Market Halls
Food Hall (multiple locations)
191 Victoria Street, SW1E 5NE
£ - ££
With the Fulham location in full swing, a recent addition in Victoria, and a further third venue opening in the West End, Market Halls have taken the capital by storm. Aiming to transform unloved and unused spaces in the capital into social dining hubs complete with some of the best food traders around: they have already taken over an old Edwardian underground station and the abandoned arcaded bays of Victoria's Terminus Place.
Since 1909, Terminus Place has been home to many a different venture: think shopping arcades, to restaurants, to most recently the super-club Pacha. On the website, it claims that the venue is spread across three floors, however, I only noticed there being two whilst I was there so the third must be hidden away somewhere. The venue includes a Bar, a Coffee Shop and food from: Kerbisher & Malt, Flank, Gopal's Corner, Fanny's Kebabs, Bun Shop, Super Tacos, Squirrel, Baozi Inn, Koya Ko, Monty's Deli and Nonna Tonda. So you really do have a decent array of choice, and no excuse to not come down to check it out.
The venue attracts all different types of people, from locals to businesses. Granted, I didn't see many noticeable tourists wafting around so this is probably more of a Londoner's choice for a casual meal than an exciting one stop shop for visitors. I went to meet a friend on a Wednesday evening, who was in London on business and conveniently staying just around the corner from the venue for the night. We arrived at around 6:30pm and the venue was already packed, after a couple of drinks at the bar (standing), we sauntered around until we were finally able to pounce on an empty table as a group of girls left. Annoyingly, but fairly, Market Halls only take bookings for groups of 8 or more, so if you're one of those diners who likes to be welcomed, greeted and sat immediately, you should either round up a rally of mates, or avoid these kinds of venues.
When it came down to the food, Hope went for a Fanny's Kebab with Chicken and extra Halloumi (£10), along with some Hummus and Flatbread (£3.5). When eating out, I always try and order something that I'm unlikely to replicate at home, so when I saw Gopal's Corner (from the team behind Roti King) I was immediately intrigued, since I fell in love with Roti's in Malaysia at the beginning of this year and haven't had them since. I went for the Chicken Kari, with two Roti's (£7.95). Hope's meal looked good, although they did scrimp a bit on the chicken and she only got two small slabs of Halloumi, which for £2 is a bit mean. My dish was ok, but much more watery than I thought, and for a small bowl of curry with two Roti's, I also found £7.95 a bit steep.
In terms of atmosphere, these new concept food halls entirely depend on what you like. In Asia, they are usually housed partially outdoors, in larger venues with better acoustics. I adored eating at Hawker stalls and food markets in the likes of Thailand and Singapore, however, London is obviously pretty different... The fact that these kinds of venues currently have a lot of hype around them means you are pretty much guaranteed not to get a table without a bit of waiting around, dedication and focus. Whats more, the food I find is always disappointing for one reason or another, either it's lacking the flavour you expect or the prices for the portions are simply ridiculous.
The whole point about food markets is that they're a casual, no-frills and easy way of eating. What I find hard to get my head around is how people find waiting ages for a table and restaurant prices either easy or casual? In my opinion, if I'm eating out with friends I like to be able to a) hear what they're saying and b) concentrate on catching up rather than who we're going to pounce on next. Whats more, if the food simply isn't up to the standard you may be expecting from "the best food traders in London", then you can end up leaving with a slightly sour taste in your mouth. I've done a few of these now, and although I appreciate that they're a good idea and can be a fun and original way to eat out, I don't think they're for me.
OVERALL RATING: ***
https://www.markethalls.co.uk/
