great, cheap london lunches

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just want to find out what other people's favourites are. i had an incredible one yesterday for virtually no money from a place right at the bottom of brick lane, at the corner of whitechapel high street, the name of which escapes me. they do wonderful chicken tikka - moist, light yellow from the turmeric, not bright orange from food colouring, a really nice balance of lemon and coriander - and you can get it kebab-style, wrapped in a soft, pillowy naan with salad. one of these, a vegetable samosa and a mango lassi cost me about £4 and put me in a fanstastic mood for the rest of the day...

― stelf)xxxx, Wednesday, 22 June 2005 10:36 (twenty years ago)

scramble egg w/ char siu from wong kei. it looks like it's been scraped off the pavement but it's so delicious.

― lauren (laurenp), Wednesday, 22 June 2005 10:43 (twenty years ago)

The Korean restaurants at Centre Point with £5 lunch meal deals.

Dave, if you wander up to Shalamar (around the mosque on Brick Lane on the same side of the road as Sweet and Spicy)) their kebab roll (on a freshly made naan) is about £2.

― suzy (suzy), Wednesday, 22 June 2005 10:43 (twenty years ago)

shalamar rocks! i walk past it most days. it's so budget and they do great dahl there. but this place really does do the best chicken tikka i've tested around brick lane.

― stelf)xxx, Wednesday, 22 June 2005 10:49 (twenty years ago)

The Indian Mission on Chapel Market. Cheap, healthy Veggie indie food - all you can eat for £2.95!!! How can you say no?

(Unless you work too far away. I'm contemplating taking a bus.)

― MIS Information (kate), Wednesday, 22 June 2005 11:00 (twenty years ago)

dave lets drink eastsides again soon

― charltonlido (gareth), Wednesday, 22 June 2005 11:02 (twenty years ago)

Kate, you can go to Food for Thought on Neal Street and there is an Indian takeaway on Endell Street or Drury Lane.

― suzy (suzy), Wednesday, 22 June 2005 11:03 (twenty years ago)

my work canteen.

oh wait, you said 'great'.

― Sociah T Azzahole (blueski), Wednesday, 22 June 2005 11:08 (twenty years ago)

portavia rules the west end
andreas on Gt S utton st rules clerkenwell, esp. their 'special'

― lukey (Lukey G), Wednesday, 22 June 2005 11:21 (twenty years ago)

The Korean Restaurant under Centrepoint is called Polo, it is indeed great, we luch ther at least once a week, we now get free kimchii, beansprouts and mushrooms.

Portavia at the top of charing cross road does a fantastic pizza. Ignore their slices and get a whole pizza, they are much better value. Two people could easily split one for about £4.40, or a greedy person could have one. Eat in or take away to soho square.

there's another Shalamar on the Corner of New road and the road that runs behind the mosque on whitechapel rd.

Any of the bun shops round china town will sell you one savoury and one sweet bun for around the £2.50 mark.

There's a great Vietnamese place at the bottom of frith st.

― Ed (dali), Wednesday, 22 June 2005 11:24 (twenty years ago)

xpost etc.

― Ed (dali), Wednesday, 22 June 2005 11:24 (twenty years ago)

i actually really love the indonesian food stall at spitalfields market, too. they do lovely chicken satay and a really good mee goreng

― stelf)xxxx, Wednesday, 22 June 2005 11:39 (twenty years ago)

having said that, i've just had chips, beans and salad cream from my canteen at work and it was total genius in a styrofoam box -

― stelf)xxxxx, Wednesday, 22 June 2005 11:42 (twenty years ago)

there's wicked ethiopian food at the hanbury street market, but it's only open on sundays. still, worth seeking out. £5 for a big plate (veg) with injera and wonderful relishes.

― lauren (laurenp), Wednesday, 22 June 2005 11:43 (twenty years ago)

that sounds great.
there's also a teriffic jerk chicken stall on petticoat lane every friday at the least and often other days.
the woman who runs it cooks plantain beautifully (crisp outside but soft and mushy on the inside and always sweet).
she also slapped me round the head for swearing on my mobile phone while waiting for my lunch a while back, so it's worth it for entertainment value, too.

