The London Muslim Lifestyle Show 2018

Credit: London Muslim Lifestyle Show

The London Muslim Lifestyle Show returned for its third year in succession this past weekend, with around 200 national and international exhibitors participating.

The event aims at showcasing the finest the Muslim world has to offer, from the modest fashion industry and beauty, to finance, travel, media, seminars and other lifestyles, including, of course, cuisines from around the globe.

Sponsored by Tariq Halal Meat and with a range of tantalising offerings, we had the luxury of spending far more time at the Halal Food Court than in previous years, given that the hugely popular live kitchen demos, for reasons unknown to us, simply didn’t happen this time round.

And so, the first thing we tried was the signature Brisket from the London Smokehouse.

Purchased from Hill Farm Finest, not only was their 12 hour smoked Angus brisket sandwich meaty, tender and pretty filling, but it also went well with the accompanying pickles and mustard. It was a good thing we tried them first too, since it wasn’t long thereafter that the brisket sold out.

We then visited Zaytoun, which aims to delight customers with premium quality products from Palestine that are fairly traded, organically grown and sourced from small-scale farmers while supporting farming communities through trade rather than aid.

Those dates we picked up will surely be enjoyed for breaking the fast during this coming Ramadan.

Clearly needing a drink post–Brisket, we were drawn over by the vibe and energy of City Juice, where we enjoyed the sweet and rather refreshing fresh cane juice, with its mild kick of ginger and lime, especially in the midst of the mini heat wave we all experienced this past weekend.

Newcomers City Juice can be found in Brick lane on the weekends – Saturdays in the Food Hall and Sundays in the Market.

Talking of drinks and entertainment, Cordial Mixologist’s stand also caught our attention, with the marketing box evidently ticked.

While we didn’t have the opportunity of trying her concoctions, owner Anika has created a brand that specialises in alcohol-free drinks and mocktails.

For dessert, we enjoyed Dessert Republic’s crepe with Nutella and chocolate sauce.

Honestly this was totally satisfying and scrumptious. Sadly, for Londoners at least, they’re based in Manchester.

Chocolate! Is there ever a thing as too much chocolate? Not after meeting Wajeeha, owner of Chocolateeha. Her chocolates are low in sugar yet full of flavour. And our recommendation would be the Original 40% Cacao Milk Chocolate, the Goji Berries and the Hazelnut and Cardamom flavour. Thanks Chocolateeha for making our chocolate dreams come true.

More food followed at Gaucho BBQ where we tried the mixed lamb and beef served with chimichurri. Arriving in a neat little brown box on top of a wrap, this was tasty, with the crispy char giving way to moist meat. However some pieces were quite tough to chew through. The chimichurri, an essential condiment to meat in Argentina, was made with fresh ingredients and tasted great.

Bedouin’s Cafe by Shahwaani also caught our attention.  The eye catching display of Medjool dates was tempting indeed, perfect for any celebration.

As for celebrations, we Muslims do like a good party, so we found Halal wine suitable for any occasion at Azanti UK whose Perle De Chavin Zero range was our personal favourite.

Our craving for chicken was satisfied at Mosafer in the form of Satays, and rather tasty ones too. What we really enjoyed though was the Malaysian tea. Not only was this really creamy and flavourful, but super refreshing (although that was found at their stall in the main area of the hall rather than the Food Court).

Mr Twister was present, too. We know these are popular at such events, but personally we don’t see the craze.

The Jamaican patties from Port Royal however were rather satisfying. The flavours really came through and the beef mince itself had a nice creamy and non-sloppy texture to it.

Although various Moroccan and Lebanese snacks were purchased at Dar Marrackech, there wasn’t anything there that we would necessarily recommend.

Events like these are not always about the freshly cooked food and drinks, but also an opportunity for Muslim entrepreneurs to launch and promote their brand and products. And Shana was once such business, which made its appearance.

We also stumbled across the Latin Honey Shop too, where we found raw organic, single origin honey from the most exotic parts of Latin America. It was the Raw Pacific Avocado Honey from Mexico though that surely piqued our interest.

Yup, the London Muslim Lifestyle generally ticked the boxes for a good food-oriented day out.

If you didn’t make it this time, however, and have been convinced by our review to visit it next year, here’s a few points of advice. While the food was good all round, be prepared to exercise patience, since you will encounter long queues pretty much everywhere regardless of the quality. Finally, don’t follow the crowd; instead, plan your visit beforehand including which food and drink stalls to visit.