London is saturated with markets: Camden, Covent Garden, Leadenhall, Portobello, Brick Lane. Then of course there are the gastronomically oriented ones, like Seven Dials and Borough. Altogether, I’ve visited Seven Dials twice, Borough Market three times, and Spitalfields once, and I think it’s safe to say that Borough Market is my favorite.
The first time I visited was a sort of spontaneous morning trip with Professor Irish and a handful of other students on the program. We walked across the London Bridge for the first time (Southwark Bridge a few blocks over is much prettier), and there was a beautiful view of the Thames. It was a Saturday, which at Borough Market means you should probably stay away if you have claustrophobic tendencies. We entered through the sweets/bakery/beverage section, and my gosh, you’re immediately overwhelmed with choice. There were traditional pies, coffees, pretzels the size of my face, waffles with gelato, Italian chocolates and truffles, and so much more I could spend the word count just listing it all. We went through to the grocery and butchery section, and I wished we were staying long enough to warrant buying a nice cut of steak or some produce because it all looked quite delicious! The famous chocolate covered strawberries were there, and I tried someone else’s (shoutout Jocelyn), and I hate to say it but they were pretty delicious. I think the strawberries are really just a vehicle for the chococlate because, boy, it was stellar. Through this section, we finally reached the meal spots, and I was once again momentarily paralyzed by the abundance of options.
I was impressed by the wide variety of cuisines present there. It seems the perfect place to bring a large, culinarily disparate group of people, or that one friend that eats a ham and cheese for every meal, because there is basically something for everyone. Japanese, Indian, Spanish, Asian fusion, American (as close as they can get, anyway), traditional British, and others, just kind of a reflection of various influences within London more broadly. I opted for Japanese and ordered the peanut sesame gyoza; five for five pounds, a pretty good deal for London prices! Their portable kitchen was neat, and they had a lot of pots and pans cooking at once, full of rice, vegetables, and meat. It makes me more interested in the design of mobile kitchens in things like markets or food trucks; I’d like to better understand how they’re organized to be maximally efficient and easy to clean and transport. But anyway, I received my gyoza with a little pick to eat with that was about the length of my pinkie and no sauce. They looked quite plain, just like steamed dumplings, but the flavor was quite delicious, and five was just enough. Unfortunately, I did not get any photos of them.
I did, however, go back to I brought my roommates on my return trip to Borough Market, which was even more enjoyable because that meant I could split things with them and get closer to satisfying my eagerness to try every single food item I laid my eyes on. But at the same time, I noticed even more options the second time around—dates, nut butters, Swedish candies (meh), specialty chips, tapas, etc.,—so was I any closer to solving my food FOMO problem? I guess not. Still, it was wonderful to try even more new foods, especially the Sandwich of All Sandwiches: the Best One from Black Pig BBQ. It had pork, some sort of slaw, sauces, and of course that addiction-activating parmesan cheese. Again, another trendy item, but it met and probably even exceeded expectations. We also ordered some mac and cheese with jalapeño and pork, and a creme brulee donut for dessert; it’s impossible to go to Borough Market and order just one thing.
Overall, this and all my other market experiences have been incredibly positive, and I’m grateful to be able to try so many new flavors and styles of cooking!
Culinarily,
Reese
P.S. Also next door to the market was Southwark Cathedral, a stunning work of architecture that looked different each time I peered through the trees at it. I wish I had gone in, but oh well, next time!
Theatre in London U of A 