Strolling Maltby Street and 40 Maltby Street

(This one's from @grobelaar)

Personally, I've always tried to avoid Borough market. Don't get me wrong, there is no doubt that it is packed full of many great things, but you only need to glance at the queue flowing down the street at Monmouth to see everything that is wrong about Borough market. Yes the coffee is good there, but is it worth waiting waiting over thirty minutes to satisfy your caffeine kick. Is it worth fighting past the throngs of people to just get to the end of the queue. Are you actually satisfied with your cup of coffee once you have have got it in your hands? To summarise, I hate queues, I hate large crowds and I hate working hard to get something I can get more easily elsewhere.

Maltby street market is a short hop away from Borough and is everything that Borough isn't. There are fewer stalls, less people, and is far more sparse, but for me, is a much better Saturday option. You still get the same spread of stalls and you can buy a huge amount great produce too. With Monmouth and Neals Yard based in the Maltby Street arches, you're not going to be deprived of your cheese or coffee needs, and the queues here are far more amenable.

Alongside these two London food goliaths are a few other well known names. St John bakery is actually also based out of these arches, and you can get their full range of loaves and cakes, and if you get there a little earlier, you can get your lips around a famous St John custard donut. Get there before 12 if you don't want to be disappointed as these unsurprisingly sell like hot cakes (as opposed to the actual hotcakes, which are also just as good).

Next door you have Beas of Bloomsbury and her wonderful cakes, as well as Rachel of Catalan Cooking making her cod doughnuts and a variety of Austrian delights, from goulash to cured meats. Dotted around, you will find an arch stacked to the brim with vegetables, the guys behind Kernel brewery (who are also based somewhere in the arches), as well as an expert butcher supplying top quality meats (check out @naththebutcher). Round this off with a few more cheese and meat stalls and what you have is an hour or so of enjoyable perusing, where you will more often than not return home with an excellent haul.

Once you're done getting you're weekly shop out of the way, head on down to 40 Maltby street for a glass of wine. Based in the vaults of a natural wine cellar, every week they rotate their wines (one red and one white by the glass) to serve alongside a small menu. The space is small and comfortable with plenty of space to perch or eat. When I ambled along towards the end of the market (all stalls shut at 2pm), most of the dishes had sold out, but all we were looking for were a few bites to tidy us over.

A chicken broth was packed with herbs, lacing the broth with tarragon and chervil, as well as mint and parsley. Chunks of croutons added a nice texture and the whole dish was light and refreshing.

Alongside, we opted for a simple dish of boiled ham and mustard which was as delicious as it was straightforward. Heap loads of excellent butter on equally excellent bread and we had exactly what we needed to hit the spot.

Maltby Street is everything which Borough Market isn't. Small and personable, without the crowds (yet) and great produce. One part of Borough I do love is the array of food stalls where you can grab handfuls of food you can walk on the go, although I am sure it is only a matter of time before Maltby St spreads and more people start to move in. I for one appreciate what it is for now, and you will be far more likely to find me ambling the arches of Maltby Street than ploughing through the crowds of Borough.

Maltby Street market and 40 Maltby Street - 40 Maltby Street, London SE1 3PA

North Cross rd Market: The home of the Dogfather, East Dulwich

It's been a good 10 years since I lived in East Dulwich. Back in those dark days, it was still relatively affordable, with none of the high street chains cluttering Lordship Lane that you see now, and still grotty enough to keep out the families. Times they are definitely a changing. The regeneration over the last ten years has seen an influx of investment and East Dulwich is packed to the brim with cafes, boutiques and child friendly bars. On most days, you can't walk down the high street without unknowingly walking into the back of a pram.

North Cross Road was always a bit of a wasteland for me, bar a few highlights. Thai Corner cafe was a popular tiny Thai restaurant where we would treat ourselves when we were feeling rich in those cash strapped post-university days. Some of the shops sold a few interesting trinkets, and on Saturdays, there was a little market with a few stalls, mainly peddling second hand furniture. Not much to get you too excited.

Roll on this Saturday which is almost 10 years to the day that I have returned to North Cross road market (give or take) and what a transformation. The man with his second hand furniture and slightly creepy dolls is still there, but he has now been joined by a myriad of other stalls selling food and crafts. Smells of roasting pork, pulled Vietnamese pork, ready to be made into banh mi, and coffee from the mobile coffee van filter down the street. As tempting as they were, I ignore them all, I was here for one thing, a hot dog from the Dogfather.

