The Long Table

I was at The Long Table for the first two Fridays, I can tell you it was totally awesome. We had burgers, bbq beef short ribs, steamed pork buns, experimental cocktails and a lot more…
The organisers tries to make every week a bit different so you will never get the same experience. Definitely one of the best foodie events of the year. Check the photos out on my blog —
The queue is going to be long so be prepared to wait for at least an hour. Try to get there before six to make sure you get a seat at the big table in the marquee. Enjoy!

a bunch of us came here on fri night, and it was super cool. we didn’t get there until around 9, and there was a gigantic queue. there was luckily a mcdonalds around the corner, so we got some fries to satiate ourselves. as the line moved (slowly), i also came across a guy who was making fresh bhel puri, so i got some of that too. once in, the place was packed. i think some of the food stalls were running out already (it was close to 10 by this time). i had the prawn gumbo w/​rice and corncake, and the hubby got the veg gumbo. my friends got the ny hot dog and pizza. i tried the pizza which was delicious. i also got a matcha latte, b/​c it was freezing out, which was also tasty. if only this place was open over the summer… it would have been much more comfy.

This was a really good event but I think getting there early made all the difference.
I also arrived at around 6:30 and managed to waltz in and meet some friends who’d snagged a table. Unfortunately, my lady and a few other friends arrived about 15 minutes later and were in the huge queue. I think they waited about 30 – 35 minutes before they were let in.
Although it makes the queue situation much worse, I think the organisers need to be commended for keeping the numbers inside at a reasonable level. Doing that kept the wait for food relatively short and getting around the market, although a bit awkward (kinda dark, uneven ground) much better than it could’ve been.
I got a Hawksmoor burger and bourbon which was incredible. The low numbers inside (and probably also the bourbon I was sipping) made the wait was totally reasonable — under 10 minutes.
A little while (and a number of drinks) later I hit up the rotisserie chicken stall — twice — for their roast spuds which cook in a tray under the rotating chickens. Highly recommended.
This was lots of fun — just make sure you rug up and get there early to avoid queues and sold out stalls.

Listen up Unilocalers, this thing is only happening for the next few weeks on Fridays night until Christmas. Last night was opening night and we strolled in at 6:30pm. By the time we left (7:30pm) the queue was stretching all the way back to Kingsland road, about 100m, and was at least 5 people deep — so get there early or be prepared to wait a loonnnng time, timing is key.
If you are lucky enough to get inside you will be greeted with one big, sheltered, horseshoe shaped ‘long table’ surrounded by food stalls aplenty. I went straight to the Hawksmoor stand, £12 for a burger and bourbon — delicious. My friend chose to have some food from the Moro stand — also very good. I then felt like one food stall wasn’t enough so opted for a solitary meatball from ‘The Bowler’ stall with a pint of locally brewed London Fields beer. D then had some fabulous pizza from one place and a beetroot trifle from another (I was the only one who thought this tasted weird rather than amazing).
Stalls we didn’t get round to trying — Japanese food, Nuno Mendez was there somewhere, spit roast chicken ciabattas, oysters and so on.
There was supposed to be live music but all I saw was a man sporadically playing an accordion.
There were barrels with fire in them scattered around the place and, along with the graffiti covered walls of this disused carpark and hoards of people trying to get in behind the mesh fences it felt like we were in some post-​apocalyptic world where only the best food stalls had survived. There is even a WW2 bunker there somewhere showing something arty but I completely missed this.
The Bootstrap company who are running the whole show are the people who brought you the ‘Dalston Roof Park’ and ‘Folly under the Flyover’. I can’t wait to see what they bring to East London next.