Sticky Mango in Waterloo has been on my list for a couple of years now after some strong recommendations brought it to my attention, particularly as the pricing seemed very fair for a decent meal in London. It was an easy choice to get a booking sorted and arrange to catch up with a couple of old school friends who commute from Milton Keynes, where I was brought up in the distant past. Sticky Mango London is owned by Peter Lloyd who built a strong reputation prior to taking it over, having completed stages with Pierre Koffmann, Gordon Ramsay and Marco Pierre White as well as stints in various reputed kitchens. It’s clear that the intention here is to marry great value to big flavours which inspire plenty of repeat custom: should be a pretty open goal in London if the balance is right.

The restaurant is just a short walk from Waterloo station and immediately identifiable from the large mural of Anthony Bourdain that dominates the front of the building along with a quote from the much missed chef and author. The rest of the signage is attractive enough to draw you in without dominating the street unduly, though things ramp up a notch when you climb the stairs to the dining room which is dominated by a vibrant pink blossom tree. Sadly we didn’t have time to go through the whole tasting menu but the a la carte is perfectly broad enough and gave plenty for our table of 3 to go at. We started with steamed edamame in a truffle teriyaki dressing, chicken and shrimp rolls and some crab dumplings in a laksa sauce that I’d had my eye on. For mains we agreed on glazed duck, whole seabass and a green vegetable curry while we made doubly sure our collective appetite would be met with sides of crispy baby potatoes and truffled egg fried rice.

Our server was hitting the balance between formality and conviviality nicely by this point, delivering our dishes and drinks promptly without any sense of being rushed, the edamame beans arriving first to make a mess of our hands while we extracted the beans from their pods and made sure to alert every party at the table to discard the casings before too many had been consumed. The chicken and shrimp rolls went above and beyond, paired with fresh crisp leaves and a lively dipping sauce, but the stand out starter was the quartet of crab dumplings. These could have easily been overwhelmed by the punch of the laksa sauce but everything on the plate rubbed along very well indeed with the crab still making itself heard and quail egg bringing a touch of delicacy to presentation.

Expectations were high after those first few plates and further met by the dishes that followed with duck first to make an appearance. The meat, which had been confit and roasted, shredded with virtually no effort and paired nicely with the fresh watermelon for a neat contrast of texture, flavour and taste that was extremely satisfying. The seabass lived up to the promise of being boneless, requiring only the slightest effort to get at the meat and was sharpened up nicely with some pickled veg. The green curry made use of okra as a neat point of difference that set it aside from more commonly found examples of this dish, a reassuring suggestion of the effort going into flavour making and presentation. Crispy baby potatoes were dressed with peanut, mayonnaise and plenty of spring onion that kept us picking at them until the plate was empty but the truffled leek rice was the star of the side dishes, topped with a fried egg that the server mixed through the rice at the table. The hit of truffle went particularly neatly with the duck and the fresh watermelon…and frankly what dish isn’t improved by the addition of a fried egg?

Sadly by this point I was in serious danger of missing my return train to York, which actually turned out to be a four hour odyssey of discomfort all to reminiscent of the worst days of our mass transport network, so dessert had to be skipped and I sadly missed the establishment’s titular dish. Being back in London and catching up with old friends had put me in a more forgiving mood but I didn’t need to draw down on any of that good will for this meal. I’d expected Sticky Mango to offer bold flavours, a kick of originality and good value and it delivered on that with great aplomb.

(Disclaimer – PR meal)

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The new Malmaison Hotel has repurposed the former Aviva Yorkshire House building with great impact, packing in a brace of restaurants and a hotel bar as well as the Sora sky bar which has sprouted from the roof. In a previous life, I was subjected to the interior of this building through attendance at various meetings and training sessions, and while the focus here is firmly on Sora, I can confirm that the remainder of the interior is unrecognisable from its drab insurance days.