― stelf)xxxx, Wednesday, 22 June 2005 11:54 (twenty years ago)

mmmm plantain

― Sociah T Azzahole (blueski), Wednesday, 22 June 2005 11:55 (twenty years ago)

Wow what a food stall! Happyslapping while you wait!

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Wednesday, 22 June 2005 11:56 (twenty years ago)

The Indian YMCA on Fitzroy Square has a cheap lunch canteen, excellent curry and rice for £3 or so. Maybe not in this weather though.

― Liz :x (Liz :x), Wednesday, 22 June 2005 12:01 (twenty years ago)

where's good for lunch around Old St? if you want the sort of things mentioned on this thread?

― Sociah T Azzahole (blueski), Wednesday, 22 June 2005 12:06 (twenty years ago)

try the vietnamese places on the bottom of kingsland road - the one next to the geffrye museum is really good.

― stelf)xxxx, Wednesday, 22 June 2005 12:16 (twenty years ago)

Cay Tre on Old st itself is good.

Where exactly on old st?

― Ed (dali), Wednesday, 22 June 2005 12:17 (twenty years ago)

we go to the atlantic on great eastern for cheap jacket pots most days, steve. the cafe under smallfish records is fantastic, but a bit more (not extortionate, though). cay tre is good esp. considering how close it is.

― lauren (laurenp), Wednesday, 22 June 2005 12:20 (twenty years ago)

also, franco's in rivington street (caff) and the tiny cafe attached to the rivington st bar & grill.

― lauren (laurenp), Wednesday, 22 June 2005 12:21 (twenty years ago)

i'll give these a try, gracias

― Sociah T Azzahole (blueski), Wednesday, 22 June 2005 12:22 (twenty years ago)

thinking of kingsland rd, is there anywhere round there, or indeed anywhere else, that i can get vietnamese iced coffee to go?

― toby (tsg20), Wednesday, 22 June 2005 12:24 (twenty years ago)

frith st vienamese does good vietnames iced coffeee, i'd expect any of the vietnamese places would.

― Ed (dali), Wednesday, 22 June 2005 12:25 (twenty years ago)

where is wong kei, lauren?

― Ed (dali), Wednesday, 22 June 2005 12:26 (twenty years ago)

they do it at tre viet in hackney

― stelf)xxxx, Wednesday, 22 June 2005 12:27 (twenty years ago)

i like tre viet, esp. teh goat.

― Sociah T Azzahole (blueski), Wednesday, 22 June 2005 12:31 (twenty years ago)

catfish in ginger is the fella, though

― stelf)xxxxx, Wednesday, 22 June 2005 12:34 (twenty years ago)

Oh! Yes! Chinese buns! Even cheaper if you're veggie. Which most of them are. Oh yeah.

Today I got taken for a very expensive lunch. And it was waaaayyyy too rich for me; I feel slightly ill. Not to mention worrying about animal contents cause nothing was marked veggie. :-(

― MIS Information (kate), Wednesday, 22 June 2005 12:40 (twenty years ago)

What is Vietnamese iced coffee like?

Also, how about great, cheap, diet-friendly London lunches (that don't involve salad)?

Also, how do you choose chinese buns? The smell walking down gerrard st is amazing, but I wouldn't have a clue what to get.

― Markelby (Mark C), Wednesday, 22 June 2005 12:59 (twenty years ago)

wong kei is in wardour street. it's famous for having rude service, which is i guess why some tourists go there. i'd say brusque and harried are better descriptors than rude, but it's all relative. the major annoyance is that you'll get a heavy "you're caucasian, you want sweet & sour" vibe, though it's not hard to ignore.

i can't vouch for any of the menu apart from the roast meats and the egg w/meat over rice dishes, but you don't need anything aside from that - maybe some seasonal greens, which look fine when i've seen them on other tables.

