It’s not every day you find some of Surrey’s finest street food tucked away in an old aircraft hangar in a field. New Orleans-inspired Poor Boys set up shop for a residency under the corrugated metal arch of The Barn KT9 for the Winter Festival running through Thursday-Saturday evenings in November and December.
Fried shrimp, chicken and cauliflower are just some of the staples of Kingston-based Poor Boys, so what better way to get to know their menu than to go for all three. Super helpfully, they were able to be done in a gluten free batter and frier which meant my wife and I could share and both enjoy them as they were such generous portions! Crispy and full of flavour, all three were excellent but the chicken really shone. We topped it with their Louisiana hot sauce which gave a good kick of spice, but I also really enjoyed their bourbon BBQ sauce which we had on the fried shrimp and worked well with their cajun fries.
The Barn KT9 is a fantastic space created by Emily & Charlie Woodall. It’s not easy to find a venue to host street food residencies like this which is so much more common in cities, but it’s something I’m super glad to have on our doorstep in this part of Surrey!
It’s a beautiful walk through Epsom and Ashtead Commons to get there, and it’s so worth the journey for the atmosphere and brilliant food. Despite only being a couple of degrees outside when we went, the heaters, fire pits and fried food kept us warm inside. The rows of benches and tables were busy with chatting groups huddling together and working their way through the range of cocktails at the bar.
The winter festival residency was a great way to get to know Poor Boys and, based on how many sold out nights I’d seen, it seems like they were a big hit with other local residents too. I can’t wait to see who’s next to get cooking in the hangar in 2022.