Sora Sky Bar is accessed via elevator, thankfully given its altitude, and makes a strong first impression when you’ve made your way past the track & trace admin. The views were always going to be a defining feature here but the first time you make your way out onto the terrace really is a notable moment in your experience of hospitality in York. The Minster will quite rightly find itself as the backdrop to countless selfies but Holgate Windmill, The Railway Museum, The City Walls and Rowntree’s all draw the eye. Notably the White Horse at Kilburn is visible, though I’m sure many who’ve worked in the offices on Holgate Park will recall it being visible from there too, albeit in rather less pleasant surroundings. It goes without saying that there’re solid safety barriers around the perimeter, but these also provided more protection from the wind than I expected and the environment was pleasantly peaceful and detached from street level. I’d not forget the sun screen though on a hot day!

The food menu consists of sushi and small plates with a pan-Asian theme, of which we were directed to order two or three each as a guide, as well as a upmarket range of cocktails and spirits. With the full range of sushi unavailable on our visit we ended up grabbing a few bites of sushi and leaning more heavily into the hot dishes than I had anticipated, which turned out very well! A couple of bites of Salmon Sashimi went down well along with a plate of Tuna Maki but the other plates shone brightly enough to make up for the the cloudy day we’d chosen in the midst of a heatwave. Beetroot carpaccio with lotus root crisps was a fresh and colourful plate with well judged pickling and a scattering of saffron which contrasted nicely with slices of tender beef tataki brought to life by finely sliced crisps of garlic and pickled mooli. Aubergine with miso caramel and whipped tofu was deceptively light with a delightfully well judged sweetness and our final dish of Korean Fried Cauliflower was another hit. There was a good undercurrent of heat through these and more good judgement in the cooking, leaving them firm enough to easily navigate but soft enough to enjoy easily.

Sora is an unqualified success. Its striking interior is finished to an extremely high standard and the food was excellent as well as representing good value in this elevated (figuratively and literally) surroundings. The views from here were always going to sell it and make it news worthy and give the opportunity for shortcuts elsewhere but the scale of ambition in this development is impressive enough to draw the eye away from the unrivalled views of the York, though they obviously win out every time! Every time I arrange to meet a visitor from outside the city on arrival, this will be the default destination to impress them from now on.

Disclaimer – PR visit, no charge made.

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That might sound counter-intuitive but actually there are plenty of benefits, offering further incentives to extend one’s stay and the opportunity to offer different reasons for the local community to visit. One of these restaurants is EightyEight at Grantley Hall, described as a Pan-Asian bar and restaurant blending Yorkshire produce with “far Eastern flavours”. I recently made my way toward Ripon for a look at their take on Sunday lunch.

While it might be an important part of the wider Grantley offering, EightyEight very much has its own identity, it may be on the same site but it feels as unique as any restaurant I’ve visited. The branding and welcome are as slick and well resolved as you’d expect from anything associated with Grantley, though a step removed from the main hotel to strengthen that sense of identity. The group I was with were greeted by striking cocktails and mocktails on arrival, though I somewhat churlishly felt the need to top up the morning’s caffeine ration with a coffee. After getting to know the surroundings, we descended to a strikingly subterranean dining room to take our table, at which we would discover just how this fusion of produce and flavour would be presented.

Sunday lunches are all about spending time together to share the previous week’s successes and the following week’s concerns and opportunities; to reflect this, EightyEight has themed their Sunday offering as Sharers which are intended to bring people together in just that manner. The menu offers a selection of duck, beef and pork dishes that all come with a selection of sides for a table to assemble as they see fit into pancakes or bao buns.

It didn’t take long for the table to be heavily populated with food. Shanghai Style Goosnargh duckling, Pork Belly “Sui Yuk” (slow roasted) and Bulgogi Beef all featured along with ample sides. Pickled vegetables, compressed tomato, kimchi and a range of soups featured along with the usual range of cucumber, spring onions and so on to pack out our buns. A generous bowl of well seasoned, sticky rice completed the scene along with dipping sauces and soups that merrily broke up the textures and flavours of the meal.

