Hackney Bridge, the new communal cluster of sheds in the Olympic Park, opened its new food court yesterday. Previously they've only had a few stalls around tables in a courtyard but now they have an indoor area for communal beer and nosh. With autumn setting in it's a sensible commercial move.
I arrived before first orders at noon while they were still hanging balloons and lighting the grills, so missed the half price lunchtime vibe. But I was struck by the international flavour of the new food court, and how only the drinks risked being vaguely local.
• Bakes N Stuffingz - St Lucian jerk pork and jerk pulled jackfruit
• Hanoi Chay - plant-based Vietnamese rice boxes and banh mis
• Made In Puglia - classic Neapolitan pizzas
• Rainbo - homemade Japanese gyoza and hirata bao buns
• Tamila - flavour packed curries and flakey layered roti
• Simply Hooked - ceviche and Sri Lankan spiced fish and chips
• Filigrillz - authentic Filipino flame-grilled meats
• The Hanger - a micropub and a cocktail bar
I think I saw my first food court in Canada in the 1970s, and was amazed at the idea that everyone could order something completely different but eat it while sitting together. In 1992 Watford's Harlequin Centre was sufficiently cutting edge to open with a food court downstairs, including somewhere that did fish and chips, KFC, Randall's Coffee House and a Little Chef Express. By 2011 Stratford's Westfield had a food court surrounded by fast food chains including McDonalds, Spud-U-Like, Caribbean Scene and Sticky Rice - a tad more adventurous but still fairly mainstream fare.
When Croydon's Boxpark opened in 2016 it was essentially a big canteen with numerous little outlets round the rim, the emphasis very much on global variety rather than a few well-worn staples. This was the streetfood revolution brought indoors, and most modern food courts now play the same game. Bring your crew and maybe sample okonomiyaki, calamari, pokē, katsu or rendang before rounding off with deep fried ice cream or matcha waffle. Portion size might not be great, and by the time you've thrown in drinks it won't come cheap, but that's OK because you're here to meet your mates and the food is almost secondary.
Dining out is undergoing a generational shift, from sit-down menu to collective sampling, from predictable stodge to innovative choice, from meaty to plant-based, from eating to grazing and from meal to experience. Cafe culture used to mean plates, metal cutlery and tomato ketchup, but now it's more likely trays, wooden sticks and spicy sauce. And while it's by no means true that older diners won't touch foreign fare and younger diners never plump for pie, what counts as British cuisine is being increasingly sidelined as the food court revolution takes hold. Should my mates ever drag me off to Hackney Bridge, I guess it's pizza.