― lauren (laurenp), Wednesday, 22 June 2005 12:59 (twenty years ago)

i love wong kei - they go especially apeshit if you ask for stuff that's not on the menu, so this is quite fun if you're in the mood to be shouted at - but they do some great soups and excellent cha sui bao. in fact, as lauren says, most of the roast meats are really good. one of the best things there is a simple roast duck with plain rice and preserved vegetables. i have also been there once with a chinese friend and got noticably nicer service and the food was superb, so they do know what they're doing in the kitchen, behind all the bluster.

― stelf)xxxxx, Wednesday, 22 June 2005 13:07 (twenty years ago)

Vietnamese Iced Coffee = Fery, very strong Coffee
+ Condensed Milk
+ Ice.

Cold, caffeine + sugar rush. Num num.

― Pete (Pete), Wednesday, 22 June 2005 13:15 (twenty years ago)

Just needs a drop of vodka.

― Mädchen (Madchen), Wednesday, 22 June 2005 14:12 (twenty years ago)

maoz on old compton street, opposite the admiral duncan. freshly-cooked falafel in pitta with hummus and/or fried aubergine slices (these are teh bomb) and as much different kinds of salady things (cous cous, peppers, olives, chopped up tomato'n'onion, jalapenos, beetroot, stuff that you're not quite sure what it is but what the hell, separate red chilli and green chilli sauce) as you can pile into it while you hold the whole shebang in an upside-down paper boat trying not to tip garlic and chilli all down yourself. all for about £3.50. their chips are nice too, but not as good as the falafel.

― emsk, Wednesday, 22 June 2005 15:43 (twenty years ago)

i want that right now.

― Sociah T Azzahole (blueski), Wednesday, 22 June 2005 15:56 (twenty years ago)

but with a entire wild boar marinaded in wine on the side.

― Sociah T Azzahole (blueski), Wednesday, 22 June 2005 15:57 (twenty years ago)

I am going home to go to bed curled up with a book on Oracle 8. Have you gone home, Emsk? Maybe I need a stiff drink instead.

― MIS Information (kate), Wednesday, 22 June 2005 15:59 (twenty years ago)

sandwiches from Marks and Spencer (Some of them are very fancy from an American (or my) point of view.)

― youn, Wednesday, 22 June 2005 16:05 (twenty years ago)

kate i haven't gone home, i am about to jump in shower quick then head up to south bank to meet lady echo where we're gonna hang out in the sun for an hour then sarah's coming at 8 and we're going to the patti smith/kevin shields/cat power thingummy. fancy some south bank? (i have a corkscrew in my bag)

― emsk, Wednesday, 22 June 2005 16:13 (twenty years ago)

text me if you do.

― emsk, Wednesday, 22 June 2005 16:30 (twenty years ago)

No one has spoken up yet for Brazil by Kilo, opposite the Virgin megastore on Oxford St, where you pay by weight of grub. You won't get cheaper feijoada [sp?] anywhere. Good juices too.

― snotty moore, Wednesday, 22 June 2005 22:43 (twenty years ago)

A bit ho in the summer but very good nonetheless.

― Ed (dali), Thursday, 23 June 2005 05:05 (twenty years ago)

pork buns from that cafe on gerrard street (i think?) called Kowloon something, the best in London by far, pound each and you're stuffed and happpppppy.

― spontine (cis), Thursday, 23 June 2005 05:24 (twenty years ago)

Argh, I wish I had seen this before I left! But they kicked me out at 6pm and told me to go home. I swear to god, I thought I saw Lady Ms. Echo waiting on Waterloo Bridge with a suitcase as I swept by on my bus yesterday, but thought "no, that is ridiculous, she is still in Belgium!"

― MIS Information (kate), Thursday, 23 June 2005 07:01 (twenty years ago)

Burger King. hah. Hmmm.

