Southbank food market

Mixed Cuisine

Southbank Centre Square, Belvedere Rd, Lambeth, London SE1 8XX ££

Variety is the spice of life, and this is what you get when you chance upon Southbank food market on a sunny Friday, Saturday or Sunday afternoon. With a range of many different stalls of all different kinds of cuisines, Southbank food market is a regular Friday lunch stop.

My first trip I was strictly instructed to get the Duck Confit burger - a sort of initiation and must-do for first time market go-ers. The burger itself is from food stand 'The Frenchie' and is a delicious harmony of incredibly rich flavours; indulgence at it's best. Complete with tender duck breast, crispy duck skin, rocket, chutney and truffle oil on a brioche bun, with the addition of a cheese of your choice; blue, goats or cheddar it's quite hard to go wrong. The stall also offers twice cooked chips with truffle mayonnaise, meaning I often find myself leering at The Frenchie whilst queing for another stall I am yet to try. The burger alone will set you back £7 whilst the chips are £3, one of the more expensive options but completely worth it!

Another I've tried is the Calamari at Bello Gnocco - light and crispy with just the right amount of batter - and a lovely lady who owns the stall. Bello Gnocco claims to be the 'real flavours of Italy', and whilst it is very tasty and has generous portions for the £5 box, I wouldn't say it had anything which particularly stood out from other calamari I've eaten - nothing which made it especially 'Italian'...

The fried chicken burger (pictured) I thought would be a fantastic hangover cure, but did veer on the slightly salty side. Get this if you're in need of a grease fix and you won't be disappointed, but if feeling slightly queasy on a 29 degree celsius summers day it may not be the best of plans... Also I wouldn't recommend the chips - if in doubt get a burger from here and head over to 'The Frenchie' for their double dipped truffle number.

The Athenian is a greek meze type stall, it is great for those 'not so hungry but want something tasty' moments. You can either get your chicken/lamb shish/halloumi/ground beef in a wrap or in a box complete with pitta bread, salad and a dip. This is one of the cheaper stalls, setting you back only £6 for a box complete with chicken and halloumi or mixed meats and halloumi. Whilst it is nothing like the taste sensation of the duck burger it is nice, simple and fresh food.