That aspiration to pair quality Yorkshire produce with Eastern flavours was well realised across all of these dishes but the real star was a menu option that took it a step further, presenting the table with a whole cornfed Goosnargh duck to enjoy. This was a real show stopper that would definitely be the focus of a return visit for me. It presented a real sense of occasion and the kind of visual focus that carving a roast at home allows. It should be noted that the lack of a vegetarian option on the menu feels a little jarring given the contenting popularity of veggie and vegan diets that show no sign of slowing down.

We finished with a sharing dessert that sat in the centre of the table giving us the chance to show competitive levels of politeness in not overstepping each other’s boundaries. This heap of meringue, banana, caramel and chocolate carried on encouraging us to interact with one another while we evenly divided the spoils.

EightyEight makes a great contribution to the wider Grantley Hall estate on the evidence of this meal. The cooking evidenced a deft touch with strong flavours and the concept delivered on the promise of encouraging sharing through food. The care and attention lavished on every element of Grantley Hall is brightly reflected here and leaves little chance of it falling into anonymity as a “restaurant hotel”.

Disclaimer: No charge was made for this press meal. Opinions are impartial.

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The new beer hall hosting Born to Lose burgers is a natural expansion for Brew York which is housed in a former gym in the same complex as the original brewery and tap room. It’s a great addition to York and offers a lively space to meet up in which has got plenty of atmosphere, but isn’t distractingly raucous. The Born to Lose kitchen sits at right angles to the bar with menus suspended above letting you know what options you have to choose from. The core of the menu is burgers that feature house ground thin patties and all the refined trimmings you’d expect from the guys behind Street Cleaver. Along with burgers there’re a variety of small plates on offer and (when we went) the option to order a platter to suit a table of 3-4 people. Please bear in mind that the menu here is likely to be a moving target as the guys develop different dishes, so don’t be surprised if something specific mentioned here has been replaced.

Unsurprisingly, Born to Lose burgers are beautifully refined. I had wondered what twist would inform the burger recipes, but they’re actually quite conventional, not needing contrived embellishments, to hit the standards I expected here. The house burger is named in tribute to Anthony Bourdain, a gesture that would be inappropriate if the standard wasn’t right. The burger sauce, pickle, shredded leaf and cheese bring all the texture and indulgence you want from a burger, making this just the messy feast you’d hope. The Reuben adds salt beef to the brace of thin burger patties along with sauerkraut and different dressings, making it a very generous couple of handfuls that threatens to sate your appetite before you get to any of small plates.

To go with our burgers, we grabbed some kimchi mac cheese, padron peppers, Japanese chicken, salt beef and pigs head “Crubeen” donut. Along with salads and garnishes on the tray all this was presented on, everything was just as delicious as it was intriguing. Kimchi mac cheese is a Street Cleaver classic that remains difficult to get enough of and the tray of extras encouraged everyone around the table to get their hands covered in food, ensuring we ignored our phones and interacted with one another throughout our meal. Pigs head donuts had a real punch of flavour and the padron peppers were adept at cutting through the richer meat elements. It’s hard to pick highlights in a meal like this; Japanese chicken was equally fantastic and the salt beef demanded another trip to the bar for more beer.

I miss being able to grab a bowl of ramen at Spark, but this is a worthy alternative. I’m not sure I’ve ever been disappointed by Mark Hill’s food and Born to Lose certainly doesn’t break that trend. The breadth of the menu is surprising for what’s labelled a burger kitchen and everything on it was superb. If anything, there’s been a greater sense of refinement to the food on each subsequent visit. I can’t wait to see what else Born to Lose serve up. At the moment, I’m admiring the menu for “Alternative Sunday Lunch” which I’m about to book, featuring roast pork shoulder with black garlic, chilli beef brisket, miso cauliflower cheese and nam chim bone marrow amongst other things. These guys may be born to lose, but the rest of us seem to be winning as a result.