― nathalie's post modern sleaze fest (stevie nixed), Thursday, 23 June 2005 07:05 (twenty years ago)

Neal's Yard Salad Bar is a great one - all the veggie or vegan food anyone could ever want, and all their take-out stuff is under a fiver.

― mog, Thursday, 23 June 2005 07:55 (twenty years ago)

Ooh! Safran on Sicilian Avenue (right by Holborn for those who aren't familiar) serves up a wicked falafel and does xlnt flatbread wraps with chicken, lamb or what have you. Reasonably priced but a bit more expensive than a standard sandwich (not a Marks&Sparks one, you might as well eat gold dust).

― Liz :x (Liz :x), Thursday, 23 June 2005 08:51 (twenty years ago)

Skipping 43 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

I had panzerotti there a couple of weeks ago and thought of you!

― suzy (suzy), Wednesday, 22 February 2006 10:45 (twenty years ago)

was it cooked properly? the last few times i went the mozzarella hadnt really even melted much...

but luinis in milan.......ok it aint london but OMFG

― ambrose (ambrose), Wednesday, 22 February 2006 11:07 (twenty years ago)

Yeah, it was. I was just happy that for once they had the one with ham in, and usually ham/mozzarella contact equals no melty-melty, but it didn't.

AW THE DRILLERS ARE OUTSIDE. Grrrr.

― suzy (suzy), Wednesday, 22 February 2006 11:12 (twenty years ago)

what makes somewhere a lunch option as opposed to a dinner one?

er.. time of the day at which you'd like to go?

some places are both lunch and dinner options.

― ken c (ken c), Wednesday, 22 February 2006 11:16 (twenty years ago)

I had a passable Sunday roast in the Fitzroy Tavern last week, the watery gravy let them down though.

― leigh (leigh), Wednesday, 22 February 2006 11:33 (twenty years ago)

apparently The Tower (underneath the BT tower) do a fantastic sunday roast (this was from the barman at another pub!! when we enquired about sunday lunches)

― ken c (ken c), Wednesday, 22 February 2006 11:51 (twenty years ago)

but i have yet to have been.

― ken c (ken c), Wednesday, 22 February 2006 11:52 (twenty years ago)

The barmaid in another pub in charlotte street recommended the green man off oxford st.

― leigh (leigh), Wednesday, 22 February 2006 12:13 (twenty years ago)

call me crazy, but i would worry about the quality of 99p meat.

― lauren (laurenp), Wednesday, 22 February 2006 13:07 (twenty years ago)

I rather like the vegetable tempura sushi (pack of 8 for £1.80) from the basement in the Japan Centre on Piccadilly. Anything I can wolf down while continuing to work is good for me.

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Wednesday, 22 February 2006 17:44 (twenty years ago)

the quality of 99p meat is fine. they're basically on the verge of sell by date and so it's either flogging them off cheap cooked, or not sell them at all.

i've been eating these for around 2 years and still standing!

― ken c (ken c), Wednesday, 22 February 2006 18:25 (twenty years ago)

gosh. 2 years. i need a new job.

― ken c (ken c), Wednesday, 22 February 2006 18:25 (twenty years ago)

Eating chicken wings on the verge of their sell-by date is actually your job?

― Alba (Alba), Wednesday, 22 February 2006 18:33 (twenty years ago)

That sounds verey la-di-da, Michael.

Today I need to buy some lunch. Hmmm.

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller 68), Thursday, 23 February 2006 08:02 (twenty years ago)

Eating chicken wings on the verge of their sell-by date is actually your job?

That is totally Ken's dream job. :)

― marianna lcl (marianna lcl), Thursday, 23 February 2006 08:21 (twenty years ago)

Portavia died last year.

― BARMS, Thursday, 23 February 2006 16:04 (twenty years ago)

Stockpot - Old Compton St. - Leek and Potato soup followed by Moussaka with Chips and then the Treacle sponge with custard.

Not culinary masterpieces but good, filling fayre...

