* Press visit*
Recently the food scene around the country has been having a bit of a change up with a lot of the focus being on Independents & street food vendors. At the moment, the place to go for a different kind of dining experience is Portsmouth, specifically *Outside-In Food Court, I haven't experienced a dining concept like this before but I am 110% here for it.
It's a vibrant informal dining concept hidden away in a warehouse, as much as it is located in the heart of Portsmouth, if you hadn't heard about it then you may not know its there, which is a massive shame hence why I'm now going to be shouting about it to everyone because I really enjoyed it.
They have regular entertainment, a mix of incredible independent street food vendors (which do change up, so keep an eye on their social media), locally sourced beer, wine & spirits while also creating a plastic free environment with bio-degradable and/or recyclable cups, plates, straws.. everything!
Outside-in is a very unsuspecting building, its tucked away & you would have no idea what's behind the doors if you don't venture in, as soon as you open those doors you're hit with all the flavours, there's a little coffee shop when you first enter, the further you go in, the more you notice! You instantly forget that it's essentially a warehouse, there's so much to look at, from the colourful display of umbrellas, foliage all around to the fairy lights up above. It's a large space but it feels cosy at the same time & boy was it busy, there was music playing, people chatting away & people of all ages enjoying their time there.
The food court itself is family friendly, pet friendly (there was a sausage dog sat opposite me which just levelled it up for me) as well as being supportive of the community & open to proposals to support their local area. The dining area is very informal with long tables & benches for anyone to sit & enjoy their food while also opening up the option to socialise with people near by which I really like the idea of! Plus they are completely cashless, I can't remember the last time I carried cash around with me so it just makes the experience even easier & all the vendors have their own readers too.
I know something like this concept can be a bit of a mare for people with dietary requirements but outside-in is vegan, gluten free & vegetarian friendly while vendors can also accommodate most dietary & allergen needs!
Now, lets talk food & vendors!
First up is Dumpling Dumpling, they've been going since 2017 & is run by Mr & Mrs Dumpling, otherwise known as Nat & Dan. They create unique street food based on Chinese dumplings with a twist. They are always experimenting with flavour, I've sampled their food a few times now & I've never had the same because there's such a variety to try. They also have side dishes to accompany the dumplings.
We tried The Great DD sharing platter which included the vegan mac & cheese, Chinese pork, beef bourguignon & hoisin NOT duck along with funky asian fries, noodles & crackers.
I then went back myself at the end of the event to try their sweet dumpling which was packed with Nutella, peanut butter & caramelised banana topped with icecream, chocolate balls, cherries & white chocolate sauce...no regrets.
Next up was Arepa2go which is a family business created in 2015 & offers authentic Venezuelan food. We were served up one of their gluten free aprepas which is a corn pocket sandwich that can be filled with all sorts! Some of what they serve up includes tropical black beans, fried plantain and white cheese along with 7 options. They also serve up halloumi fries, Churros and white cheese fingers along with more on the menu! We also sampled their Papitas Fritas, fries topped with feta cheese & guasacaca which is a coriander & avocado sauce.
I haven't tried anything like what they have on offer before, its very different to what I would choose but so good.
Then we have The Panormus Pizzeria who are just about a year old! They want to give customers the original taste of pizza with dough that is made with original Italian products, they like to say their pizza is the best in town & I am absolutely not going to argue that, it was delicious.
We had a half & half pizza sent over to us, I'm not entirely sure which pizzas they were but they were still great. One side had onion, mushroom, olives & the other maybe ham?
I ate them either way & they really were nice.
Helloooo best burger I've ever eaten. One Tonne Burger Co have been going just over a year now & started out by exploding onto the London burger scene & touted as one of the best burgers in the capital but are currently treating Portsmouth to their menu as they are local, lucky us! They butcher & mince all of their own beef in house so they know their customers are getting the best & freshest ingredients. The burger you see above is The Home Run, 2x onion smashed patties, American cheese, shoestring fries, black truffle mayo & iceberg lettuce, this was popped down next to me & if it hadn't had been taken away to be carved up to share I would have kept it for myself. Legit the best burger ever, I'm going back just to visit these guys. LOOK AT IT.
We then have Breeno's Kitchen, which create an array of street food from India & Pakistan, they started up towards the end of 2018 & have been going strong with their forever changing menu. Again, this isn't a cuisine I've every really tried but I really enjoyed it. We had their Masala fries, street food platter as well as samosas & much more! They couldn't feed us enough, their food was nothing like I've had before & they were so passionate about what they are doing which I love!
It's not a cuisine I would have gone for as I'm a bit of a fussy eater but I went all in with Breeno's & I'd definitely pay they another visit.
And our final vendor is Natty's Jerk Kitchen, ohhh was their food good! Natty's is a small family run street food business which is all about recreating the greatest food memories from childhood, they started out in 2019 & are based in Southsea, so they local! They use the most authentic homemade Caribbean recipes that have been handed down through generations with a modern twist & we're the lucky ones that get the try it all out! We got the try their Jerk Goat Fries & wow were they good. I have a soft spot for Caribbean food ever since my old neighbour used to send curry, rice & peas over the fence for us because she could never cook for one person & I loved her homemade food. I also got to try some of their dumplings & oh they were sweet & glorious. Again, I'd head back in a heartbeat to see Natty's!
Anyone else hungry now?
How does it all sound? I know I would 110% head back at the next opportunity & I'm really hoping reading this has made you want to pop by too!
They are very tucked away which means they can easily be missed, it's very much word of mouth that gets people visiting so if you do pop by make sure you shout about it
There's often things going on at Outside-in & they also keep you up to date about vendors & serving times on their social media so keep an eye out for that here:
Location: 56 Middle Street, Portsmouth, PO5 4BN
Emily-May x
* Press invite for review, thoughts are of my own, see disclaimer
Okay something like this needs to open further up north because I love everything about it. All the food looks totally delicious and the concept with the tables is such a fun idea xx
ReplyDeleteHannah | https://luxuryblush.co.uk/