The face of the central Jersey market has been changing dramatically over the last few months, with many new faces appearing. Perhaps the most notable is the arrival of the Market Kitchen. Their prominent home on the left hand corner of the entrance on Halkett Street makes them easy to find and their distinctive branding makes them catch the eye. But this isn’t all about how they look, it’s about the excellent range of contemporary cuisine that they’re offering those looking for breakfast and lunchtime feasts.
Jerseyman Des is the well travelled owner who brought the business, which was formerly trading as TJ’s sandwich bar, back in September 2015. He ran it as it was up until the early part of this year, when he closed the doors and began the journey to transform this tired spot into the hotspot it has now become. Des spent two months working tirelessly to completely gut the old fixtures and fittings, which is when well known local chef, Danny Moisan, approached him to talk about Market Kitchen’s future.
Danny, having recently sold his restaurant in St Aubins was looking for a new direction for his culinary talents and as luck would have it, Des was looking for a chef! For those familiar with Danny’s distinctive style of cookery they won’t be disappointed as he’s brought it to the market, taking the breakfast and lunch dining experience to a whole new level. The final member of the tight knit team of three is MK manageress Carla, who may be a familiar face to old customers as Des thankfully inherited her as part of the business, an asset he was delighted to have. They now work together to bring a whole range of delectable delights to their ever growing customer base from 7.30am until 4pm, six days a week, apart from Thursdays when the whole central market traditionally closes at 2pm.
So as a newcomer to the Market Kitchen what can you expect to find? In a nutshell, excellent fresh, tasty food, much of which is cooked to order in their open kitchen. Breakfast covers all bases. Whether you’re looking for homemade granola, with fruit, yoghurt and a drizzle of honey. Or if you’d rather start your day with a more traditional savoury option then their bacon rolls are superb, you’ll get no less than three rashers of bacon, or why not try their Cumberland sausages, there are no cheap substitutes here. They’re all served in your choice of Portuguese rolls, baguettes or soft white baps. There is also a fine selection of teas and coffees on the menu, supplied by Coopers & Co.
For lunch, whilst they have some regular favourites they also have a daily changing specials board. Taking full advantage of their proximity to local produce and suppliers they have an ever changing daily special, inspired by what there is an abundance of in the market they are part of. Keep an eye on their Facebook page marketkitchenjersey to stay one step ahead of what the day’s menu holds, because once the special is gone, it’s gone!
Their superfood salad bar is overflowing with ever changing dishes, which include both vegetarian and gluten free options, influenced by Danny recently becoming gluten free himself. All salads can topped with a protein option of your choice and are flavoursome and filling. Perhaps you’d like a wrap, here you’ll be offered a choice of fillings, but perhaps we can be bold enough to recommend the duck and hoisin. The meat is confit every day and is joined in the wrap with noodles and fresh julienned vegetables, lightly toasted and absolutely fantastic. Our tester said they’d be coming back for more and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend others try it.
There is also a daily soup to try, this is usually kept vegetarian and of course sandwiches too, served on your choice of fresh breads. There are also filled jacket potatoes on offer, both regular and sweet, which is an absolute delight as they’re more and more commonly wanted but hard to find. There is also a gourmet burger, made to order from a blend of beef and lamb, topped with fresh salad leaves, crispy bacon and cheese, the smell alone is enough to make you the envy of your dining companion. They also have an incredible beetroot and halloumi burger, inspired by visits to London’s Borough Market, this colourful vegetarian option is topped with leaves and a fresh pepper relish. We’re also told there is a stellar toastie which will be joining the menu soon, it’ll be served on sourdough supplied by local Genuine Jersey baker Daz’s Dough, which will be worth keeping an eye out for.
The face of the market is definitely changing and the Market Kitchen are at the forefront of the evolution. They’ve a great food offering and best of all it’s not only freshly cooked and locally sourced, where possible, it’s also incredibly reasonably priced. Be sure to add them to your dining hit list.
