Dalston Street Food Market

North of the river in Dalston, you will find 'Street Feast' a bustling market filled to the brim with street venders selling all kinds of incredible food.
In an old abandoned warehouse you will find around 40 stalls, selling a huge variety of different cuisines from all over the world.

Juicy Burgers from the famous Blecker street to flavour packed Korean burritos from Kimchinay, there really is something here for everyone.

There's almost too many things to try that you can't possibly experience everything in one night but maybe that's a good thing, as I know I will definitely be heading back here again.

After taking a few recommendations from friends, we begun our night at 'Sticky Bun's, opting for the Shrimp and Pork sticky buns and boy were they good.

The buns were light and fluffy while the meat was succulent and tasty.

Next we decided to be a little bit naughty and made our way over to Smoke Shack for ribs!

It was possibly the longest queue in the whole place so we joined it eager to see what all the fuss was about.

I don't think I've ever tired ribs that were as tasty as these ones. Still slightly pink in the middle and covered in delicious barbeque sauce, it had just the right amount of kick to it. It wasn't long before these were devoured and we were ready to try something new.

A few beers later we spotted Bleeker St Burger. I have been going on for months about how much I wanted to try these burgers, so for me, there was no question about whether I could manage one or not.

We ordered a cheese burgers but later spotted 'The double beeker' - 2 burgers with black pudding sandwiched in the middle. Not really my kind of thing but Ian thought this sounded incredible. 

The burgers were good, extremely succulent and juicy. The meat was a lot thinner than I had expected which was good for me as I was beginning to feel rather full.

I would highly recommend trying one of their burgers but next time I think I'll head over to Mother Clucker and give them a go.

Feeling full and happy we stood by open fires to keep warm and people watch.

Most of the market is set in an old run down warehouse with little nooks and crannies, and small alley ways leading into hidden bars.

Girls with cocktails in pineapples and coconuts wander past whist others sip on gin cocktails from the bars over looking the crowd below.

Fairy lights and open wood fires are dotted around the place, helping cosy couples keep warm.

There is a real mix of people here which adds to buzz and incredible atmosphere that the market has.

This place would be perfect for a date night or even a catch up with friends after work.

So if you're looking for something a bit different and a huge choice of food, head on over. The website is here.

Arrive before 7pm and it's free other wise you will have to £3 upon entry.

For those who like to eat on their feet, this night market is most definitely the new hot spot in town.

To Barcelona we go

After very little planning and a rather spontaneous decision, it wasn't long before we were boarding the plane to Barcelona. 
I'm keen this year to visit as many places as possible and to tick off new cities and places that I can explore. 
We arrived early on Thursday morning and checked into our hotel 'Vincci Gala'. 
If you want a nice hotel that is close to the centre of Barcelona then I can definitely recommend this one. It's very close to Las Ramblas but far enough away that the noise of the city won't bother you. 

Check out the hotel's website here.

First stop on the agenda was the Marcat de Boqueria. Regarded as one of Barcelona's best markets, found just off of the Las Rambles, it was of course, a good place to start. 
For anyone who knows how much I love sweets. You can imagine my delight when I saw this. 

The selection of food here was incredible, especially the fish section, that had some of the best array of seafood I have ever seen. 

Brightly coloured fruit lined the market stalls

And some of the biggest strawberries I've ever seen. 

Salted cod, apparently a delicacy in Barcelona. 

Shortly afterwards we found La Cathedral.

Not wanting to miss anything that Barcelona had to offer, we ventured inside. 

There is something about being inside a Cathedral, especially something as grand as this one. It felt eerie, quiet. We marvelled at the architecture before we got the lift up to the top of the Cathedral where we were treated to some of the views over Barcelona. 

(You'll have to wait until the next blog post to see some views that rival these).

With our feet back on the ground we continued to wander through the city. 

Stopping at the famous Casa Bastillo -designed by Gaudi. We didn't go inside but the detail of the building was just incredible. 
The colours, the detail, really rival a lot of buildings we have today in London. 

We had read a few reviews about restaurants to try whilst we were in Barcelona but before we made our way to the first one, we stopped off at 360. 

A roof top bar in the city centre with 360 degrees views of Barcelona. We got there just after the sun had set and we managed to get some great of pictures of the skyline. 

Unfortunately the bar itself wasn't actually open, maybe because it's too early on in the season but that did mean we had the place to ourselves. 

They even have a pool up here. 

I highly recommend coming here if you are in Barcelona in the summer. 

The bar is called B-Lounge and it's at the top of a hotel called Hotel Barcelo Raval.

Finally we made our way to Quimet i Quimet.
It was possibly one of the smallest restaurants I have been to, if you can actually call it that.
The tapas bar is mainly for standing only but that didn't bother us.

Once you have made it in the door (and trust me it gets very busy) order a glass of Sangria or Cava if you are looking to try some of the typical Spanish drinks and then peruse the menu.
We ordered everything!

A selection of seafood which included: Mussels, razor clams, cockles, squid, tuna and lots of other things too. We also tried, goats cheese with foie gras and salmon with yogurt and truffled honey.
(I couldn't find a website for the restaurant but you can find them on trip adviser and they also feature in the lonely planet guide books).

