It may be more than a decade ago but I remember a feast in honour of the famous Italian chef Dario Ceccini hosted at the brilliant Towpath café in Dalston. Ceccini and his
American wife Kim joined 40 or so diners gathered at communal tables. We ate
and talked as lights twinkled on the canal and the moorhens squawked.
Such one-off events have always been one of the most interesting ways to eat out in London. But how do you find out about them? The Towpath continues to host a few such sporadic events each year, usually just promoted through word-of-mouth by regulars. But there is also Edible Experiences, a terrific website originally set up to pool information about cooking classes and now a source of all sorts of disparate London foodie events. It is especially strong on London’s many-cultured food scene and can point the way to a variety of different foodie events each week.
Lesser-known Italian anyone? Or Malaysian streetfood or beef rendang, done the traditional ultra-slow way? Yummy! Mexican? Step this way.
Edible Experiences' founder WenLin is struck by how the scene has gone more mainstream since they started. “At the beginning, if you wanted to go to an event, you almost had to write an email describing yourself to your host. You had to be cool enough as a guest to go.”, she jokes. “Now it’s become a way to showcase the food from wherever the cooks are from around the world and a bit less about being cool and underground.”
Many diners go for a meal then sign up to a cooking class from the same cuisine so they can make the dishes at home. Edible Experiences also does a good trade in gift vouchers for hpsters are taking their parents on East End dining adventures or parents are giving their offspring eating-out treats and classes. And hey, some of these places aren't even in east London! Asma Khan's ultra-convivial Darjeeling Express grew out of a series of supper clubs that served authentic home-cooked Indian food in your own home, and Two Hungry Girls continues its quest to bring authentic Chinese cuisine to the wilds of north London.
At the start, pop-ups and supper clubs were often frequented by those with contacts in the food world. They then came to be seen as young and hip. But food-lovers of all kinds can now appreciate eating out in a way that can be a fresher, more welcoming and better value experience than conventional restaurant dining. Especially if it means an authentic way to eat your way around the world without even leaving the city.
Hattie Ellis is a food writer and enthusiast and the author of more than ten books on all sorts of delicious subjects, from honey – her latest – to the fabulous food of the British Isles. Thanks to Scott MacSween and Edible Experiences for the photos.
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