5 Things You Need to Eat in London This WeekBy Alicia Grimshaw

Here’s the lowdown, people: it’s National Chocolate Week and National Curry Week this week (don’t ask me who’s making up these national days). It’s also World Chicken day on Thursday, if you care. If you’re not bothered about any of the above, no biggie, we have plenty of other delicious munch to feast on. From burgers to even more burgers, here’s what you should be eating in the capital this week:

1. For a New Residency: Le Bun x Birthdays 

What: Andy Taylor and Tim Talbot (aka the dynamite duo behind Le Bun) are bringing their French-American street food back to East London this winter, at Dalston’s favourite bar and gig venue, Birthdays. Can I get a hell yeah? After a jam-packed summer of festivals and a 3 week pop-up with singer Kelis in July, dubbed ‘Kelis x Le Bun’, the duo are excited to be cooking up their famed burgers once more.

2. For a New Pop-UP: Cuisson’s POPdown

What: Cuisson has brought its Michelin-trained chefs and innovative cooking techniques to Borough Market for the newest POPdown, an Asian inspired interactive pop-up restaurant and dining experience running until next year. Cuisson’s POPdown features three rooms of culinary theatre; from Japanese small plates, cocktails and snacks to a 5-course tasting menu and multi-sensory video menu, the offering at POPdown at Borough Market is experiential dining at its finest.

Why: Located on the ground floor of the venue is Cuisson’s very own Ikigai bar. Caft beers and wines as well as bespoke cocktails designed by Cuisson’s head bartender are available alongside inventive small dishes and bar snacks – think Korean vegetable pancakes, and oysters tempura with cucumber XO sauce. Those looking for the full Cuisson experience can enjoy an Asian style seasonal 5 course-tasting menu, inspired by the market traders and their produce. Examples from the menu include: prawn wonton, with chilli jam and lava salt; sea bream with yuzu and wasabi puree, and ginger and soy marinated grilled pork loin, served with pickled cucumber, bean sprouts, daikon and rice.

Where: POPDown by Cuisson, 1 Cathedral Street, London, SE1 9DE

3. For a New Opening: Bread Ahead

What: This news will make your day, if not year. The team behind Bread Ahead, founder and baker Matthew Jones and co-founder Justin Gellatly, are bringing their unique brand of baking to Seven Dials today (10th)! And like their site in Borough Market, the guys will be selling their famed doughnuts and other bread-y wonders.

Why: Alongside sweet eats, the shop will be selling filled brioche buns packed with savoury fillings including: cold roast chicken caesar and crispy little gem; Neal’s Yard dairy cheddar and pickle; and hot pot salt roast beef and English mustard. And if you want to turn your hand to baking, Bread Ahead run regular baking courses at their Borough Market home. The courses are varied and include –  an introduction to English baking, Middle Eastern flatbreads, gluten-free baking and a yule log workshop.

Where: Bread Ahead Seven Dials, 1a Monmouth Street, London, WC2H 9DA

4. For Another New Opening: Brew Tap Burger

What: Not had your burger fill? Read on. Brew Tap Burger have nestled into a temporary home at the newly opened Mercato Metropolitano in Borough for a three month pop-up. Not just burgers, there will also be Prosecco flowing by the tap and some of Britain and Italy’s best loved beers. On Saturday (8th) and Sunday (9th) there will be 50% off bellinis and burgers before the pop-up officially opens next Tuesday (11th).

Why: Made with 35-day dry-aged beef from the Ayrshire coast of Scotland, Brew Tap’s concise offering of burgers will include the Sweet Miso, topped with red onion jam infused with fennel and sweet miso, and the Chilli Smoke which will come with a tomato chutney laced with smoky red chilli. No line-up would be complete without a classic cheeseburger, and Brew Tap’s version will be served with American cheese, smoked ketchup and paprika mayo, and there’s the option to throw on another beef patty or rare breed streaky bacon if you want double the meat. Sides are simple – skin on house fries will come with a chilli umami salt. Perfection.

Where: 42 Newington Causeway, London SE1 6DR

5. For a New Lunchtime Hangout: Epicureans Food Market 

What: Summer may of sadly come to an end, however with National Curry Week kicking off today, a different kind of heat will be taking over the city. Street food specialists, The Epicureans, are on hand to curb your curry cravings at their World Food Markets, and two of their vendors in particular, Makatcha and House of Dodo, will be offering up some of the most flavoursome curries in town.

Why: South East Asian vendor, Makatcha, has a menu bursting with a variety of fresh, Rendang dishes, a curry originating from Malay and Indonesian cuisine. Chow down on dishes such as the chicken rendang – pulled chicken in a homemade Rendang base, served with rice, vegetables, peanut sauce and Achar, and the vegan rendang – mushroom and chickpea Rendang, served with rice, vegetables, peanut sauce and Achar. House of Dodo is the first Mauritian street food trader to urbanise this type of cuisine for London’s casual dining scene, and their diverse, exotic and colourful curry dishes include coconut beef served with rice, picked vegetables, yoghurt, mango sauce, fresh herbs and chillies, and Spicy Beans in a curry sauces served with rice, picked vegetables, yoghurt, mango sauce, fresh herbs and chillies. Feel the burn, people.

Where: The Epicurean‘s World Food Market at St Katharine Docks every Friday, from 11-3pm