All Change Time at Trinity Kitchen

Leeds Living asked Stan Graham to sample the latest cuisines on offer at Trinity Kitchen.

It’s that time again, the changing of the guard at Trinity Kitchen. There is the usual wide variety of street food vendors selling everything from Prosecco through to  French Raclette, Thai, Punjabi, Greek, Hungarian and even, wait for it, Scottish!

Photography by Stan Graham

My first port of call had to be the Scottish van, Angus McVenison, which sold a variety of burgers, charcuterie boards and other specialities including Haggis Bonbons. You will be pleased to know that there was not a deep fried Mars Bar in sight. It seemed logical to go for the Signature Dish at £8.50 which is Wild Venison Steak, Arran Cheddar and Hot Beetroot Chutney in a Soft Morning Roll. It was utterly delicious. Venison is one of the healthiest meats available, having a low fat content. The Grazing Board also looked good at £10 comprising Arran Cheddar, Arran Blue, Haggis Bonbons, Venison Salami, Scottish Oat Biscuits, Fries, Purple Rustic Slaw and Whiskey Marmalade; phew! You will be reassured to know that drams of the golden Scottish spirit were available for purchase to accompany the food.

Whilst giving the burger time to digest, with a glass of Prosecco kindly provided by the gentleman at Prosecco 1754, the owner of Jah Jyot arrived with a tray of their speciality Punjabi Masala Dosa, which are Rice Flour and Spinach Pancakes. There was one batch of plain and one paneer-filled. Both tasted as good as they looked. Two colleagues at the table had a combination curry and samosas from the same producer and raved about its quality.

Sadly the woman at the Thai stall had closed for the evening, but the Raclette guy was still there so I had a chance for one of his Hot Dogs. When I have eaten raclette in the past in France and Switzerland it is a do-it-yourself dish with a grill in the middle of the table, the idea being that you put some boiled potato slices in a shallow pan, cover them with soft cheese and put it under the grill until the spud is heated through and the cheese has melted. No such faffing about here, as the hard work is done for you. The raclettier (I just made that word up) makes a hot dog in the usual manner but scrapes melted cheese from a large disc which has been under a much larger grill than the aforementioned one on the top. Amazing.

Just as I was feeling guilty about not having the capacity to sample all of the food on offer, who should appear but the chap from Eat Like A Greek with a display of their produce. The tray contained what looked like a dessert but was in fact one of their Pitta Wraps containing Halloumi and served with Salad, Balsamic Glaze and Oregano. This again was a visual and gastronomic delight. He later returned with the lamb version.

The ladies at the Hungarian dessert van, The Chimney Chicks, then arrived with thankfully small samples of their delights. I have had a savoury version of the ‘chimney’ in Budapest but this was the first time I had seen a sweet one. The chimneys in question are cones made from a Hungarian recipe pastry and filled with all kinds of delights to give them a British twist. Mine was a take on Jaffa Cake. Some ladies at the next table opted for a full portion and were chomping their way through a huge funnel with a marshmallow stick protruding from the top. I didn’t ask them how it was but judging by the smiles and the lack of leftovers they must have been great.

All in all this was one of the most diverse selections of traders for a while and, as usual, Trinity Kitchen is well worth a visit whenever you are in town.

Stan Graham

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