I did not even know that Bishopsgate Market existed until I saw it advertised through Crosstown Doughnuts on my Facebook feed. I suppose I avoid walking through the City as much as I can as I already walk (or get the bus) from Bank to the middle of Brick Lane every work day. The City is always busy, so I simply avoid wandering into it during my lunch break and opt for something in Shoreditch as it's not quite as busy as the City. However, I was a Crosstown Doughnut virgin and I really wanted to try one as they look so good. I already wanted to head down to see the poppy display at the Tower of London, so I headed off to 100 Bishopsgate in the City of London.
Bishopsgate Market opened in the middle of July and will be opened throughout September. It is really easy to find. For years now, that area on Bishopsgate near to the Gherkin has been a building site. That's where the market is located. There's a little entrance, and the market is enclosed and fenced off in this little area. It's literally right in the heart of the city, and there's plenty of wobbly picnic tables set up and a few vendors. There's not much shade, though.
I grabbed my Crosstown Doughnut (a chocolate one) and then saw The Cheese Truck. What an excellent idea for street food. I love grilled cheese sandwiches and it was my staple diet a few years ago. I got one of those (cheese and onion) and a lemonade from another truck (local Hackney lemonade brand Square Root) and ate it there. Only I was not so hungry; I am never hungry in this weather. I managed to eat most of the sandwich, and it was good. (The Cheese Truck has their own Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/thecheesetruck)
Since I was not too hungry and could not even finish the whole sandwich, I took the doughnut with me. By the time I had my wander around Tower of London and walked around the City in the heat, the doughnut had actually melted and this would not have made a great photograph. It oozed chocolate and the chocolate top stuck to the paper (thankfully it is wax-coated paper, so no chocolate was wasted). It still tasted great, and I'll be back this week to try another one. The chocolate doughnut basically contains chocolate sauce inside it as well as a thick layer of chocolate on top. Thinking about it is still making me droll as it was so good.
Bishopsgate Market is only opened on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, however, and it ends at the end of September. It opens from 11:45 to 14:15, so if you want to grab lunch there, be quick. When I visited, there were places to sit and it was not that busy, and I assume the hot weather put people off from sitting outside.
Where:
100 Bishopsgate
(at the corner of Bishopsgate and Camomile Street)
London
When:
Tuesdays and Wednesdays: 11:45 - 14:15
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