Now I was vacillating between 3 and four stars here, bemoaning the lack of a 3.5 star review choice, but you know what, I'm rounding up! Yeah, you heard me, rounding up... because I'm a nice guy.
Now there are markets in London that are bigger and have more choice, there are markets with more eclectic vibes, and there are markets that actually have somewhere vaguely nice nearby where you might want to sit down and eat your delicious purchases. Tachbrook St. Market has none of these, however it is all about the delicious purchases.
First of all let me disabuse you of the notion that this is a farmers market, it isn't. It only has one veg stall and one (very good looking) fishmongers stall. At Tachbrook street it is all about the lunchtime goodness.
There are a selection of various national cuisines competing for your attention, from a couple of little "Arabic" stalls selling generic (but tasty) Mediterranean goodies, a pretty fine but (for the market) slightly overpriced Japanese stall (the prawn bento box was lovely), a jolly old Greek geezer offering you free samples of his traditional stews (and very nice they are too) as well as a stall selling tasty, (but somewhat meagre) Spanish flatbreads. I can't attest to the quality or otherwise of the Egyptian or Caribbean stalls as I haven't yet sampled their wares and I'm sure that there are a couple of stalls I have missed out, but my friends, I have saved the best till last...
The best two actually; first of all is the wonderful Slovenian stall (which is sometimes absent Mondays and Tuesdays) that serves sandwiches, though that does not do them justice, these are huge meaty sandwiches (choice of Slovenian sausage, steak or lamb and beef "Pinches"), served on a slab of bread the size of your head and festooned with a choice of lovely sauces to bring out the best of the salads.
The second of the premier league here is the absolutely awesome falafel stall, just watching these guys preparing the falafel and chucking them into the fryer at a rate of knots is entertaining enough, but the real joy comes from putting those lovely hot golden balls into your mouth, (they will often even give you a free ball to suck on whilst you are waiting for the main event)! Pretty much the best falafel in London, and at £3 a steal! (Oh yeah, and ask for extra pickle).
All in all a great lunchtime spot, if only there were a park or suchlike nearby it would be worth the four stars without my extra generosity.
P.S. Don't ever get the burritos from the "Mexican" stall they are pretty much the worst I've ever eaten (replacing sour cream with mayo anyone?). read more