Arancini Brothers success proves that to compete with chains, all you need is balls

Arancini: ‘light little golf-balls of goodness’

It takes some cojones to make it as an independent food trader these days. You have to put in early mornings and super late nights, competing with rivals all trying to make a name for themselves and wrest mindshare from the tentacles of national chains like EAT.

Dalston’s newest arrival, Arancini Brothers, has done just that. The business is run by antipodean duo Dave ‘Big D’ Arkin and Dave ‘Little D’ Earl, who met working in Sydney and wound up starting a business together in London.

It started out as a stall in Brick Lane. Four-and-a-half years later they have three restaurants to their name and are now rolling around 20,000 risotto balls per week.

“I came here nine years ago and realised how good the food was,” says Big D. “I’m kidding, it was the opposite. Not the high end, that’s always been great, but the middle range where we are was not very good. Today it’s amazing, and I think street food has a lot to do with that.”

If you haven’t tried them, do so immediately. At their most basic level arancini, which were first dreamed up in Sicily, are made by cooking up risotto rice with onions and herbs into balls, mixing in cheese or meat or veg and then rolling them into sticky little spheres. Then they are rolled in flour and deep fried.

But they are so much better than that. I tried their tomato, fresh basil and mozzarella model – light little golf-balls of goodness that are gently crispy on the outside and bursting with flavour inside.

At Arancini Brothers these make up the base of the meals, which range from salads to stews to lunch wraps – or you can just pick up a handful to eat on the move. They’re also just about to launch a junk food menu that sounds like it will come as a benediction for the tribes of hungover or post-pub Dalstonites.

Apart from their Kentish Town and Dalston outlets, the pair also have a spot in the back of Liverpool Street Station where they’ve built up a rapport with the swarms of commuters and local office workers slipping out for sustenance at lunchtime.

“We get to compete with all the big boys,” says Little D. “It’s fun. They’re formidable – you could have like the most authentic, delicious meal in the world and cook it for people and they’ll still queue up for the chains. I’m happy people are coming around, but their resilience is surprising.”

For just £6 you can pick up a box packed with freshly made ragout, salad, warm little arancini and veg. It’s filling but mega light, tasty as hell and well worth a visit.

Arancini Brothers, 592 Kingsland Road, E8 4AH