not a fan of the mushrooms, but I am a very picky mushroom person! Overall, this specific meal was decent and a fun way to branch out.
I also did try a couple of bites of a Cori’s meal that I wanted to mention as well. They ordered from Mei Mei, a Singapore stall. They ordered the Vegan Curry, which was great as well! It had tofu that was very soft and bread-like in it, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I am a picky tofu vegan so this was a pleasant surprise for me! The sweet potato was so soft and full of flavor. Although I have had curry before, it was Indian curry, so this was technically new for me as well.
I am sad to say that we did not experience any performers on our way through. However, I was excited to experience the man make my food at Kubba! He was plating several individuals foods at once, so I would argue that this was a tasty performance. He was very kind and thanked me for ordering food at his stall. As you can see, my food was plated beautifully and neatly, before for a cute little photo before digging in.
Overall, I would say this trip to Borough Market was a success! There were definite moments where I felt a wee bit overwhelmed, especially with the smells, but I do not want to complain about something as magical as this place. There is an incredible amount of history here, it was palpable for me. I have loved these experiences and am excited for the next one.
Cheerio!
Theatre in London U of A 