A Shoreditch Food Tour with Lumina: Our Eight Best Bites

I came back from Lisbon last month having worked my way through more than ten pastel de natas, so my standards were pretty high. I say this because the first stop on our Shoreditch food tour cleared that bar within the first 5 minutes… yum.

The day began with insight – you can read Jess’s great blog here. Lumina Intelligence’s Q2 Food Strategy Forum set out where the UK eating-out market is heading, and Jess has written up the top trends most relevant in the Foodservice industry. Then afternoon was all about eating! Lumina walked us around Shoreditch on a food safari, focusing on quick street food bites to proper sharing plates, and we tucked into eight of east London’s most interesting spots.

Pastel de natas and Paulie’s pizza

They were still warm from the oven. Crunchy, crispy, buttery, creamy, flaky goodness – I savoured every bite of the pastel de nata I tried from Santa Nata.

Next came Paulie’s Shoreditch and their Detroit-style pizza slices, which might be the best pizza I’ve ever eaten. The base was crisp and properly loaded on top. We tried both the cacio e pepe, mascarpone, aged mozzarella, pecorino, black pepper and olive oil. Then the vodka slice, with its tomato vodka and pancetta sauce, parmesan and olive oil. I honestly couldn’t pick a favourite.

Indian small plates and a signature bao bun

Kricket was my favourite stop of the day. The menu hosts flavour-packed Indian small plates, but it was the tomato rasam pani puri that really surprised me – I didn’t think I’d enjoy it as much as I did! A thin crispy shell cup, filled with a cool refreshing broth inside, and you’re meant to eat it in one go. I also loved the interior of this restaurant – warm orange and pink tones, with plenty of space and artwork that nodded to Indian heritage.

At BAO we tried the twice-fried piece of chicken thigh in a crispy coating, topped with a tangy, coleslaw, hot sauce, and their signature Sichuan mayo. The atmosphere was calming, yet warm, and the interior design was minimal and considered. I particularly love that they run one signature bun across each of its venues! Makes me want to visit and try them all…

Sushi on the go and a Sicilian sweet

Sushi Pops is simply sushi on the go. The packaging is built for eating on the move, or with no counter space, with the soy sauce sitting in a stick that pushes each roll up to the surface. Learning about the innovations of small-formats from the morning’s Forum had been put to practice!

Then to finish off the food, and fittingly, a desert place, Sicilian Pride, who served delicious pistachio ice cream inside a brioche bun.

I’ll be back for sure!

Wine to finish

By the time we reached Vagabond Wines I was ready for a sit down, and a small glass of their divine Garcia Perez red did the job!! It was the kind of red I would happily open with a movie and dinner at home, so it’s gone straight onto the list for my next wine night in.

We finished the day at The Crown and Shuttle, a nice chance to compare notes on which stop had won the afternoon among the groups, as we voted on our Whatsapp chat.

What struck me was the variety from all eight venues. The format, packaging, interior, the one hero dish: every venue had a sharp sense of its audience and built around it. The Forum that morning had called that kind of precision the price of growth now, and it was a treat to actually taste it on the go.

Thanks again Lumina for such an insightful, well thought-through and fun-filled day!

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