A TAUNTON fried chicken restaurant has won the coveted Street Food Dish of the Year title at a national competition held in London.
Eat the Bird owner Dan Aldridge claimed the top prize yesterday (November 7) at the Street Food Championships after seeing off competition from 14 other chefs – with dishes ranging from goat tacos to smashed burgers – at a live cook-off at Big Penny Social.
His Korean-inspired ‘Chicktator’ burger, which combines fried chicken with a sweet and sticky gochujang glaze, homemade kimchi and ssamjang mayo, was enough for the restaurant to claim its place at the top of the perch.
Before launching Eat the Bird in Taunton in 2017, Dan honed his craft in a street food trailer that he towed to local villages, festivals and competitions.
He said: “To be recognised as having the best street food dish is phenomenal.
“It’s such a great and diverse sector of our industry with some real talent; somewhere that we’re very proud to have our roots in and we’ll always celebrate being born out from.”
Eat the Bird now operates restaurants in Exeter (Sidwell Street) and Cardiff (St Mary Street) and has previously tasted success at the Wing Fest national competitions.
The Street Food Championships are organised by Dine Out and Ooh magazines to celebrate everything there is to enjoy about the UK's popular street food scene.
The competition is open to all current and former street food operators.
Eat the Bird's Taunton restaurant is located on the banks of the River Tone at Coal Orchard, next to Somerset County Cricket Club and the Brewhouse Theatre.
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