I actually threw a hissy fit the last time I went in and didn't have it, much to the consternation of my friends :/

Will set you back about 6 pounds or something, maybe more if you drink more than one of their thimbleful glasses of coke....

Balans cafe is good as well, food good quality, not pricey

― George C, Thursday, 23 February 2006 17:39 (twenty years ago)

Oh.... and Bodean's on Poland Street if you're into Burgers/Ribs... maybe a bit heavy for lunch... you can get fed for around a fiver if you're smart x

― George C, Thursday, 23 February 2006 17:41 (twenty years ago)

Portavia died last year.

-- BARMS (...), February 23rd, 2006 4:04 PM. (later)

ok fuck it, im never coming to london again

this sucks

― ambrose (ambrose), Friday, 24 February 2006 00:04 (twenty years ago)

Where is the thread for really expensive Conran-style London lunches?

― Cousin yogurt beard (nordicskilla), Friday, 24 February 2006 00:13 (twenty years ago)

Maletti's is still better than Portavia, and stil open.

― suzy (suzy), Friday, 24 February 2006 08:07 (twenty years ago)

yeh but

- its even more expensive
- its not open at 11pm

― ambrose (ambrose), Friday, 24 February 2006 09:44 (twenty years ago)

(that sounds a bit down on malettis - that place is lovely, but Portavia is of great interest to me primarily as it provides nice food late at night, which in this country is a rare thing outside of a kebab house)

― ambrose (ambrose), Friday, 24 February 2006 10:46 (twenty years ago)

two weeks pass...

2 days of reduced microwave meals heaven

monday: tescos liver and bacon in gravy. 91p
wednesdays: sausage and mash. 79p

i'm loving it.

― ken c (ken c), Wednesday, 15 March 2006 14:01 (twenty years ago)

ken you are insane

― ambrose (ambrose), Wednesday, 15 March 2006 14:12 (twenty years ago)

I shudder at the thought. I appear to have got much better at bringing in food to microwave, homeade goulasch for the last couple of days. Have to get that awful microwave rice though, bleaugh, Plus there is no microwave brown rice, perhaps that is a contradiction?

― Ed (dali), Wednesday, 15 March 2006 14:24 (twenty years ago)

ed make me goulasch

― ambrose (ambrose), Wednesday, 15 March 2006 14:43 (twenty years ago)

i can't see what can possibly be insane about taking advantage of offers!

xpost make the rice at home and reheat in the microwave!

― ken c (ken c), Wednesday, 15 March 2006 14:48 (twenty years ago)

i cant see anything that could possibly be pleasurable about the combination of microwaves, liver and 91p

― ambrose (ambrose), Wednesday, 15 March 2006 14:56 (twenty years ago)

I wonder if goulash can be posted?

― Ed (dali), Wednesday, 15 March 2006 14:57 (twenty years ago)

goulasch/gulyas?

― Ed (dali), Wednesday, 15 March 2006 14:58 (twenty years ago)

okay. i've found the holy grail.

sainsbury's basic chicken curry instant noodles. 8p.

i went crazy today and bought 2. it's surprisingly tasty!

― ken c (ken c), Tuesday, 28 March 2006 11:54 (twenty years ago)

Results 1 - 10 of about 2,020,000 for scurvy

― Porkpie (porkpie), Tuesday, 28 March 2006 12:21 (twenty years ago)

my work colleague gave me an orange for free so vitamin C is covered :)

― ken c (ken c), Tuesday, 28 March 2006 12:32 (twenty years ago)

three weeks pass...

Best Vietnamese place to go for lunch if you want vietnamese are
Cay Tre 301 Old Street. A lot of nice noodle soup for a quick meal and a good place to eat fish and beef.
Viet Grill in Kingsland Road. This might be the second branch of Cay Tre I think, as the look and logo seems quite similar. But Viet Grill got different menu with a lot of tasty BBQ. This place is the best in Kingsland road.
Both of them do the Vietnamese iced coffed to go.

