Top value! (My 10 Favourite Restaurants)

Name: caro

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Product:	My 10 Favourite Restaurants
Date:	04/01/02 (1482 review reads)
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Advantages: Good food, good prices

Disadvantages: -

London has a reputation for being expensive, and to be fair, some restaurants do their best to live up to it. My selection here are not necessarily the ones I’d choose for a special dinner or to impress others, but do offer excellent value for money. They also show a geographical bias: having lived and worked in North London for the last eight or so years, I’ve tended to eat there too! However, there are some very good central ones as well for those of you who live elsewhere or visit from out of town. You might also guess from my choices that I’m vegetarian…

So here they are, in no particular order:

1. The Stockpot (Panton Street, W1)– its location between Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus suggests high prices, but in fact this restaurant is one of the best bargains in London. The food is pretty much traditional English, with a few European additions, and there are always vegetarian choices. Most main courses except pasta and omelettes come with chips and vegetables; the desserts are great, old-fashioned ones like treacle sponge pudding and even jelly! With main courses from £3, you won’t be surprised to hear that the surroundings are more café than restaurant and service is efficient rather than friendly. However, for a licensed eating place in the heart of tourist London, it’s a treasure.

2. The Woodlands (Panton Street)– just across the road from the Stockpot, this Indian vegetarian restaurant is also reasonably priced, albeit somewhat dearer than its near neighbour. However, what really earns it a place here is the set menu – under £9 with a glass of wine or beer for a lovely assortment of dishes including pakora to start and a dhosa (pancake) among the main course dishes. Although it’s dearer than its near neighbour, the quality is excellent and the ambience is more relaxed and sophisticated. If you’re feeling flush, the a la carte menu has some lovel
y and unusual choices – I’d recommend the cashew nut starter.

3. Ravi Shankar – in Drummond Street, just a few steps from Euston Station. Everyone has their own favourite on this street which has an amazing concentration of Indian vegetarian restaurants, and this one’s mine. A good selection of dishes, set menus, and a daily special. The drinks include a really special one made with rose syrup that’s just like a rose-flavoured milkshake. Again, great value for money.

4. Oriental City shopping centre, Colindale – the food hall has a wonderful selection of eastern food (Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Thai, Singaporean etc). Most places offer a set meal for about a fiver, and the majority have vegetarian options. All the meals I’ve had have been excellent. Noisy, informal self-service surroundings, with a bingo-style system of calling out numbers when meals are ready. Not posh, but cheap and delicious.

5. The Vine Leaf – further out of town, in Blackstock Road near Finsbury Park station. An eclectic menu with huge portions, everything is fresh and delicious. Pasta dishes, enormous salads and falafel are all highly recommended. There are daily specials, service is excellent, and the atmosphere is fun and friendly.

6. Food for Thought, Neal Street – this Covent Garden vegetarian restaurant is a real institution. Vegetarian meals at bargain prices, the basement café has a rather seventies wholefood ambience but the food is delicious and not too ‘wholemeal’. I’m not a salad fan really, but do enjoy the selection here. However, it gets very busy so you’ll be lucky to get a table at peak times (you can always try the takeaway instead).

7. Wagamama (various locations)– less good than they used to be, unfortunately. Food is very fresh, Japanese-inspired with an emphasis on noodles though other dishes are available. It’s go
od, but an increasing proportion of rice or noodles to other ingredients can make for a rather heavy, same-y meal. However, for food this fresh and filling at about a fiver, with free tea, it’s still just about worth its place here.

8. Chinese vegetarian buffet – these restaurants have opened all over London recently, all with slightly different names but each offering eat-all-you-can buffets for about a fiver. The food is not all typical Chinese: it’s less spicy than you might expect, although hot chilli sauce is available. There’s a mixture of dishes like vegetable curry, fried rice, noodles, stir-fried vegetables, plus an assortment containing meat substitutes. The cold dishes include spring rolls, onion rings, fried seaweed and mock crispy duck. Definitely worth a try for a good value, filling meal: try them at Holloway Road, Golders Green, and Uxbridge Road among others.

9. Café Diana, Holloway Road: a mixture of greasy spoon and Turkish food. The vegetarian breakfast (served all day) is astonishingly good value – with bread and butter plus a choice of tea or coffee, all for about £3.50. At that price, fried mushrooms that don’t come out of a tin and a veggie sausage made of vegetables rather than soya are a real treat. The Turkish main courses and omelettes are also particularly recommended. Again, the surroundings aren’t glamorous (although they are clean and pleasant), but food is fresh and service is good making this place an incredible bargain.

10. Paris-London Café, Junction Road, Archway. Since winning Time Out awards, this restaurant gets awfully busy. However, it’s worth booking at peak times for outstanding French food at bargain prices. The menu is not overly fancy (although far from plain), going instead for good quality favourites beautifully prepared. A good vegetarian selection, and delicious breakfasts at the weekend, plus an assortment of sandwiches on
weekday lunchtimes mean this restaurant has something for everyone at very affordable prices. Oh, and I was once on the next table to the guy who plays Phil Mitchell in Eastenders!

Happy eating!

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