Comida Fest is a fantastically fun street food festival that has come to London to celebrate the rich heritage, taste and experience of Latin American food.
We started with iced coffees from El Cafecito, who bring authentic Colombian coffee to London, whilst also raising awareness of the beauty of Colombia. I’ve desperately tried to get into iced coffee this year – it seems to be the perfect summer cooler that will still give me my much needed caffeine kick – but I always find it goes a little bit acrid. However, from the smell coming from their coffee van, I think the hot option would have been much better.
The one we tried was a Cheeky Chicken, stuffed with shredded chicken, tomato puree, spring onions and tomato with a chilli sauce. It was divine. The arepa itself was light and fluffy with a slightly crisp exterior from being cooked on the plancha, the filling was moist, inviting and packed a slight chilli punch. This was potentially one of the best dishes of the day.
If you see Smokoloco on your travels around London, I recommend you stop and grab a bite to eat immediately. You can’t miss them either. They take some of the best cuts of meat and smoke them in an old locomotive. You could worry this is a complete gimmick and the food would be terrible, but you would be so wrong.
All of this results in a messy, mouth-wateringly good sandwich that as the juices dribble down your chin – and this will happen – transports you to a happy, meat-filled heaven. I should have mentioned, this is not one for vegetarians.
If, after all that, you still need a bit more meat in your day, head to Pinchitos and More, who specialise in skewers of meat and potatoes that have been cooked and then stuffed with a minced meat filling.
Choose from chorizo that is a flavour explosion in your mouth, or little cubes of perfectly cooked pork bites, or chicken marinated in a spicy, warming sauce before being grilled to perfection. It is simple cooking executed perfectly, and what more could you really want?
The only dish that I would recommend steering clear of is the bandeja paisa. A bandeja paisa is a dish that originated in Colombia and, in my experience, should be an almost unmanageable portion of frijoles cooked for hours over the stove in a thick, gelatinous sauce, chorizo, beef, chicharron (basically fried pork belly, but the best fried pork belly you will ever eat), rice, egg, crisp sweet plantain and an avocado.
This, however, bore no resemblance to the bandeja paisa I know and love. Soggy plantain was served on top of rice with an odd tomato salsa, dry beans, shredded, dry beef and the thing that horrified my partner the most – the chorizo and the egg were sold separately. And there was no sign of the chicharron at all. If you want to avoid disappointment, steer clear.
Overall Comida Fest is a fantastic day out where you can eat and drink to your heart’s content. As well as a fabulous selection of food and drink stalls, there is also a brilliant arts and culture programme with DJs and bands playing Latin tunes that you are encouraged to enjoy and dance to all throughout the day. I can’t wait for the next one.
Comida Fest will be held in two more locations this year – Potters Field on the 12th and 13th August, and Bishops Park on the 16th and 17th September. They are also currently crowd funding to try and make the festival a more permanent fixture which, in my opinion, will only be a good thing.
You can visit www.comidafest.com for more information on locations and traders.