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Spark has been on the horizon for some time in the form of a proposal for a container park on the land created by clearing a derelict building on Piccadilly. That plan has now crystallised into reality and Piccadilly has become home to a complex of repurposed shipping containers that house a variety of businesses. There’s been plenty of debate, healthy and otherwise, on social media about the merits of the scheme as is bound to be the case with anything new and bold. This has in part been fuelled by some negativity associated with delays to the project opening. Now that it’s up and running, it’s time to let the project speak for itself though and see how the people of York react. It goes without saying that I’ve been exhaustively checking out the food options for you.

A great deal of the debate on Spark York suitability for the city has centred on its appearance and how well a complex of repurposed shipping containers would blend into York’s historic centre. This is likely to remain a divisive subject for the lifespan of the project, but in my view it’s all the better for its limited attempts to blend in. This was always going to be a distinctive development and I believe it has been improved by embracing its own character, embellished by striking murals and signage. Once you’ve made your way up the wooden entrance ramp to the surprisingly spacious interior that’s open to the air and grabbed a seat, it’s time to take stock of the food vendors.

The traders who’ve been chosen to take up residence in Spark York are a bunch who all bring, deservedly, strong reputations to the party. Fronting the complex, geographically, is Cwtch coffee who offer, unsurprisingly, superb coffee and a warm space to enjoy it should the weather outside not be playing ball. Keep an eye on the food offering here; while chatting to the owner, I get the impression that this is going to be a great place for breakfast… Moving further into the space, you next come across Munchies Cakeaway, who are ready and eager to provide you with sweet treats including waffles with a variety of toppings. These guys have been delivering delicious cake to the people of York for some time so are a great choice to dish out desserts and indulgences.

Another couple of steps gets you to the ordering hatch of Krep, who after making a name for themselves serving from their Citroen van have already established themselves as a firm favourite here. The mix of savoury gallettes and sweet crepes feature fillings that evidence great pride in the product.

Neighbouring Krep is what’s fast becoming a York legend. Street Cleaver has generated a dedicated following (among which I count myself) over the course of a series of pop ups and residencies. Headed by the impressively tattooed and bearded Mark Hill, Spark has given the opportunity to add a range of ramen dishes to the signature range of bao buns. Never one to bow to convention, Mark has branded his ramen “No rules” and is playing happily fast and loose, notably pairing chorizo and pork. This is serious food that doesn’t feature a single shortcut on the way to the recipient.

Continuing our tour of the on site food traders, Once Across the Garden do a brilliant job of broadening the offering by producing a fantastic range of vegan food. Previous dishes have included hot dogs, mac’ cheese and kebabs, so there’s no accusing these guys of retreating into vegan stereotypes.

Next up is Cluckin’ Oinks, who knock out the best fried chicken I’ve ever eaten. I always feel compelled to qualify a recommendation to Cluckin’ on the basis that it’s hard to articulate how good fried chicken can be given the quality of what’s usually offered to the mass market. With home made sauces, fries and addictive fried macaroni cheese bites as well as the chicken, there’s plenty to come back for.

If you continue to circulate, you’ll come across Dough Eyed Pizza who have sadly had to temporarily close after a small fire on the opening weekend. I can’t wait to see these guys up and running again the slices of pizza on offer here easily rank amongst the best in York. Dough Eyed’s other neighbour is Sloppy’s Burgers, offering up suitably messy and indulgent burgers. Take a look at the scooter out front and make sure you get a pic on it!

If, after trying all that, you’ve still the stamina to check out more places to eat (for clarity, I didn’t eat at all these places in one day), then there are even more treats upstairs from Tikk’s Thai Kitchen, who won the northern heats of last year’s British Streetfood Awards. Every time I’ve sampled food from these guys, it’s been fabulous and the red curry I grabbed from them the other day was just as fantastic as the satay skewers I had the previous week.