By the time we left, we were full and in need of a good night's sleep.
Not bad for our first day in Barcelona, wouldn't you say?

Day 3 in Berlin

Our last day in Berlin had finally arrived and unlike yesterday, instead of lazing in bed, we ordered room service for breakfast and checked out fairly early so that we could enjoy our last day in Berlin.

I’ve never ordered room service before, mainly because I always thought it would be ridiculously expensive, which surprisingly enough, it wasn’t.

We ordered eggs benedict and a selection of croissants, bread rolls and jam.

After sadly packing up the room and checking out of the hotel we went for a stroll in the crisp morning air.

We wandered through many of shopping galleries, gazing at all the beautiful Christmas decorations and taking far too many photos before we made our way to the market I had saved for last.

I had heard the Gendarmenmarkt was one of the Berlin’ most traditional markets so naturally I was keen to end our German market experience on a good one…..and it didn’t disappoint.

One of the things that makes this market different is that all the tents are covered in fairy lights with a star sitting perfectly on the top, tempting you inside to view whatever treasures and treats are on offer. 

Set in a square at the site of the Konzerthaus, you have the French cathedral at one end and the German Cathedral at the other.

It is an especially beautiful sight at night time, when the lights glow against the Cathedral, making the atmosphere extremely warm and Christmassy.

It is a brilliant square which arguably hosts one of Berlin’s best markets.

The square is lined with symmetrical looking white tents that glow with a warm yellow/amber colour even in the day time.

You do have to pay 1 Euro to enter which isn’t really an issue but I wanted to mention it...just in case. 

It was at this market that I had one of my favourite things to eat.

In a little hut at the end of the market, the staff busy themselves making bread. Kneeding it, roling it out and then topping it with the most gorgeous tasting cheese. Not to mention is it then covered with bacon.

They then put it in a oven and the final product is amazing.

Warm, hot dough and cheese that simply just melts in your mouth.

It was so good, I even had two!

Berlin has been a wonderful trip and my first experience in Germany. 

I would highly recommend coming here for the Christmas markets but even if you don't come during the festive period, there is so much to do and see here. 

Day 2 in Berlin

I would love to say that we were up bright eyed and bushy tailed today. Unfortunately we weren’t but we were here to relax so it felt good to lie in for once in a while. 

After consulting our top Berlin Market picks, we decided to go to Alexander Platz first.

We wandered by the river into the Museum quarter (which I’ll have to save for another visit) and stopped in a little coffee shop for a late breakfast.

p.s. That coffee tasted as good as it looked.

It wasn’t until afterwards did we release that this wasn’t Alexander Platz and instead we had stumbled upon Karl Marx market. Luckily we had intended to go here, although probably not in that order.

Karl Marx – One of my favourite markets I think. The little wooden huts are centered around a circular ice rink.

It was here we tried ‘Langos’ a German dough, deep fried and then covered in a variety of toppings.

Can you tell already that these posts are not going to be filled with the healthiest of foods?

We went for a garlic spread (which was amazing) with cheese and ham on the top.

Deliciously unhealthy and very naughty too. Oh well. 

It wasn’t long before the storm clouds gathered and the hail and wind descended upon us.

Unlike some of the other markets, what I particularly liked about this one was they had little German wooden huts, with benches and cosy red blankets that you could snuggle up in and keep warm. 

With a bar in every one, it was a perfect place to shelter from the rain.

After drying off and getting warm again back at the hotel, we planned our evening.

We made our way firstly to the Eisenhower Market which was our top 10 list of Markets. 

Again, it took us a while to find it but when we did our initial reaction was that the market seemed a bit run down and not to our liking.

We couldn’t have got it more wrong. Yes it was very different to any of the other markets but that’s what made it special.

This market felt very family orientated and extremely traditional. There were lots of stalls selling homemade produce, gifts and all kind of sweet treats.

We stopped for a Gluhwein (of course) and noticed families sitting round a fire, cooking fresh bread on sticks. We joined them, not only to keep warm but also to watch the children happily eating their bread by the fire.

It was here I bought myself a rather nice, warm pair of gloves.

Not wanting to miss out on new food – We tried Kartoffelpuffer. 

Deep fried shredded bits of potato covered in sugar with apple sauce on the side. I can’t say I enjoyed this as much as I thought but I’m glad I tried something new.

After a few hours we left this market and made our way closer to the centre of Berlin to go to the Alexander Platz market.

The feel of this market was very different to the one we had just left.

The market was loud and colourful and buzzed with a very different atmosphere.

The bright lights reminded me more of the English Winter Wonderland.

It had a bit more of an arcade feel with rides, colourful signs and loud party music. This seemed more of a tourist market rather a local German speciality but a great one to explore none the less. 

Never the less, we gorged ourselves on nutella covered pancakes, more Gluhwein and probably some of the best mushrooms covered in a garlic sauce I have ever tried.

I would still recommend going to this one but don’t expect it to be as good as some of the other more traditional German Markets.

After quite a busy day, we made our way back to the hotel and spent the rest of the evening relaxing in the Jacuzzi.

A perfect end to a rather chilly but wondferul day in Berlin.