Latest news with #BritishStreetFoodAwards
Scotsman
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
The Fife-based couple winning prizes for their incredible Japanese Korean street food
Scottish Street Food Awards They're the only Scottish specialist in tamagoyaki Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... This year, the annual Scottish Street Food Awards took place at The Pitt, down at its new home in Granton. Its shortlist of nine contestants presented their wares to a team of insatiable judges, who'd all obediently skipped lunch. Among others, they included head chef of Heron, Sam Yorke; The List's food and drink editor, Jo Laidlaw, the founder of the British Street Food Awards, Richard Johnson, and yours truly. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad After feasting on dishes including garlicky pizza, vegan fried chicken and tamales, there were a couple of dishes that shone, and made for one clear winner, who was announced on June 22. It was Fife-based Smoked Tamago, who will go on to the British Street Food Awards in London. In second place was Dumpling Mama, with a joint third going to Oven Pizza and Firebowl, who also took home the People's Choice Award. We asked Vinnci Cheung — half of the couple behind Smoked Tamago — to tell us more about their business. How do you feel about your win? We were honestly so excited and overwhelmed, it felt unreal and there were loads of happy tears popping out for 24 hours after. All the other finalists were incredibly talented and many of them are professional chefs with exceptional cooking skills. Compared to them, we still have a lot to learn. But what we focused on was balance - creating dishes where flavour, aroma, and presentation come together in harmony. We were truly overjoyed when the judges unanimously chose us for the champion — it was an honour that means a lot to us. We also wanted to thank the 2023 Scottish and British Street Foods Awards Champion — Choola. We ran into them a couple of months ago, when we first sent in our application, and they have been our Wikipedia for information ever since. They not only shared their experience, but have been our emotional support as the competition has been quite intense. Tell us more about Smoked Tamago Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Smoked Tamagoyaki started in Hong Kong back in 2016. It all began with a funny and sweet moment — one night, my fiancee, business partner and chef, Rick, suddenly decided to make tamagoyaki, which is my favourite food, to cheer me up. But the first version he made turned out terrible. Instead of giving up, he spent the next three months testing over and over again and probably eating over a hundred pieces of really terrible tamagoyaki, until he came up with this perfect recipe. That's when he knew it was good enough to share with others and he could open the first tamagoyaki specialist shop in Hong Kong. Tell us more about your signature dishes and what's special about them? Our signature dish, tamagoyaki, is a traditional Japanese dish. It's a sweeter, fluffier, tastier kind of egg omelette made by folding a layer of egg into a neat rolled shape. What makes our version special is that we have infused smoke into it, as a fusion way to serve while maintaining its authentic Japanese taste. Not just the visual effect but the aroma makes our tamagoyaki stand out. That's why we're called Smoked Tamago. Another dish we presented to the SSFA judges was our own creation, which involves crossing a Japanese rice burger with a Korean traditional rice bowl dish, bibimbap. The crispy gochujang flavoured rice bun holds layers of bibimbap toppings. Instead of mixing the rice in a bowl, this burger form lets all the flavour combined in a single bite. As our pop up stall is literally on the street, we always focus on how to make sure our customers can eat our street food in a handy way and this new item has been super popular ever since we launched this. Contributed What has feedback been like from customers? We love doing markets because the feedback is instant. Our Korean-style fried chicken is one of our best-selling dishes — we've had customers come back multiple times in a single day just to get more. Whenever we launch a new item, we get super nervous. My partner will literally chase down customers at the other end of the market just to ask what they think. When we first introduced our Bibim-GER — the rice burger — we were desperate for feedback, because we were planning to take it to the Scottish Street Food Awards. Luckily, everyone loved it, and that really gave us confidence. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Why did you move to Scotland from Hong Kong, and why street food? Ever since the British National (Oversea) immigration route was opened, we decided to relocate to Scotland, just like many of our fellow Hong Kongers. It was back in 2021. We have done multiple jobs but we never gave up our dream. Last December, we decided it was time to give it a try. Starting off with street food allows us to continue our dream without breaking the bank. We've fallen in love with what we do. The interaction with people and seeing familiar faces every week is so rewarding. Where can people find you? We do a regular pop up every Tuesday at Leith Walk Police Box, and every Sunday we will be at Errol Sunday Market. We literally travel all around Scotland to join different markets as we are hoping to introduce our food to more people. From The Yard Market in Dundee to Stepps Food Market in Glasgow. For the next two months, we can also be found at Castle Street Market in Edinburgh (July 7-13 and August 6-9). Contributed Do you think you'll eventually open a restaurant? Right now, we're enjoying travelling around the country, serving our food to new audiences. Our main focus at the moment is the British Street Food Awards in London on September 28. There's a lot of preparation involved for the long trip south, and we're still thinking about ways to elevate our dishes even further. For now, we're staying focused to see where this journey takes us. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Are there any new dishes that you're hoping to try in the future? We actually change our menu almost every week. Since we do regular pop-ups, we've got customers who come back every week and they're always excited when they spot something different on the menu. Apart from our signature dish, tamagoyaki, and our best-seller, Korean fried chicken, everything else is a surprise. That's the fun of street food — variety, delicious smells in the air, and the visual impact that catches your eye. Whether you're really hungry and need something filling, or just in the mood to snack, we've always got something . Nobody ever gets bored — not even the ones doing the cooking (us!).
