Up north, we have a number of street food events that have run to varying degrees of success. There was/is BEat Street, which is now in a more permanent, or less permanent, or is it now permanent (I’m a little confused) spot on the Great Northern. Previously, it was housed all over the city, from disused carparks to indoor market spaces. We’ve got Grub which seems to be going great guns (one day I’ll have a clear weekend, honest). Whereas over the Pennines Leeds have Trinity Kitchen, to name but a snapshot.
So an invite to a similar setup that has made it’s way over from Italy to a deprived area of London filled me with curiosity. Mercato Metropolitano is a project from businessman Andrea Rasca. Following similar projects in Milan and Turin, he brought the idea to a site in London, not so far from Borough Market. But it’s not all about street food.
As you’d expect, with a name like Mercato Metropolitano, there’s a distinct Italian theme. The first warehouse space was initially filled with traders came over from Italy when the site first began. Since then, some have gone, some have stayed, and the site has expanded. From one warehouse of food, to two, to a cinema, to an outdoor space, to a deli shop, boxing studio, community kitchen, urban garden, and soon to feature a hostel and hydroponics garden too.
At times it feels like a little bit of a mishmash, but that’s perhaps how things go when they are allowed to grow organically. And it doesn’t feel wrong, or unpleasant, just at times a little jumbled.
I started in the first warehouse, tearing myself away from the gin on the bar and saving the gelato for later, I sampled freshly made Italian flatbreads, sausages (also for sale in the shop so you can take them home), and grispelle – little moreish Italian doughnuts.
In the second warehouse space you’ll find pizza, Spanish tapas, arepa, Argentinian, Lebanese – and my personal favourite, a popup from Champagne + Fromage, that does exactly what it says on the tin.
I think I may have made the chaps day when I asked for all the smelly cheeses and a glass of something dry and rich. As lunches go, it has to be in my top ten.
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Perhaps most importantly, it’s here you’ll find the community kitchen. Borough isn’t the wealthiest of places in London, and whilst it could (and is) argued that the food and drink on offer in Mercato is for those with more money, they are trying to reach out to the community. Cookery classes, weekend sessions for children, and education on where food comes from is a big part of the setup, and classes are regularly booked solid.
Heading towards the outside spaces, garden, bars and soon to be completed hostel, there is yet more food. Recognising a need for more vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options, there are a number that fit the bill. And whilst it wasn’t perhaps my first imagined pairing, the banana masala was a stand out – that it’s from a kitchen promising zero waste, only made it feel more virtuous.
Though boxing is not my favourite pastime (I am most definitely more at home with chalk on my hands than gloves), I had to take a look at the setup upstairs.
Rooney’s Gym offers everything the aspiring boxer could need. From full rings, to bags, weights and speedballs – John Rooney Jr has a pretty impressive list of previous clients. Whether you just want to get fit, or fancy your chances, it was hard not to be impressed.
Appetite reinstated after all that exercise (admittedly theirs, not mine, but still), I had a couple more stops to go. First the shop. I wanted to fill my bag with goodies before home.
And there is everything you could ever need for an Italian feast. Carefully swerving the fresh cheeses and olives as let’s be honest here, they really wouldn’t make it home, I opted for ingredients. One of my favourite dishes at home is Spaghetti Puttanesca, and here was the opportunity to make it as authentically Italian as possible. So I did, with dried pasta, fat black olives, salted capers and anchovy paste.
And my final stop?
Back to the gelato. One scoop of black sesame, one scoop of pistachio, and I was ready for a long leisurely walk back towards my train.
I love what Mercato Metropolitano are trying to do. Fresh produce, education, and bloody tasty food. Even on a Tuesday afternoon, there were office workers stopping by for lunch, students grabbing a bite on their breaks, and as I left it was filling up rather nicely.
But I still have one or two qualms – are they doing enough for those living locally? Or is it simply bringing outsiders in? Are locals being employed? Is it helping?
As a non-Londoner, I can’t answer those questions.
With thanks to Mercato for the invitation and the tour. I also may now have a gelato addiction.