AD – This meal was complimentary in exchange for a review.
If you’re a regular around these parts, it’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of Outside-In Food Court. I love everything about them, from their eco-friendly business ethos to their support of independent street food vendors and local musicians. It’s all brilliant and has become a hugely popular venue since they opened their doors in April 2019.
Nearly a year on, Outside-In has gone from strength to strength and has welcomed a host of street food vendors – some of which have moved on, some of which have been there since the beginning & some which are new faces. All of them serve up incredible food.
You might also like to read my post from when Outside-In Food Court opened last year! Click here to read.
Last weekend I headed to Outside-In with a group of local bloggers for a street food feast – and what a feast it was! Outside-In is located in central Portsmouth, nestled amongst university buildings and just off the main road. If you’re heading there by car, there is a car park opposite and plenty of on-street parking – or it’s a short walk from the train station.
As you enter Outside-In Food Court you’re met with an inviting, vibrant atmosphere and unusual decor. Umbrellas hanging from the ceiling, bunting and fairy lights strung around the room and huge stickers from local creative collective Pompey Banana Club on the walls.
It’s a very casual venue, so dining is done on long communal tables – family style. Outside-In operates a completely cashless, environment & dog-friendly premises so if you visit, leave your cash at home and bring a group of friends – canine or otherwise!
All of the vendors serve their food & drinks on recyclable plates or paper and all cutlery is wooden – at Outside-In they put a lot of effort into being as eco-friendly as possible.
The current line-up of vendors at Outside-In is a good’un. With six vendors bringing cuisines from all over the globe, you’re guaranteed a varied feast with specialities from the Caribbean, Venezuela, India/Pakistan, Italy, China & America.
Sample food from:
- Breeno’s Kitchen
- The Panormus Pizzeria
- Dumpling Dumpling
- Arepa2Go
- One Tonne Burger Co
- Natty’s Jerk
A real fusion of flavours awaits.
At Outside-In, you are totally spoiled for choice. How do you decide who to order your food from? Luckily for me, on our visit a street food feast with favourite dishes from each vendor was presented to us.
Total foodie heaven.
Dumpling Dumpling
First up was the impressive sharing platter from Dumpling Dumpling. I’m already a HUGE fan of Dumpling Dumpling (you might have read my post about their Dumpling Workshops) and after sampling the majority of their menu, I was excited to try it all in one go on their sharing platter. The platter showcases all of the best bits from Dumpling Dumpling, with their funky asian fries, noodle stir fry, prawn crackers, edamame and a selection of dumplings. The dumplings on your platter will vary depending on what flavours they have on offer at the time – but the flavours we sampled were beef bourguignon, chinese pork, hoisin not duck (ve), garlic mushroom (ve) & pesto mac n’cheese (ve). As you can see, there is plenty of choice – and plenty of vegan friendly options!
You might also like this post, Dumpling Making with Dumpling Dumpling at Outside-In Food Court, Portsmouth
The team behind Dumpling Dumpling is Nat & Dan and their love of dumplings began when they were living in China in 2008. They learned how to make dumplings with students & friends in the local mountains and when they returned to the UK, they missed making dumplings – so they started making their own! They experimented with fillings and began bringing dumpling joy to friends & family on the Isle of Wight back in 2016 – cooking from their garage and serving their guests on picnic blankets. After a huge amount of positive feedback about their dumplings, Nat & Dan decided to run with it and set up Dumpling Dumpling! And thus, the flavourbomb was created.
Arepa2Go
Next up was some traditional Venezuelan street food from Arepa2Go, another vendor that I’ve sampled before and already love. They brought over their avila arepa and some tostones, both of which were bursting with the freshest ingredients. I’ve tried arepas a few times now and I love them – simple corn pockets stuffed with a variety of fillings. My favourite is the sifrina arepa, filled with chicken, avocado & cheese. I hadn’t tried the tostones before, and I was intrigued when we were told that the crunchy base is actually made from fried plantain. How unusual! The tostones were topped with black beans, cheese and salsa – crunchy, fresh and delicious. The plaintain as the base worked really well – it wasn’t sweet and held its structure much better than a tortilla equivalent.
Arepa2Go started serving their traditional Venezuelan street food back in 2015, bringing authentic flavours and channelling memories from their childhoods into their homemade food. Their main dish is their arepas – gluten free corn pockets, freshly cooked to order and stuffed with a range of ingredients. They’ve got something to offer all diets, so everyone is welcome!
Natty’s Jerk
The newest addition to Outside-In Food Court is Natty’s Jerk – a caribbean-influenced family run kitchen serving up jerk chicken, curry goat, sweet treats and so much more. I was already a huge fan of Natty’s after trying their jerk chicken when they opened back in January, so I was excited to sample a few more of their most popular dishes.
I’ve already mentioned the jerk chicken wings – and they really are a standout dish from Natty’s. Marinated in jerk spices and then cooked on a barbeque, these chicken wings are probably the best I’ve ever had. If you’re veggie or vegan, Natty’s also have some jerk cauliflower wings on the menu – which are delicious. Fried until crispy and with a drizzle of sauce, I really enjoyed these. A fantastic veg option!