Daily Record
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Scotland's best street food spots crowned as Edinburgh eateries claim top prizes
The popular will compete in the British Street Food Awards in London this September and may reach the European final in Munich in October Two street food favourites are set to represent the country on an even bigger stage after taking top honours at this year's Scottish Street Food Awards 2025. Smoked Tamago, known for its contemporary Japanese-Korean dishes, was crowned Scottish Street Food Award Champion, while Fire Bowl, specialists in fiery East Asian fusion, scooped the People's Choice Award. Both will now head to London in September to compete in the British Street Food Awards, with the chance to reach the European final in Munich this October. Smoked Tamago wowed the judges with its signature seaweed Tamagoyaki, a fluffy Japanese rolled egg, and a Korean-style rice burger. Headlining a line-up of nine finalists, each trader presented their two best dishes to a formidable panel, including Sam Yorke, Head Chef at Michelin-starred Heron; Jo Laidlaw, Food & Drink Editor at The List Edinburgh; musician Callum Easter; Gaby Soutar, restaurant critic at The Scotsman; Navida Galbraith, Head of Ops and Programme at The Pitt; and British Street Food Awards founder Richard Johnson. 'We always hope to find something completely different and new when judging these awards and that's exactly what Smoked Tamago served up,' said Johnson. 'The unique mix of sweet, savoury and smokiness in the Tamagoyaki was incredible, and all of the judges agreed the rice burger was a revelation.' Smoked Tamago has a history of breaking new ground. After introducing Tamagoyaki to the Hong Kong street food scene in 2016, where it quickly became a sensation, the team relocated to Scotland. Since then, they've built a loyal following through pop-ups and events, with regular appearances at Errol Sunday Market and the Leith Walk Police Box. With every made-to-order roll, they're on a mission to spread 'the gospel of the mighty Tamagoyaki'. Meanwhile, Fire Bowl, based at The Pitt, impressed enough eaters to take the People's Choice award. Their chicken skewers were hailed by judges as 'some of the best ever tasted'. The street food stall was born from a trip across East Asia, where founders Andie and Euan ate their way from Seoul to Osaka. Today, Fire Bowl blends those inspirations with Scottish flair, from donburi bowls and yakitori skewers to Highland beef with whisky tare and their signature 'neep' kimchi. Dumpling Mama took second place in the overall Best in Scotland award, with beautifully crafted dumplings that the judges described as 'exquisitely presented and perfectly balanced'. Serving up a mix of Cantonese flavours and creative global twists, including Mexican Cowboy dumplings and even Banana and Nutella, Dumpling Mama prides itself on its handmade approach and vibrant recipes passed down through generations. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. In joint third were Oven Pizza and Fire Bowl. Oven Pizza, based in Fife, earned praise for 'light and delicious' Neapolitan-style pizzas made with luxury ingredients imported from Italy. The family-run business has become known for its cheeky Scottish twists on Italian classics, from fried mozzarella to dirty fries, and promises a culinary tour through Venice, Florence and Naples. Reflecting on the quality of this year's finalists, Navida Galbraith, Head of Ops and Programme at The Pitt, said: 'It was a really tough job judging the nine amazing finalists. "All of them did themselves proud and we've had an incredible time hosting them at The Pitt. Smoked Tamago and Fire Bowl are worthy winners and we wish them the best of luck representing Scotland at the British Street Food Awards in September.'
Scotsman
30-05-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
Award-winning Scottish street food bar and restaurant with ‘best Sunday roast' announces closure
An award-winning restaurant and bar in Edinburgh will close at the end of the month. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Junk in Newington in Edinburgh is set to close for good on Saturday 31 May. The restaurant and bar grew from a small street food business, which was named best street food at the 2022 British Street Food Awards. Junk are Cam and Jade, who started their business as a blog, which developed into a recipe site that then led to their street food venture within a few months in 2022. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Junk restaurant and bar opened in Newington later that year, but despite rave reviews, the premises will close due to the current climate. Junk restaurant and bar in Newington will close this weekend | Junk Posting on their social media the team wrote: 'Dearest Friends, Family and Guests, 'We are truly devastated to announce the closure of Junk, Bar & Restaurant. We will be opening our doors for the final time this Saturday, 31st May. 'For the past three years, we have poured every ounce of our lives into this business — working countless hours each and every day to try to make it a success. Although we have failed, we are immensely proud of what we have achieved, and so grateful to our incredible team, past and present, for their passion, hard work, and belief they have shared with us every step of the way. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'We started with very little — selling some wee bits in a gazebo one summer, before building and launching a restaurant from scratch. We learned to tile, floor, grout, screed, paint, and plaster. Creating a space that housed our wee dream. All of this was done alongside our talented friend and Head Chef, Stu, who's been with us from day one. We're eternally grateful for your dedication Stuggy. 'To all who have supported us over the last few years, our incredible friends and family, as well as you wonderful folks that have come to eat our Junk - Thank You! Your feedback, kind words, and enthusiasm has pushed us forward to deliver what we believed was great food and service. You helped us realise our dream and thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Your love and support has meant the world to us. 'To the restaurants still managing to turn a profit in this climate — we commend you. The odds have been firmly stacked against us all. Through passion and sheer hope, we've kept our doors open as long as we possibly could. The heartbreaking reality is that we're one of many businesses either struggling or being forced to close. Please do what you can, if you can, to support local. Our biggest question is: at what point will the leaders of our government and country take action, implement meaningful change, and start supporting small, independent businesses? 'Our final service will be this coming Saturday, 31st May. We'd love for you to come down in these next few days, raise a dram with us, and send Junk off with a bang.'