Unique amongst the food offering is York Nurturing Community who operate ‘pay as you feel’ and ‘pay it forward’ models to make sure that anyone can afford a healthy meal with them. They also make use of intercepted surplus food that may otherwise go to waste. This is a wonderfully valuable project for York that’s landed in a great spot.

Obviously food this good needs something to wash it down, and Spark doesn’t fall short here either. There’s a range of beers from Pivovar at the main bar along with a micro brewery to offer more variety. Cocktails come from 4swings and are as inventive as their reputation suggests and if you’re after a glass of wine then BNHO have a great variety on tap. Of course it doesn’t end with food though. While that’s my focus here, there’re a bunch of good people doing their best to make Spark York feel more like a high street than a food court: vintage clothes, vinyl, interior furnishings, stationery and accessories all being available.

Spark York is a fantastic addition to York. It’s family friendly and has a range of great quality food and drink at sensible prices that make it a fantastic place to to meet the demands of most audiences. There’s a real sense of community amongst the traders that gives a real sense of cohesion and opportunity to grow the project. There’re a few improvements to be made, in particular more covered seating will add flexibility and a lift will improve accessibility, but the remainder of this project surely holds exciting things.

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The Evil Eye has its focus firmly on cocktails and spirits, which is something that’s put me off going for some time as the sickly sweet booze scent hits you immediately upon entry. Luckily this was masked to a degree by a chap at the end of the bar whose sole job seemed to be to prepare mounds of herbs for inclusion in drinks throughout the course of the evening. We got some drinks in and set about the menu. The evening menu offers variants of presentation and fillings that encourage you to choose a format (i.e. bao bun, tacos) and then compliment it with a protein and sides.

With only time for a light meal we chose the confit Miso Belly Pork Bao buns and accompanying gunpowder fries while making a note to return and try mushroom carpaccio and smoked tofu in particular from the evening menu. When placing our order it was pleasing to see service running smoothly. With it being the first night (and a Friday no less), a few hiccups would have been not unexpected, but servers knew the menu and food arrived briskly without any confusion.

Three Bao buns were beautifully presented and identical, betraying an impressive level of attention to detail, with pickled cucumber and vegan kimchi delicately complimenting the Miso flavour of the pork and hoisin source in perfect balance. Gunpowder fries perhaps didn’t reach the same marvellous heights of the bao buns but that’s perhaps a reflection of my high expectations rather than to say there was anything to criticise. Freshly prepared, generously portioned and well-spiced with fresh chilli, coriander and spring onion, these would perfectly compliment a cold beer later in an evening.

Having enjoyed the evening food so much I then took my first opportunity to pop back and order the Indian egg rolls from the brunch menu. These were presented on a paratha and generously garnished with slaw, spring onion and paprika oil. The generous spice in the dish certainly woke me up while the colour on the plate brightened up my morning! This was a wonderful dish, not over developed but full of character and very hard to argue with for £6.

If I have a concern about any of this, it’s that the venue, rightly or wrongly, is not likely to attract the diverse audience this food deserves. It’s a matter of record that I can be a contrary and grumpy sod, but I’m always happy to stray from my normal path when good food is in prospect, as it clearly is here. I just hope that if people have preconceptions about the location they’re willing to give it a go, I’ll certainly be making a return visit and working my way through the menu.

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Sunday afternoon and I’m enjoying an ice cream in Trinacria before a bit of a stroll round town. A little bit of digging on Facebook suggests there’s a restaurant opening around the corner so, interest piqued, it was obviously time to wander to the nearest pub with a copy of Private Eye. There’s little point in kicking off action for dinner when you’re full of ice cream after all.

We settled into the rhythm of the place while quickly agreeing that steamed pork dumplings would be the right way to start things off and got a Thai Chang beer rolling. Friendly service exceeded expectations while an open kitchen reassured.

The steamed pork dumplings were superb, well seasoned and interesting without falling into the anglicized trap of coriander overload. A bed of salad cut through with spring onions backed the flavours up without feeling the need to drench itself in one dimensional sauces.

