Snacks for Thought with Freddie Janssen

I moved to London about 14 years ago from The Netherlands where my favourite food was anything that came out of a ‘snack bar’, also called a “frituur” in the South of the Netherlands — a sort of hole-in-the-wall place where they deep fry everything: fries, frikandellen, croquettes, cheese, rice — all covered in a huge variety of condiments, served alongside neon yellow pickled onions. 

My ‘palate’ has somehow developed after travels to Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Sydney, L.A., Mexico and obviously the rest of Europe — and I think that combined with my upbringing this has evolved into what we now serve at Snackbar. A very eclectic mix of tasty things, lots of it fried, and always with lots of pickles. 

Growing up eating deep-fried sausages and fries, you need something to cut through the fat — Amsterdam onions and a good old gherkins have got to be my faves, and I think you can't go wrong with a pickle in most things.  

It's based off of a classic Netherlands sort of fast-food option, a Dutch equivalent to the English fish + chip or kebab shop. It's the kind of kick-in-the-face food you want when you’ve had a few drinks.