Tipped off about the hot dog stall a couple of months ago, I thought nothing of it (see previous preconceptions of North Cross Rd Market). Cue not that long ago and Helen (aka Foodstories) took one for the team and verified it was worth trip, so yesterday, I took the plunge.

The Dogfather stand is basically one man and his dog (real). Here he peddles a variety of four speciality dogs (alongside more standard options), ranging from the slightly odd sounding Slum dog (a curry and hotdog in a bun) to the Mexican Elvis (which is covered in home made chilli and very messy). I opted for a Snoop Dog, which is a 100% kosher all beef dog, grilled onions, strips of bacon, corn mayo and BBQ sauce, sat on a few slices of cheese.

Chatting to Cooper as he prepared his dogs on his griddle, he expressed his passion for diner food. Having previously worked for a diner, he professed that the dogs were just one part of his repertoire and he yearned to have the opportunity to open up his own diner. Personally, I really enjoyed mine, and with a few tweaks, you would have a kick ass dog. North Cross rd market has come a long way in 10 years. I'll be back, and next time, I am bringing my appetite.

North Cross road Market - Open 6 days a week, but Saturday is where it's at. Northcross Road market is located off of Lordship Lane and Crystal Palace Road in East Duwich, SE22 9EV.

You can reach the Dogfather on twitter @dogfatherdiner

Heading East - Sunday Up, Spitalfields and Prufrock Coffee

Sunday has always been considered the day of rest. Even the big guy upstairs needed a break and Sunday was that day. However, for many of the stall holders located all over London, rest is far from their minds as they have to be up early to nab that great pitch and steel themselves for the baying crowds.



One of these people is Elaine, a work colleague of mine who moonlights as an online search specialist by day but chooses to sell gifts and gadgets at the Sunday Up market (located in the Truman Brewery), unsurprisngly on Sundays. I decided to go and visit her stall, and under her "Tobycat" brand (affectionately named after her cat...er...Toby), she sell an array of strange lamps, watches and lighters (amongst other things) to her adoring public.




After wondering around the vast array of stalls, selling everything from clothes and art to tea (I bought some great green tea from Yumchaa) and gadgets, head to the back of the market where you will find food from across the globe. With stalls selling comestibles from all over the world, including Brazil, Sri Lanka and the standard Japanese and Indian stalls, you really can get a taste of almost anywhere. On this visit, I bought some pao de queijo (or Brazilian cheese balls) and a bánh mì from the lovely Aussie girls at Mon Me (sorry for the awful pic!).



In my eyes, Sunday Up still remains true to many traditional market values. There are a smorgasbord of stalls run by members of the public, open to haggle and eager to sell, all for a modest amount of rent. Spitalfields Market used to be like this but after a (relatively) recent redevelopment, seems to have lost much of its original charm for me.



Some of the traditional stalls remain, but the seemingly smaller space is flanked by an array of chain restaurants and more established retailers. In addition, the food stalls lack the ruggedness and variety of Sunday Up with dedicated units built into the walls with the sole purpose of providing food. They even have running water! It's still a decent market, but if you want character, head across the road and have a wander through Sunday Up.



After all that hustle and bustle, it was time to take it easy and get some caffeine in me. Prufrock Coffee is a small coffee concession in a shop selling clothes (Present on Shoreditch High Street) and a mere stroll from Sunday Up and Spitalfields. A strange combination, but when coffee is this enjoyable, it doesn't really matter where it is made. Serving Square Mile coffee, it is the brainchild of Gwilym Davies (reigning world barista champion). Smooth and nutty with a strange slightly sweet finish, this is really high grade coffee and the perfect pick me up after a hard day at the markets.

Sunday Up Market - Ely's Yard, The Old Truman Brewery E1 6QL
Spitalfields Market - 105a Commercial Streeet, Spitalfields E1 6BG
Prufrock Coffee at Present - 140 Shoreditch High St, E1 6JE

Whitecross Market - EC1

A quick pictorial break from my NY posts.

Prior to my WMPC swap with Food Urchin this week, I decided to pop up to town early and check out Whitecross Market.

Located on Whitecross Street between Old Street and Moorgate, Whitecross Market is thought of as one of the oldest markets in London. Predominantly a "general" market selling all sorts of bric-a-brac during the weekdays, it also becomes a food fair on Thursday and Friday when food retailers invade to provide vittles for the local work force.

It was fairly busy when I went, although I suspect much of the lunch crowd had already passed through. Here are a few of my pics:











If you fancy a few more pics, you can see them here.