Lunch with John

I met up with my son John on Monday for a spot of lunch in downtown Tooting. John is quite the foodie and a talented cook. He also works in a food lover’s paradise – Borough Market near London Bridge – where he and his brother run Whirld, a unique fudge shop. I took John on a quick tour of the two Tooting markets – one, somewhat predictably, called Tooting Market, and the other, Broadway Market. These two market arcades sit side by side in Tooting Broadway, and despite having visited both of them countless times, I still find it easy to mix them up.

Even though John was born and bred in Tooting, he hadn’t been to the markets for several years. Unfortunately, Monday isn’t the best day for a tour, as most of the food stalls were closed. I showed him around the shuttered shops, but sadly, he couldn’t fully appreciate the real atmosphere. Still, he was amazed at how much the area had changed.

We eventually made our way past Sainsbury’s to the Chicken Shop and Dirty Burger. I’d been there before, but it was a new experience for John. We walked in past the large fire pit where the chickens are grilled, heading into the dining area at the back. The walls are lined with reclaimed wooden panels, still showing patches of their original paint. We decided to share half a chicken with fries, coleslaw, and battered onion chunks.

While it might not be the most extraordinary dining experience, the combination of the laid-back atmosphere and good, simple food made it thoroughly enjoyable. All in all, it was a very pleasant few hours catching up on family news and having a good chat.