Another excellent dish from Natty’s is their curried goat fries. These are incredible. I’ve never actually tried goat before, although I have seen it on the menu in a few places – so I was curious to see what these were like. The answer? Delicious. The goat was spiced with Caribbean flavours and the curry was loaded onto crispy fries. A really, really good combination of flavours and something I’d recommend to anyone trying Natty’s for the first time.
Also on the menu at Natty’s is a treat that can be enjoyed sweet or savoury – little fried doughy bites called CC’s Festivals (named after Natty’s daughter, CC). These were spiced with warm flavours like cinnamon and nutmeg, and on this occasion were served sweet with a drizzle of syrup – but Nat was telling us how, traditionally, these were eaten alongside jerk chicken as a part of the main meal. I’d say they were sort-of similar to churros – but with more spices and a firmer texture. I loved them, and it was so interesting learning more about their origin.
Natty’s Jerk Kitchen was born in mid 2019 after owner Nat X felt the need to bring some exotic Caribbean street food to the streets of Portsmouth. Using traditional Caribbean recipes that have been handed down their family through generations, Natty’s are serving up some really standout dishes – with Jamaican Jerk Chicken as their signature. They use Pimento wood sourced directly from Jamaica when they smoke their jerk chicken, ensuring that their flavours adhere to their authentic family recipe – with Nat’s contemporary twist. Their food is comfort food that you just can’t help but smile while you’re eating it, and they are destined to be hugely successful.
Breeno’s Kitchen
Next we’ll take our tastebuds on a tour of Indo/Pak fusion flavours from Breeno’s Kitchen. I was really excited to try some of the food from Breeno’s as this was one of the vendors I hadn’t tried before. The owner, Ambreen, explained that her food channels the authentic flavours of the street food from India and Pakistan – with a menu that changes monthly to keep things fresh.
The masala fries were incredible- some of the most unusual fries I’ve ever had, and I loved them. With subtle spices, chillies, pomegranate seeds, minty drizzle and a dash of cooling sauce, these were a taste sensation that I can’t wait to have again.
We also sampled the veggie street food platter from Breeno’s Kitchen – onion bhajis, samosas, a puri and chickpea curry. I really enjoyed the onion bhajis – they were unlike any I’ve had before, and so much tastier. They were more like spiral shapes than the bhajis I’m used to, and coated with the lightest batter. This platter is suitable for vegans as well and is a great way for you to sample a lot of the food Breeno’s has to offer.
Ambreen set up Breeno’s Kitchen in 2018 with an aim to bring the flavours of India & Pakistan to Hampshire. She describes her dishes as ‘food without borders’ with unique flavours that transport you to the streets of Indo-Pak. Her clever flavour combinations create an Indo-Pak dining experience that is unlike any I’ve had before. Ambreen’s menu showcases the post popular street foods from India & Pakistan, with classics like onion bhajis, samosas, masala dosa and so many others.
The Panormus Pizzeria
For those who crave a slice, there’s something for you too from The Panormus Pizzeria. The pizza I sampled was half vegetariana, topped with mushrooms, onions & black olives, and half parma, topped with parma ham, parmesan, rocket & a drizzle of olive oil. This pizza was really, really tasty – up there with some of the best I’ve had outside of Italy. Their garlic bread was also excellent, and perfect for sharing (if you’re so inclined).
Serving up thin stone baked pizzas since early 2019, the owners of The Panormus Pizzeria, Vincenzo & Paride, are extremely proud of their pizzas which use the finest Italian ingredients – even the dough is authentic! Vincenzo and Paride are from Palermo and Naples respectively, and they have brought traditional Italian flavours & a passion for great food to Outside-In Food Court. They have both lived in Portsmouth for years, and made the decision to start serving pizza at local markets & festivals last year. Now, with a permanent stand at Outside-In, they are making their customers happy with their real Italian recipes.
One Tonne Burger Co.
Last – and by no means least – we have One Tonne Burger Co. Originally started in London but now with a permanent spot at Outside-In Food Court, One Tonne Burger Co serve up seriously meaty burgers that are guaranteed to please.
This is ‘The One’.
Double patty, double bacon, double cheese, double onion jam. So delicious. This is one of One Tonne Burger Co’s most popular burgers, and I could definitely see why – it was one of the best burgers I’ve tried in a while. I’ll be heading back for another very soon!
The owners of One Tonne Burger Co, James & Amy, started serving their burgers just over a year ago on the streets of London – and they were a huge success. Being local to Portsmouth, they brought their burgers back home and took up a space at Outside-In. In just over a year they have become hugely popular, amassing an impressive social media following and making it to the finals of the national burger awards in 2019. They continue to serve their premium burgers to the people of Portsmouth & beyond, and their popularity doesn’t seem to be waning – which is brilliant to see.
By the end of this post you may well be hungry – and if you are, head to Outside-In Food Court in Portsmouth for a street food feast!
They’re open from 8/10am – 8/10pm on Thursdays to Sundays, and open from 8am – 3pm on Mondays-Wednesdays for lunches from specific vendors – keep an eye on their Instagram and Facebook pages for more information. Check out the menus from each vendor here – they change regularly to keep things interesting!
Thank you to all of the vendors and Outside-In Food Court for having us and putting on such an excellent spread – it was incredible. Thank you to Alice of Southampton Bloggers for the invite & for organising – it was a great event!
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