SEVEN DIALS MARKET UNVEILS THE NEW LOOK CUCUMBER ALLEY FOOD HUB

Shaftesbury has today announced that KERB’s Seven Dials Market is launching a revitalised Cucumber Alley on April 8, adding to the diverse food offering located in the heart of London’s West End.

Cucumber Alley is located adjacent to the main Seven Dials Market with entrances at either end leading on to Shorts Gardens and Earlham Street, within Seven Dials. This space will be transformed into a grab and go hub, hosting seven different operators offering snacks and specialising in sweet treats.

The new entrants to Cucumber Alley represent some of the best and brightest food talent from the KERB pool; the friend of instagrammers everywhere Soft Serve Society, Boolay Crepes from the wonderful Yolkin, Deeknek the home of dreamy waffles, Wheelcake Island who are returning to Cucumber Alley and is well-known at its current home in Spitalfields, Ong Ong’s - a Chinatown favourite, Oshpaz for Uzbek dumplings and to round off the offering is the new express offering from Curry On NaanStop - Naanstop Express.

The revitalised space provides independent brands with a unique opportunity, sitting alongside other exciting brands within Seven Dials Market and the Seven Dials community, to test new concepts whilst continue trading in an alternative central London location and pivoting their offer to a new audience.

Simon Mitchell, Managing Director of KERB and curator of Seven Dials Market, said: “Seven Dials Market has always been a very special place, and hot pot of new and talented brands coming together – all under one roof. The launch of Cucumber Alley is an extension of this offer and is reflective of what we at KERB always want to achieve,  and that is to support new operators coming to the market and providing a very special opportunity to grow before expanding into other locations. This launch also comes as London is re-opening and provides the space for people to pop in and experience Seven Dials Market as a whole.”

Julia Wilkinson, Restaurant Director, at Shaftesbury, added: “When Seven Dials Market first joined the community, KERB set a precedent to inspire and push food boundaries whilst complementing the surrounding dining offer for all our customers, whether they are shoppers, tourists, live or work in the area. The evolution of Cucumber Alley is an exciting next phase for        Seven Dials Market and collaboratively, the unique line-up of operators will add to this best-in-class street food destination in the heart of London’s West End.”

The Cucumber Alley opening at Seven Dials Market follows news that the authentic American restaurant Slim Chickens and French gourmet burger brand, La Patate are both set to launch in Seven Dials later this month.

Hanover Green, Nash Bond and Cushman & Wakefield represent Seven Dials.

kerbfood.com |@sevendialsmkt | 35 Earlham St, Seven Dials, London WC2H 9LD

Ends

For further information, please contact Amy Cassidy, Felicity Gale or Elizabeth Ellis at Aver PR:

[email protected]

Notes to Editors

Cucumber Alley Operators:

Soft Serve Society: This legendary brand brought its famous soft serve to Box Park Shoreditch in 2016 after a trip around Asia that exposed London’s severe lack of ice cream options. Their soft serve sundaes, cones, cups, liege waffles, milkshakes and bubble teas are known for their incredible aesthetic and exciting flavours, Cucumber Alley will be their first central London location.

 

Boolay Crepes: Sammie Le, founder of Yolkin Macaron Ice Cream Sandwiches, has conjured up a new dessert offering in the form of crème brûlée crêpe cones. Say hello to Boolay Crêpes! (You can thank her 5-year-old daughter for the cute name as that’s how she pronounces, ‘Brûlée’!) Crêpes are freshly made to order then piped to the brim with flavoured creme patisserie before the sprinkling of sugar on top is torched for that signature caramelised sugar top famously found on crème brûlées. Boolay Crèpes will be offering original vanilla bean flavour as well as a monthly special, think matcha flavoured or coconut, along with sauces and options of fresh strawberries and crunchy feuilletine flakes.

Deeknek: Deeknek opened their first site on Brick Lane in 2020 and they have worked from then on towards their ultimate goal; changing the perception of waffles as a low-cost, low-quality product. Deeknek is  bringing their fresh take on the waffle to London, made only with fresh produce, sourced from local farms.  As well as their classic waffles with a variety of delicious toppings, Deeknek want to introduce Cucumber Alley go-ers to the Liege waffle, the stroopwafel or even the fluffy Brussels waffle in the coming months.

