main

Food & DrinkStreet food reviews

It’s always sunny at The Liberty Cheesesteak Company, London – Review

22 October, 2015 — by Matt Owen0

IMG_2397

A real Philly cheesesteak is a thing of great beauty. Or so I heard in one episode of The Fresh Prince, where Will moaned about there being Swiss cheese in his sandwich or something.

I wouldn’t know, I’m from Dorset and I’ve never been to Philly. Although I do like Trading Places a lot and I once ate a cheesesteak in New York too, but New York does all sorts of weird stuff with its food, red clam chowder anyone?. ANYWAY I DIGRESS.

The point is I’m not qualified to judge whether or not The Liberty Cheesesteak Company offer ‘authentic’ cheesesteaks. Only if they offer extremely tasty ones.

I rocked up at Liberty’s self-proclaimed ‘love park’ in Spitalfields market at about 12:30pm on a Tuesday, which meant I happily avoided queuing, but I’d recommend going early if I were you, the van had already served up more than 200 of the cheesy beasts by the time I arrived, but luckily a new steak delivery came in just in time.

IMG_2396

Menu options are simple, and frankly I like that in a pop-up. Half or whole cheesesteak, ‘wit’ or ‘widout’ onions, and fries as a side if you need them (you probably won’t) and that’s it.

Being a softie, I choose a half steak with cheese (well, cheez wiz, more on that in a moment) and onions. Incidentally, service is quick and friendly, which makes a real difference in a hipster food van.

So what’s it like?

IMG_2398

Actually… amazing. A nice firm roll rather than a fall-apart brioche means you won’t end up covered in cheese and juices, while the steak itself is leaner than I expected. Usually you’d expect offcuts in a street sandwich like this, but while it’s certainly peppery, the beef is well selected and thinly-sliced. A winning combo that means you don’t end up chewing on a piece of gristle or having to inhale half the sandwich in one go as you discover it’s not been chopped properly.

This is a big, beefy treat that’s free from pretension. The onions are satisfyingly smoky and then there’s that cheese. It’s nuclear orange, the kind of electric dairy product that occasionally turns up on cinema nachos but… it’s pretty darn good. It has a rich, deep flavour to it. It’s an unusual flavour sure, especially to a Brit who may be more familiar with cheddar than insta-fromage, but it certainly adds to the experience in a positive way. It puts me in mind of Dairylea sandwiches from my childhood, if that Dairylea had mated with some serious French camembert along the way. Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.

A half sandwich is £5, or a whole will set you back £8, for which you get a delicious, warm and beefy meal. A half is about the same size as a burger, but comes without the issue of sauces leaking down your arm, so I urge you to branch out next time you’re down Liverpool Street way and try the ‘taste of freedom’.

Discover the capital’s greatest food on the move in our London street food section, including the MySliceFest Pizza Festival.

Date:
Title:
The Liberty Cheesesteak Company, London
Rating:
41star1star1star1stargray

Leave a Reply