Portsmouth Is Getting A Bubble And Squeak Restaurant

Street food vendor Bubble& are seeking £100k in crowdfunding to open their first restaurant near Portsmouth, Hampshire.

We’ve had crisp restaurants and cereal cafes, and now it’s bubble and squeak’s turn to have its own restaurant. Marita Lietz and Rupert Smith have established themselves on the south coast’s food scene with their food truck business, Bubble&, and are now looking to park up and open a proper brick-and-mortar restaurant.
‘We’ve sold over 60,000 of our bubble and squeaks to date’ said Marita. ‘We’ve also won Two Great Taste Awards and inspired two-Michelin starred Chef Mark Froydenlund on The Great British Menu to do his own take on bubble and squeak,’ she told Culture Trip.

‘Our menu will be entirely gluten-free and, based on the company’s current following, also be attractive to vegan and vegetarian preferences. The restaurant will target professionals, locals, families and general “foodies”. As part of our quintessentially British concept, we will offer a wide selection of bottled British real ales too.’ They currently make 11 different versions of the dish, from a classic leek, cabbage and potato, to a butternut squash and halloumi concoction.
Based in Southsea, Portsmouth, they’ve plans to start there and expand to the South East and London within five to 10 years. ‘There is an eclectic mix of independent restaurants in the Southsea area, most of which represent international cuisines. We are confident that we will fill the gap in market for high quality, locally-sourced British cuisine,’ says Rupert.

What is bubble and Squeak?

For non-UK readers, you might be wondering ‘What on earth is bubble and squeak?’. Allow us to explain. Bubble and squeak takes the leftover vegetables (traditionally cabbage) and potatoes (ideally roasted as well as mashed) from a traditional Sunday lunch and squashes them into a flat cake. This is then gently fried in plenty of butter – or even better, beef dripping – until golden brown. It’s part of a family of fried ‘leftover’ dishes along with things like the Spanish frittata. The reason it’s called bubble and squeak is that as it cooks, the trapped air bubbles up and makes a ‘squeaking’ sound.
If you’d like to ‘back the bubble’, check out their crowdfunding page.

About the author

Andrew Webb

Food & Drink Editor

Born in the Midlands and raised in the North West of England, Andrew came to London to attend St Martin's College of Art. After ten years working for the BBC and Channel 4, he set off on an eight month food tour of Britain, which led him to write his award-winning book, Food Britannia. He was previously the Editor of Lovefood.com and also produced and hosted delicious magazine's podcast. Responsible for the Culture Trip's food and drink content, he is interested in hearing about food events, product launches and potential interviews with chefs and food producers. He's also judged the British Pie Awards, reviewed restaurants, and spoken at food festivals, and so knows a good plate of food when he sees it. He can be found tweeting here @foodjournalist