Seven days of food and booze events centred on Charlotte Street is to be served up beginning Monday 29 June, organised by The Fitzrovia Partnership Business Improvement District.
This is the second year running the Fitzrovia BID is holding an event under the banner of “Feast@Fitzrovia” in its attempt to re-brand the neighbourhood as “London’s Food & Drink Quarter”.
Last year’s effort swamped the tiny Whitfield Gardens with the smoke and smells of cooking and was sub-contracted out to a Brighton-based company who chose to use mostly Brighton businesses much to the annoyance of locals.
This year the Fitzrovia BID is doing it themselves and have promised to get it right and push Fitzrovia businesses rather than those from Skidrow-on-Sea.
All week there will be offers in selected restaurants, special menus and promotions, as well as live food events. If the pavements of Charlotte Street and Goodge Street are more greasy than usual, you’ll know why.
Three events will highlight the week of gastronomic excess, and possibly gastric distress.
On Wednesday 1 July the Elysée restaurant in Percy Street will host “The Four Chefs” where Fitzrovia’s top culinary experts will get together to create a one-off gourmet meal. The evening begins with an aperitif created by Marcus J Eaves from the Michelin-starred Pied à Terre, followed by a the three-course meal created by Dan Sherlock from Salt Yard, Ludovic Mesplé from Elysée and Wesley Fontain from Elena’s Etoile.
On Thursday 2 July corks will be popping as the Building Centre on Store Street constructs a wine-tasting event featuring presentations from wine growers, sommeliers and vintners. Look out for drunk architects wandering across Tottenham Court Road.
On Friday 3 July the smells from outdoor cooking will replace exhaust fumes as part of Charlotte Street, between Windmill Street and Rathbone Street, will close to traffic to host a summer food fayre. A select number of cafes and restaurants from all over Fitzrovia will set up stall in the street to show off their food offerings.
There is a lot of emphasis on the variety of meat on offer — kangaroo, alligator, venison, and ostrich. Have the organisers been dealing with poachers from game reserves, or nearby London Zoo?
I’d advise local residents to keep their pets indoors in case things get out of hand.
The Extreme Food Challenge event even warns: “Please note you take part at your own risk and it’s not vegetarian friendly!”
Yet there are vegetarian restaurants and cafes in Fitzrovia, and many others have vegetarian and even vegan offerings. But Feast@Fitzrovia sells the district short by making little reference to them.
Feast@Fitzrovia looks to be more medieval than modern. This bird could go hungry.
Full details and a complete listing of events from enjoyfitzrovia.co.uk/feast. Feast@Fitzrovia, various venues across Fitzrovia, London, from 29 June to 5 July 2015. Charlotte Street will be closed to traffic between Windmill Street and Rathbone Street (north) from 8am to 11pm on Friday 3 July 2015.