Latest news with #StreetFood
Arab News
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Arab News
Where We Are Going Today: ‘Jinji' – Korean cuisine in Jeddah
Jinji, the newest addition to Jeddah's growing lineup of Asian eateries, offers a casual and contemporary take on Korean cuisine. Located on Hira Street in Ash Shati District, this spot has quickly gained popularity for its street food-inspired menu, serving up favorites that feel straight out of Seoul's bustling food stalls. My visit started off with Korean classics like the crispy kimchi pancake and seafood pancake, both golden and satisfying. The kimchi version held a bit more punch for me. Their fried chicken is a highlight, especially the honey soy and sweet and spicy variations that offer a crispy bite with rich flavor. The plain fried chicken felt a little underwhelming in comparison and could use a touch more seasoning. Jinji lives up to its bold slogan, 'Serious meals only,' especially when it comes to Korean barbecue. The ribeye and short rib platter is ideal for sharing, with well-marbled cuts that are tender, juicy and full of flavor. The galbi plate, with its savory-sweet soy marinade, is another crowd-pleaser. The striploin and brisket platter is solid, though we found the brisket slightly dry on one visit. That said, grilling right at the table adds a hands-on experience similar to the authentic Korean BBQ joints of Seoul. Noodle lovers will appreciate the variety of ramyeon options, from the creamy pink rose version to the brisket ramyeon. The bibimbap is well-executed with fresh toppings, and the tteokbokki brings enough heat to satisfy fans of spice. Portion sizes are generous, and the pricing is reasonable as the BBQ platter, ranging between SR 200-250 ($53-66), easily feeds two to three people. Desserts bring a refreshing end to the meal, especially the authentic bingsu, a milk-based Korean shaved ice dessert in flavors like mango and Oreo. The hotteok pancake, filled with sugar, cinnamon, and nuts, is warm, chewy, and worth saving room for. The ambiance is minimalist and relaxed, though during peak hours the space can feel a bit cramped and noisy. For more, check Instagram @jinji_sa.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Bank holiday food festival sees crowds flock to park
MUSIC, fairground rides and a generous array of food stalls are bringing a Stourbridge park to life this bank holiday weekend. Mary Stevens Park will be home to a giant outdoor market showcasing street food from around the world, as well as an array of artisan products, local produce, and unique gifts today (May 24), Sunday (May 25) and Monday (May 26). Artisan makers and bakers are lining Mary Stevens Park (Image: Olivia Warburton / NQ) The family-friendly alcohol free affair has got off to a fantastic start, with crowds flocking to the park to make the most of the long weekend. From South Asian cuisine and Caribbean dishes to burgers, fries and everything in between, there will certainly be something for all tastebuds. As well as the feel-good tunes, there will also be live performances on the main stage throughout the weekend, creating a lively atmosphere for festival-goers to enjoy. Families will find plenty of fun activities for children, from classic fun fair games like hook-a-duck to rides for the older kids, and the event is dog-friendly, making it the perfect outing for all. There is a delicious array of food on offer (Image: Olivia Warburton / NQ) Siobhan Noake from LSD Promotions, the organisers of the event, said: 'The Stourbridge Food & Drink Festival is all about bringing people together, enjoying great food, and celebrating the start of summer in a beautiful local park. "It's a wonderful day out for the whole family – and of course, it's all free!'
Times
10-05-2025
- Times
The UK's top Sri Lankan chef on her foodie go-tos for the Teardrop Isle
From hoppers to kottu roti, Sri Lankan food is known for its punchy flavours, local herbs and spices and generous use of coconut. Some of its best-known dishes include pol sambol, lamprais and idiyappam, thin noodles made from rice flour. Fresh and filling, Sri Lanka's moreish breads, curries and rice-based dishes are affordable and easy to find across the country, whether you're trying street food stalls or dining in restaurants. However, it can be hard to know what to feast on first if you don't know where to look. Here, Cynthia Shanmugalingam, chef-proprietor of London's acclaimed Sri Lankan restaurant Rambutan, picks her favourite dishes from her homeland and chooses the best places to eat them. For kottu roti, the king of Sri Lanka's street-food dishes, your best stop is the nation's capital, where its diverse mix of ethnic communities offer many variations. Kottu roti is Tamil for 'cut roti', and comprises buttery, flaky strips of sliced roti, spicy curry, crispy fried eggs, sliced carrots, cabbage, onions and curry leaves all noisily banged together on a hotplate. You might customise your kottu by opting for one with or without cheese, with fat strips of roti ('dolphin') or skinny ones, and by choosing how much of the extra bowl of curry you'll get on the side to resoak your kottu depending on your preference for wet or dry. For the brave, one of the city's best is to be found at Masha Allah Hotel on Abdul Hameed St. Here you can try my favourite variety — babath, or beef tripe kottu — which has a delicious, melting, darkly spiced flavour, and where you can also try palandi, a yoghurt-mix kottu to cool you down. Or try the no-frills Nana's at Galle Face Green, a decades-old, family-run stall with almost every variation you can imagine (from 50p). For a more conventional version, try Cape Weligama, a hotel in southern Sri Lanka, which serves a delicious