After a busy week of work, the thought of eating, drinking and listening to music with a friend sounded perfect. So, when I was given the opportunity to go to Chow Down, a socially distanced, open air, drink and dining event, I jumped at the chance.
I took my friend to Chow Down on Friday evening. On arrival at the cool venue in Leeds’ up and coming South Bank, we were signed in, given wrist bands and shown to our table. We ordered some drinks to kick things off. As we sipped, we looked over the menus of the food trucks in residence. The menus were on an app, which was very easy to use, and could be accessed on our phones by scanning the QR code at our table.
There were four food trucks at the event: Soul Shack, Holy Mountain, Luigi Street Food, and Lekker Eat Dutch. After smelling the delicious BBQ of Mor Mor, and briefly chatting to Luigi on our way to the table, we opted for the za’atar and sumac halloumi fries and the BBQ chicken shawarma flatbread from Mor Mor and the tomato and cheese arancini from Luigi’s. To prevent queues, the food was delivered to our table. I missed being able to chat to the food truck owners, but I understand that these arrangements are needed at the moment.
The food came quickly and it looked and smelled incredible. The arancini came in an egg box, which was very cool. The halloumi fries were amazing. They were crispy, and well-seasoned. I loved the yogurt dressing and the sweet, juicy pomegranate seeds. The chicken shawarma was also fantastic, and as it came open, it was easy to share between two. The chicken itself was moist and flavoursome and I appreciated the generous portion of hummus that came with the dish.
Throughout the evening, music was played by a mixture of DJ’s. It was good and added to the relaxed atmosphere. However, my friend and I both questioned how socially distant the DJ’s were being, especially when they came out and interacted with the guests. This didn’t detract from the enjoyableness of the event, especially as everyone else was great.
Overall, we had a fab time at Chow Down. The organisers have carefully created a safe and comfortable environment for diners as well as staff and vendors. The food on offer was great, and the table service worked well.
I would definitely recommend getting over to Chow Down whilst the event is still on as you can enjoy the best independent food and drink from across Yorkshire with friends and family, including the dog!
All photographs by Gemma Bridge.
