Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44erhaps shaped in recent times by the demands of ethical festival goers, the tastes and quality of food served up from shabby vans has evolved. Mobile ‘foodie teams’ now harness social media to promote ‘happenings’, and offer more than just quick stomach fillers, but a party on wheels. Street food has not always been known for sophistication - though surely everyone has a fond memory of a pie at a sports event, a hot dog at a fairground or just a bacon sandwich and cup of tea at the side of the road. This style of eating is relaxed and informal; there are no tablecloths and no standing on ceremony. Maybe it’s this care-free indulgence that tasted so good and, packed with memories of the moment, elevated the food into a positive emotional experience. As tastes have become more varied it’s not uncommon to see a salad bar on wheels, a veggie burger or smoothie van. Pop up restaurants are fun, they have developed loyal customers (almost like fans) that follow the ‘brand’ on social media to find out where its appearing next as though it were an event and destination itself. Even the capital’s best Argentinian steak (found daily in Constancia on the corner of Tower Bridge road and Tanner Street) is now available from a quirky truck that regularly parks up at Canada Water, St Katherine’s Docks, East India Docks, Broadgate Circus at Liverpool Street or many an interesting event around London, serving up quality rump steak sandwiches with Chimi Churri sauce. Sebastian Harguindey, the man behind Constancia, described how his ‘on the road’ journey began, “Our first foray into street food was a plot at the Bermondsey Street Festival and soon after we took part in a great local food festival at the White Cube Gallery.“ He added, “The final piece of the puzzle was purchasing our Citroen H Van in France and to go FOOD Street food has come a long way since the ‘greasy café’ on wheels, it is rapidly becoming restaurant-quality with a highly social side by Mark Leonard 10• THE RIVER SUMMER 2016 • FOOD & DRINK