Model Example

If a few years ago you had told me, a misanthropic Fifer, that I would one day extol the virtues of vegan street food at a Lewisham pop-up market, I would have sued you for defamation. Yet here I am.

Model Market is everything the Daily Mail wants you to hate about London. It is in an ‘up and coming area,’ serves things like Mexican-Swedish fusion tacos and has a resident DJ. It is populated by young people sporting tracksuits that their parents would have chucked away 30 years ago, and unashamedly refers to itself as the ‘European capital of vibes.’

Not that these ‘vibes’ are particularly forthcoming from the outside. Lurking in the insalubrious shadow of Lewisham shopping centre, Model Market doesn’t do much to encourage passing trade. To reach the peeling, corrugated iron door, you must first weave your way through thundering traffic, cross a series of perilous roads and finally smile at the bouncer doling out hand stamps. There is a colourful mural of a walrus on the wall, but it has a touch of the children’s ward about it.

But once you’re inside and the humming engines of buses give way to genial drum music, you realise that the dicey dashes across the dual carriageway were worth it. Colourful fairy lights weave their way overhead and enticing smells emanate from every stall. The décor is rough around the edges and all the better for it – it feels like the converted market it is rather than the theme restaurant it could so easily try to be.

Stalls take the form of small bricks and mortar (and occasionally wood and iron) shops, so walking past them feels like an amble down a particularly vibrant high street. Tables and chairs are scattered around the market, and you don’t have to stick to the stall at which you’re eating, meaning more choice for the solitary diner. If there is a massive birthday crowd at the pizza place, just tuck yourself away behind the more sedate bao bunners next door.

The range of food is what you’d expect from a gentrified London market, plus a few surprises. Burgers, tacos, pizza and steak sit ox cheek by jowl with stands selling frozen custard and Kolkatan kati rolls, mercifully not in the same box. There is the ubiquitous ‘gin palace’ and a few bars dotted around – you won’t go thirsty.

Veggies, vegans, gluten freers and everything in between are fantastically well catered for at Model Market. Arguably the best stand in the site is the only slightly irritatingly named Phung Kay Vegan. It does vegan versions of popular Chinese dishes so well that I genuinely, seriously, absolutely couldn’t tell the difference. That is not a joke. The cumin Szechuan chick’n bites were better than any meat version I’ve ever had, and the Cha Sui Bao was similarly life changing for this committed omnivore.

The format of ordering and paying at the stand is ideal for anyone venturing out alone, as there’s no awkward ‘table for one’ and withering looks from waiters to contend with. Just pick your food and find a re-purposed oil drum to lean awkwardly against while you try not to dribble garlic sauce down your chin. The staff are smiley and seemingly universally good looking, so you’ll have something to look at even if your phone dies.

With four Street Feast outlets scattered around London - Model Market, Hawker House, Giant Robot and Dinerama - this is becoming less of an undiscovered delight, but certainly remains the least known of the quartet. Sunny summer evenings can become intense and crowded, with queues for delicious vegan dumplings (WHO KNEW?!) snaking on for what feels like miles. But if you can sneak in before the crowds or don’t mind a spot of drizzle with your al fresco cocktail, this is one of the best places to kill a peckish afternoon in London alone.

And if the Daily Mail would hate it, you’re on to a good thing.

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Food + Drink – 3. I challenge you not to find a delicious example of your favourite food here. Wandercrust and the aforementioned much-lauded Phung Kay are stand-outs for me.

Layout – 2. There are lots of spaces to perch on your own, but expect to share with groups if you’re there at a peak time.

Awkwardness – 2. Its effervescent atmosphere attracts large party groups and couples, so you might feel a bit overwhelmed if you’re that way inclined. Taking up a rare seat and flicking through a book for an hour may earn you a few glances, but it’s Lewisham. They’ve seen worse.

Service – 3. Staff are always chirpy and smiley. And attractive.

Convenience – 3. Choose, order, pay, eat. No worrying about tables or bags or pitying glances.

Overall – 13/15

Book: One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Look up at the fairy lights and pretend Lewisham is Colombia for an afternoon.

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Model Market

196 Lewisham High Street

London

Sadly only open during Spring and Summer weekends, from 5pm-1am. Something to look forward to!

£ - Not cheap, but good value for the high quality. Entry is £3, but free until 7pm.