juicy prawn kottu in a beautiful restaurant that looks out onto Weligama's golden bay (B&B doubles from £500; Outside of snagging yourself an invite to a Sri Lankan home, Colombo is also your best bet for the country's national lunchtime habit: rice and curry. The city caters well for all its workers who get up at the crack of dawn, many of whom commute long hours and work hard all day, and who all need a nutritious and cheap midday meal. Queue alongside them for fantastic quality, quick and affordable rice and curry: my favourites are Curry Pot, a cheap, hole-in-the-wall spot on Marine Drive, where you choose six accompaniments to white or yellow rice from 40 freshly cooked claypots, including mango, jackfruit, chicken, prawn or potato curries (from £1); and Ranbath Organic, a vegetarian and impeccably sourced café with an extraordinary selection of claypots and vegetables to point and choose from, alongside heirloom rice (from £2; @ranbathorganic). Some of the city's best eating spots aren't entirely sanitary, so this comes with a cautionary health warning, but for what might be Colombo's best sandwich, try Ai Kopi Kade on Abdul Hameed St in Aluthkade for a mad and glorious sandwich: slices of bread hollowed out for a fried egg, with spiced chicken, cheese, lots of crispy lettuce and various sauces. • This is the perfect country for your first (easy) family adventure A small but perfectly formed parcel of lamprais makes the perfect on-the-go meal. Made of tiny grains of samba rice cooked in chicken stock and pandan leaf, and served with a mixed meat curry, fragrant aubergine moju, ash plantain, an insanely funky prawn belachang (paste), crispy meatballs and other fun surprises, each parcel is wrapped in a banana leaf and steamed. The best places to snag one are from Mrs W's on Pedris Rd, where you should call up and pre-order, or from Dutch Burgher Union in central Colombo where you can usually pick one up on the fly (@TheDutchBurgherUnion). As you escape the city and begin to feel the charm of Sri Lanka's south coast, you find simpler, and sometimes more westernised spots, often seemingly in a sea of flat whites, shakshuka and matcha lattes. For a real Sri Lankan fix, the coast is also covered with authentic roti shops serving all types: godhamba (thin, stretchy, soft), stuffed rotis (perhaps with egg or curried beef or spiced potato), and sweet ones (with banana and other fun flavours). No 1 Dewmini Roti Shop in Mirissa is a good option, where you can wolf down a vegetable roti with lots of sambols (@no.1_dewmini_roti_shop_). For a more innovative take and a great view, try Mr Sunil's Roti and Juice Shop in Ahangama, where Mr Sunil serves up his own creation: a freshly fried roti, crispy egg, sambols (kicky condiment-style accompaniments) and some noodles, which you can slurp down alongside a king coconut before a palm-tree lined beach (Matara Rd). • 13 of the best Sri Lanka tours The south coast can get perilously hot, and to cool down, Sri Lankans love to drink milkshakes — with various riffs on ice cream sundaes with neon jellies. But perhaps the best-loved is an iced Milo — a drink that many countries have adopted as their own. A delightful spot for one is Kai Ahangama, a relaxed, beach-facing café where you can also try various Sri Lankan-inspired cocktails (@kai_ahangama). Once known as Chinese rolls and now simply as rolls, these breaded, fried crispy logs of curried goodness are my favourite Sri Lankan teatime snack — spicy, crunchy and delicious. One of the country's finest comes in the city of Matara, one you might be driving through en route to Galle. There are four branches of Lanka Rolls there and my favourite is on Hakmana Rd where they are fried to perfection ( Soft, pillowy, brioche-like buns stuffed with something spicy are a Sri Lankan trademark 'short eat' — a snack perfect for a long train journey or breakfast on the go. Colombo has some classic bakeries — New Torrington Bakery (Thimbirigasyaya Rd), and the national chain Perera & Sons ( — but once in the south, keep your eyes and ears peeled for choon paan or tune bread. These tiny tuk-tuks have been converted into mobile bakeries, each with their own loud ice cream-style siren call. Try buns with seeni sambol (a spiced onion relish), vegetable (which means spiced potato, carrot and lots of fragrant herbs) or my favourite, malu or fish buns, stuffed with delicious spiced fish, potato and lots of green chilli. • Read our full guide to Sri Lanka Eaten as a light fruit pickle or fresh and simply doused in lime, acharu is a great way to sample some of Sri Lanka's amazing fruits, and widely available on the beach all over the south coast. You can try mango (ripe or green), pineapple, guava, veralu (an olive-like fruit) and many of the island's citrus fruits such as ceylon tangerine and pomelo. I love to pick them up at sunset from many of the small vendors around Galle Fort as you walk the ramparts and enjoy the sea air. The port of Hambantota, in the deep south of Sri Lanka, where my grandfather ran a series of small shops, has become a haven for my favourite sweet: rich, gelatinous, black dodol. Originating in Indonesia, it is made of jaggery, rice flour and coconut milk, patiently hand-stirred until a mass of smooth, soft and gooey dark jelly forms. A fantastic outpost of Dilani Kalu Dodol is a ten-minute tuk-tuk ride from the fort, and where you can buy some by the kilo to chomp as you explore the old town (@dilanikaludodo).Cynthia Shanmugalingam is chef proprietor of Rambutan, Borough Market, London and author of Rambutan: Recipes from Sri Lanka (Bloomsbury £26). To order a copy go to or call 020 3176 2935. Free UK standard P&P on online orders over £25. Special discount available for Times+ members