With the pace of the meal picking up to reflect the My Thai streetfood vibe, main courses appeared in short order. Duck with flat noodles and glass noodles served with seafood and pork appeared in significant portions and were beautifully presented.

Having only been open a couple of weeks, the atmosphere wasn’t yet buzzing but customers were in situ and happy, an experience we were sharing.

The flat noodles with duck were superb: face-filling, lip-smearing and spiking all the flavours one expects without the meat being dried out or meagre in quantity – likely to be a repeat order. The glass noodles with pork and seafood require a little more qualification: equally generous in quantity and well-executed, everything looked the part until my ability to cope with spice stepped in. Flavours were entirely on the money, but I just couldn’t cope and left Mrs YoaF to deal with the collateral damage, a task she worked through with characteristic fortitude.

A starter, two mains, and a couple of beers tipped the scales at just over thirty quid. Entirely fair given the portioning. My Thai isn’t somewhere to linger for lots of courses and delicate side dishes, but for a friendly town centre spot to get an informal spot of dinner, it’s perfect.

Going back to that super spicy dish, I feel the need to raise two points. As previously documented, I’m rubbish with spice. That’s not to say I didn’t appreciate the flavours. As an experiment, I dropped the leftovers in at my local pub for a second opinion from a trusted friend. He and his girlfriend dealt with the spice just fine, make of that what you will. Perhaps a clearer guidance on spice would let punters customise their dishes with accuracy.

The real question is though… does it deliver? In the most literal sense, I’ve no idea. I forgot to ask, and it’s not obvious from social media. In terms of flavour… yup. Go get stuck in. Is it my Thai? Yep, looks like it.

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The idea for a social event was borne of a conversation with the lovely Caroline Biggs of Cambridge Food Festival fame who, new to York, thought it’d be a good idea to get a social movement going centred around a shared passion for good food. Krakatoa were happy to host and put together an interesting menu so all that remained was to find some people to come and appreciate it.

Having amassed a decent sized attendance for the evening it was a little surprising to see everyone arrive quite so promptly, judging people by my own standards I guess. Seated and ready to go after the one straggler arrived, whose tardiness was probably appreciated as a chance to get another drink in, I swallowed my nerves and accepted I’d have to at least briefly introduce the evening before handing over to the eminently more qualified Tim Potter, proprietor of the establishment.

Tim did a tremendous job of explaining the restaurant’s history and ethos before describing the menu they’d put together for the event, just enough detail to whet the appetite and appreciate the commitment of the owners without challenging the diners’ desire to push proceedings onward.

Food time then. When I’d spoken to Tim and Deeche about the evening, I’d asked if it was possible to have something not on the day to day menu. It seemed a shame to miss the chance for feedback to the owners from engaged food lovers, not to mention the chance to give those engaged food lovers something they wouldn’t normally have. Starters and mains were served together on a platter, Otak-Otak Ikan to start translated to a beautifully judged spiced fishcake, deep fried and served with a tamarind dipping sauce, it gave a hearty kick without overfacing the flavours – heat drowning out flavour is always a huge disappointment. The main of Soto Betawi (rich beef and vegetable stew) was an equally universal hit. Tender meat, abundantly rich flavour (fragrant and not too spicy) and perfectly judged rice… this needs to be a permanent feature on the Krakatoa menu in the very near future.

Dessert could really only be judged a qualified success. A coconut syrup milkshake with tapioca swirls was divisive, some attendees minesweeping leftovers, but others providing those leftovers. The bogey green swirls might be a bit challenging for the everyday menu.

As the diners melted into the night, sated and happy, we reflected on the evening’s success and the standard of the food. Authentic and unfussy but packed with flavour, Krakatoa hit the spot.Tim and Deeche hit the mark impressively well as we went through our courses. At the end of a lovely evening we’d all made new friends, enjoyed good food and started to formulate plans for the next one… watch this space.

