Not another bloody market kitchen

[Peacemirl]

I love eating out, and trying new places. I like everything from fine dining to (really good) takeaway food. I’ve lived in the city where I currently work for fifteen years and one of the big reasons for moving was the vibrant, varied food scene.

In the last few years, I’ve been less and less enthusiastic about it. There are still some great places, but more and more new openings are generic and “same again” - everything seems to be yet another “market kitchen” concept or more noodles (I like noodles but they’re everywhere).

I get these places must be popular and I’ve had good food in some of them but it all feels a bit uninspiring these days, and less exciting. I also understand hospitality is having a hard time and so bankable, tried and tested models are safer than going out on a limb.

AIBU?? Or am I just getting old??

You're quite right, its all very samey and not worth the price imo.
I read something about how its the developers, they have a formula for what works/gets planning. They charge so high rents that the only ones that can afford to set up are those with venture capital behind them, which leads to the most unimaginative food going.

I'd love one of these! They're called hawker markets in Malaysia

those places are grim and none of the food is actually good. They’re only useful for a quick bite mid shop. And even then I’d rather not.

There are lots of them where I live, it’s a good place to go where everyone fancies something different but I agree it’s a bit uninspiring. I’d rather have a nice sit down restaurant with a waiter and not have to go to a bar to order my food.

I would rather not have to carry my own food round on a plastic tray.

Im not a prisoner.

I quite like the one at Victoria (Market Hall?) for a quick bite before the theatre or getting back on the train but DH and I make sure we go to the same stall otherwise one of us has finished before the other gets any food. They don't replace a restaurant for me. I see a lot of large groups who are using them mainly as a pub in which you can go and get snacks as you get hungry individually.

I understand places not taking a gamble and opening with a new cuisine at the moment though. You get an initial flurry and then (certainly in my large town) everyone goes back to the Tale of Spices Indian, Prezzo, Wagamama and the local Italian.

Thing is they don’t have ‘hawker’ prices. In borough market you can pay up to £15 for a luxury sandwich or burger. Nearby you can go to a proper burger place and pay the same, but have a table under a heater or in the sun, table service and have wine delivered on the side. It feels like a con when you are paying restaurant prices and can’t even pull up a stool to a bar to eat it.

I love the market halls in London, they're really convenient with lots of choice and generally the food is fine. But I agree they're not a substitute for a nice restaurant. More like a substitute for a quick visit to Pret before the theatre, or an evening with colleagues where the alternative is a crowded pub with nasty beige food.

At the ones I went to you just all sit at a table and order your food and drinks via a QR code, which links to the menus of all the bars and food places, all on one web page. The food and drink is brought to your table. No queuing! Equally, if you want to go and chat to the vendors about what's on offer beford you order, you can.

Oh god, I can’t STAND small plates and food coming out at the convenience of the kitchen! I just want my own - decent sized - plate of food, thank you very much. Small plates never have enough, and you end up tiptoeing around who is going to have the last mouthful. Unfortunately I live in London where virtually everywhere now operates on this model.

I haven’t been in a UK food court but the ones where I live in one mall in particular is very good. There’s a bog standard food court but there’s also another one in the same mall thats more upmarket. I like that one and I think it might be similar to a market kitchen

I think it works great if it's lots of friends on a night out who want to eat as part of that without spending the whole evening in a restaurant, it's also spontaneous with no need to book, but for families it's less practical.