Wheelcake Island: Wheelcake Island is one of the first brands to bring the wheelcake to a wider UK audience - the moist, cream stuffed fluffy pancakes are incredibly popular in Taiwan and deserve a London stage like Cucumber Alley. The brand name comes from the mythical ‘Wheelcake Island’, a land where the fat frog once travelled to discover the secrets of the perfect wheelcake. It is also a reference to the founders’ home of Taiwan - also an island.

Ong Ong’s: Serving as a gateway into the world of fine Asian baked goods, the new outpost of Ong Ong’s in Cucumber Alley, brainchild of co-founding couple Aaron and Icy Mo, aims to make a stir with its delicious treats. The duo prides themselves on providing fresh, quality, ready-to-eat convenience food — from pork buns to pandan and coconut cake. The menu ranges from Hong Kong buns - beige on the outside hiding the goodness on the inside, to Malaysian patisserie which are loud and proudly colourful.

Oshpaz Dumplings: Oshpaz was dreamt up by Muzaffar Sadykov, who noticed a distinct lack of the Central Asian Cuisine that he had loved from a very young age; he aspires to bring a slice of his childhood to Londoners. Muzaffar first met KERB in 2018 at their past market in Peckham, where he where he hustled the market manager into a pitch the following week with he's charming charisma and amazingly authentic Uzbeki food. Since graduating KERB's InKERBator scheme he has gone from strength to strength based off the success of the incredible manty dumplings hand made by Muzaffar and his team.

Naanstop Express (from Curry On NaanStop): Curry On Naanstop started as a food truck company in 2018, their goal was to introduce authentic Mumbai Street food flavours to a British audience. The look of their festive, happy van represents their love of the street food culture back in Mumbai. The last 4 years have seen exceptional growth and success for the small brand and being a recent addition to Seven Dials Market has given them a platform to showcase their flavours to a wider audience.

Cucumber Alley, Seven Dials Market opens to the public on 8th April and will be open every day between       12-10PM Monday to Friday, 11-10PM Saturday and 11-9PM Sunday.

About KERB

Founded in 2012 by Petra Barran as a membership organisation and born from a community of ambitious and talented street food traders, KERB is a business that powers other businesses. KERB started with one lunch market and a vision to make it normal to enjoy good food on the streets of London.

Today the business has grown to focus on 4 areas: membership, business incubator, food hall operator and event caterer. Its mission is to create opportunity and joy through great food, from the kerb up. KERB opened Seven Dials Market in 2019, formed KERB Events Ltd with Levy UK in 2021 and in 2022 will celebrate its 10th birthday. KERB Counter is the newest project from the brand and will focus around providing a space for emerging food talent to experience a full restaurant service and give them a chance to expand their loyal following.

About Shaftesbury 
Shaftesbury owns and manages a 16-acre property portfolio in the liveliest parts of London's West End.  The portfolio comprises of restaurants, cafés, pubs and shops, extending to apartments and offices in the highly popular, sought-after and prosperous locations of Carnaby, Seven Dials and Chinatown, together with substantial ownerships in East and West Covent Garden, Soho and Fitzrovia.   

All our properties are close to the main West End Underground stations, and within ten minutes’ walk of the two West End transport hubs for the Elizabeth Line, at Tottenham Court Road and Bond Street.  

www.shaftesbury.co.uk
@shaftesburyplc

About Seven Dials  

Seven Dials is home to 95 shops, including international flagships and concept stores, renowned beauty and grooming salons as well as over 50 vibrant cafes, restaurants, bars and pubs. The area comprises of Monmouth Street, Earlham Street, Neal Street, Short’s Gardens, Neal’s Yard, Endell Street, Shelton Street, Mercer Street and the Seven Dials monument. Combined with two luxury hotels, five theatres, two private members clubs, a large number of apartments and offices, Seven Dials is a unique retail and leisure destination in the heart of London. 
www.sevendials.co.uk   

@7DialsLondon