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These days we have an “Asian” restaurant that seems to have very reasonable prices and a slightly generic presence. Its taken a while to get back to trying this current incarnation, but when I finally got to round trying it out last week I was warmly greeted and efficiently seated at a nice window table. All good omens.

We kicked off with a Singaporean chicken stuffed pancake parcel and salt and chilli squid and we decided to ignore what impact the set menu might have had on our ordering. The starters weren’t the most encouraging start to a meal I’ve ever had, more than functional, but not terribly noteworthy and perhaps a touch under seasoned, but the Viognier we were on at £17 the bottle was good enough to smooth everything out while the mains were on the way.

Indonesian dark soy beef curry and Malaysian style fried flat noodles arrived shortly afterwards and raised the standards of proceedings very considerably. Tender beef and sticky, sweet soy was several notches above expectations while the jasmine rice in an attractive pot with the flat noodles was fluffy and tasty, if not entirely necessary on top of the noodles. When the ticket arrived we found ourselves on the hook for £50 – reasonable enough that 24 hours later I was wondering if they’d screwed the bill up (if I underpaid, sorry). When ordering takeaway you even get 25% off… bargain! I last had their food when it was under the Ning banner, it may not be the world’s most refined dining experience right now, but the value is impossible to fault and the quality not far away.

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Braving the typical fug of hen parties and drunk men on a Saturday morning train, we made it across to the bigger city by half eleven or so. Eight quid gets you through the door and puts a first beer in your hand courtesy of Brooklyn Brewery or Erdinger which is useful to take stock of your surroundings while you plan your attack on the enthusiastic stalls lining the event.

We kicked things off with http://www.thecauldron.org.uk and a “Moo’s boosh” that stacked up as three small, carefully assembled flavour combinations. Sorrel mayo on air-dried pork loin was superb and smoked pig’s head with liver fully endorsed the ‘Nose to Tail’ ethos espoused by these guys. More strolling and debating left us at http://themoocher.co.uk to order Japanese style rabbit. Our faces betrayed our disbelief at the delicate flavours and soft meat that sat on a beetroot slaw, chunks of deep fried meat somehow infused with delicate flavour and comfortable texture were a treat.

Next up were break dancers who pulled a couple of volunteers out of the audience for a dance off. As entertaining as it was, I can’t imagine a worse way to spend several minutes short of being forced to kick puppies to death at gunpoint. Thankfully this horror was avoided courtesy of Nordic Street food. A Chanterelle mushroom wrap was subtle, meaty, reassuring and well counterpointed with sharply dressed leaves that stop short of that lemon sucking frown we all want to avoid. Impressive balance headlined the dish.

Breaking away from the food, we took in our surroundings and thanked our lucky stars it wasn’t raining. The lack of cover would have made it a rather grim day in the event of inclement conditions. Next up, Dorshi. A range of flavours made their dumplings stunning. Steamed, fried….both superb. Get stuck in! With one more step left in our appetites, we found ourselves wondering why so many people were queuing at https://www.facebook.com/fuschnikens. The first reason was that these friendly chaps seemed to have over reached themselves and were struggling to keep up with demand. The second reason was clearly (eventually) that they served stunning food. Sticky ox cheek with beetroot in a steamed Taiwanese bun is something I’ll forever treasure and want to repeat.

Everything we ate we shared and, in most cases, went for the smallest portions we could in order to get the most variety. We spent about £30 between two of us on top of the cost of the tickets. Given the quality of what’s being offered, that’s a bargain.

Full to the brim, it was time to meander back to the train for a break before hitting York and the local Food Festival again. Sadly the Taste Trail targets we had in mind let us down but, for once, I’ve a time critical message to deliver… GO TO THE STREET FOOD FESTIVAL IN LEEDS TOMORROW. If you’re vaguely nearby, vaguely free but totally interested in food you’d be a fool to go anywhere else. I want to know what you make of the stands I didn’t get to too, so get out there and please report back!

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