― Kimberley, Sunday, 23 April 2006 14:34 (twenty years ago)

There's a good reasonable Vietnamese on Parkway in Camden.

― chap who would dare to be a nerd, not a geek (chap), Sunday, 23 April 2006 14:37 (twenty years ago)

Awesome - if Cay Tre (which is the best Viet in London) is opening up a BBQ branch, that's every work lunch sorted for the next year.This will be distinct from the other place which is about the pancakes, pho, rice-noodle dishes and rolls plus a few specialities you can't get anywhere else. I can also vouch for the Viet on Parkway. It has a lovely blue sky painted on the ceiling and the people who run it are SUPER nice - I've had a few birthday dinners there. People rate their salt and chilli squid very highly, but I prefer the soft-shell crab variant.

I have been housesitting in Ladbroke Grove and everyone who wants joy for a few quid can do a very filling churros y chocolate or a couple of tapas plates at Cafe Garcia adjoining the Spanish market at the top of Portobello. Alternately you could do the Ken Chu diet in any of the Portugese cafés along Golborne Road and get a free gawp at disco-damaged fashion people into the bargain.

― suzy (suzy), Sunday, 23 April 2006 15:06 (twenty years ago)

five months pass...

My newest discovery is the cafe in the Phoenicia food hall on Kentish Town Road; very tasty Middle Eastern mezze-style dishes for £1 each.

― chap who would dare to contain two ingredients. Tea and bags. (chap), Saturday, 23 September 2006 12:35 (nineteen years ago)

one month passes...

Kurtz und Lang

Ein imbiß wo kannen sie ein bratwurst mit suarkraut und brötchen, bier, oomp-pah musik und ein klien deutchman finden. Wenn page sie mit ein american express carde die kaffe is frei.

Smithfield, bottom of St John st.

― Ed (dali), Thursday, 26 October 2006 12:10 (nineteen years ago)

two months pass...

they stopped selling the sainsbury's basic chicken curry noodles (instead they just have their regular own brand chicken curry noodles for 24p :\ 3 times more expensive!!)

― ken c (ken c), Thursday, 4 January 2007 14:26 (nineteen years ago)

Galvin.

― toby (tsg20), Thursday, 4 January 2007 23:31 (nineteen years ago)

Hobbes

― ken c (ken c), Friday, 5 January 2007 00:33 (nineteen years ago)

Surely Koka noodles are what you're after...

― KeefW (kmw), Friday, 5 January 2007 00:39 (nineteen years ago)

three months pass...

Sainsbury's hot counter does it again. "breakfast turnover wrap" which basically has eggs sausage bacon and ketchup inside some piece of pastry.. brilliant. usually £1.19, today, 40p.

― ken c, Monday, 23 April 2007 15:22 (nineteen years ago)

"sausage"

― blueski, Monday, 23 April 2007 16:00 (nineteen years ago)

ok, it was cock

― ken c, Monday, 23 April 2007 16:05 (nineteen years ago)

five months pass...

Scandinavian Kitchen on Great Titchfield street. Three tasty filling open faced sandwiches for £4.50.

― Ed, Tuesday, 25 September 2007 13:10 (eighteen years ago)

Kurtz und Lang

Oh boy oh boy..... I love the sauerkraut these guys dish out. Mounds of the stuff with delicious fried little potato bits.

They're always playing some weird German Jamie Cullum knock-off on the stereo, but it kinda works. :\

― Michael Dudikoff presents Action Adventure Theatre, Tuesday, 25 September 2007 17:20 (eighteen years ago)

Anyone who works near the Barbican / Old Street / City Road should check out the food stalls on Whitecross Street market at lunchtimes.

The Italian guy who does the pasta and meatballs is a legend.

― James Mitchell, Tuesday, 25 September 2007 23:05 (eighteen years ago)

Ed are you in the new offices yet?

― suzy, Wednesday, 26 September 2007 10:27 (eighteen years ago)

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