Street Fodder at The World Feast, Briggate

The ever hungry Dave Cartwright enjoys a bit of Street Fodder at The World Feast on Briggate – will someone give him that recipe for Nasi Goreng! …

The World Feast, comprising of a host of international cuisine stalls, cascaded down Briggate on Sunday. In the past I’ve found these food festivals particularly difficult to sift through as everything looks so tempting. However, I was overcome with delight when the tantalising aroma my nose had chosen to follow brought me conveniently to the exact stand I was seeking.

With their ornately decorated and well equipped van, Street Fodder have only been on the Leeds street food scene since June 2013. Serving up the best of Asian cuisine, the duo treated the people of Leeds to Pad Thai (perhaps the most iconic of Thai noodle dishes and only £5), Massaman Chicken Curry (£5), a Chicken Kati Wrap (£4) and my personal choice, the Indonesian rice dish Nasi Goreng.

It was wonderful to watch as the wok was wavered, the gas was lit and the fresh ingredients were thrown into the mix. It would’ve also been nice to have seen what sauces and seasoning were introduced but I guess the magician was keeping his cards close to his chest (if I knew I would be having delicious Nasi Goreng now not beans on toast.) Nonetheless potted and shallotted the outcome of such a speedy and efficient process was exquisite.

I have lived in Asia and my Thai host mum used to lecture me on the importance of a balance in flavours. Street Fodder absolutely nailed the combination of salty, spicy, sweet and sour. The crunch of the vegetables was just right and complimented by a perfectly timed fried egg which at first disappointed, as it looked to be hard but on contact burst into a gooey runniness, adding a nice moisture to the rice.

The turnover of street food is important as queues (especially around a stall like Street Fodder) will naturally form. My only minuscule point to Street Fodder and perhaps it is just my northern roots, is amongst the mayhem of food preparation, to find the time to chat to customers. Whether that be conversational or explaining what is going into the dish (I’m determined to get that damn recipe.) This way the customer will be engaged throughout the whole making process rather than just in the end product.

That being said, the outcome was a masterpiece and I advise anyone who sees the Street Fodder-mobile or is hosting a party or private event, to make a b-line straight towards this true, honest and scrumptious taste of Asia.