In a term full of library occupying and manic studying, what better to get a taste of than food on the move? Whether dashing between libraries or nipping out for a break, a bit of street food in Cambridge can easily be worked into your day.

Last Saturday, I headed to the EAT Cambridge street food market to find out what Cambridge has to offer.

After a disappointing turn out last year, EAT Cambridge had created much more hype this time around: “they told us to expect 300-400 people throughout the whole evening”, the girls at the Spirited Mare stand (a roaming cocktail bar) informed us while I sipped their Porn Star Martini. Spreading the word had obviously worked: there were easily 300-400 people going through the fair within the hour, resulting in some vendors running out of food while the queue to get in wrapped around the block.

Buffalo Joe’s was the first to run out of food. A small survey (admittedly comprised of my five friends) decided that the chicken wings served up by Buffalo Joe were the stars of the show; somehow crispy yet saucy, the spicy chicken went perfectly with the blue cheese sauce. So delicious, that I felt no qualms about taking one offered by a stranger who had overheard me ranting about there not being any more! Also available from Buffalo Joe, but not quite up to the level of the chicken wings… peanut butter pie. Note: the pie seemed to be made of pastry, peanut butter, and whipped cream – nothing that couldn’t be recreated in an undergraduate kitchen.

DogTown, a London-based hot dog stand, also ran out of some of the sausages and so we were limited to the Talk to Frank frankfurter. Although the mustard and pickle mix accompanying the hot dog was a stroke of genius, they “were not as good as the hot dogs in New York” according to my expert.

Reviews of the Cambridge-based vendors may be found below – look them up or follow them on Twitter to get your own taste of Cambridge:

Steak and Honour: Burgers too good to be true. Toasted brioche buns with ketchup and mustard (apparently the key to perfectly balanced condiments) hugging a delicious beef patty. The only bad thing about a Steak and Honour burger is that it will leave you attempting to eat a second. For veggies, there is also the Shroom burger; the brioche buns cradling a mushroom instead. Follow @steakandhonour to keep abreast of the red van’s location, or head to Gwydir Street outside Hot Numbers on Fridays after 7:30pm.

Urban Street Kings: Started by three chefs from around Cambridge who wanted to bring British-Vietnamese fusion to the streets, I admit the main reason for me going to the street food market was to try their buns, having been following them avidly on @food_urbansk. The cheeky hoisin mint bun did not disappoint and looked as good as it tasted (often a challenge with street food). You can usually catch the Urban Street Kings at the Free Press where they set up their guerrilla kitchen.

Inder’s Kitchen: Authentic Indian street food from Inder’s Kitchen was cooked to order, creating the longest queue at the market, but the exciting range of Indian food on offer, much of which I had not heard of before, was well worth the wait. Skip the queues: Inder’s Kitchen do free deliveries across Cambridge and have just released a lunchtime street food menu.

The Tin Kitchen: Artisan ciabatta rolls for a very good price. Note: the pestonaise was a nice touch to their chorizo roll. Follow them @Tin_kitchen to see where in Cambridge they will show up next!

Jack’s Gelato: Jack was serving one of the most British of ice creams that I have tasted to date: Earl Grey. Exactly as one would expect, the ice cream tasted distinctly of Earl Grey with a dash of milk. It paired perfectly with the Pistachio and Rose while the Lemon Curd ice cream was delicate and more subtle than standard lemon zingers. To get your own taste of Jack’s ever changing ice cream flavours, follow him @jacks_gelato. 

The Magnificent Milkshake Company: Unfortunately, by the time I got to the milk shakes I had a major case of food baby and could not face eating one of these liquid meals! Instead, I followed @magshakeHQ so that I can save the Banoffee Pie milkshake for next time.

I left the fair fully satisfied, and wobbling slightly on my bicycle due to the uneven weight of my new food baby. The fair had given me a chance to try some of the great new vendors on the scene, although there were some familiar faces missing – where was Bernard’s Be Waffle Cambridge, selling authentic Liège waffles from his market stall Wednesday to Sunday? Or falafel wraps from the Taste of Cambridge?  Clearly, Cambridge has far more to offer in the way of delicious street food than can be showcased – or eaten – in just one day!

The EAT Cambridge food event happens annually (10th to 24th of May this year) and is only going to get bigger and better – there’s no excuse not to head down!