Central London Restaurants
It's hard to find somewhere decent to eat in central London which isn't going to break the bank. Here are a few goodies:
Oops Restaurante & Vinateria Excellent Spanish tapas restaurant in Covent Garden. This latest addition to the Spanish restaurant scene in London served up deliciously simple and blissfully authentic Spanish tapas without any fuss or pretention. The set menu for£13 was a bargain, especially as it included a generous glass of wine from the extensive Spanish wine list. Highly recommended.
31 St Catherine Street (020 7836 3609). Covent Garden tube.
Set menu: £12.95 for 4 dishes, bread and an alcoholic drink. 10% service charge added.
Tas Turkish - healthy, inventive, cheap and quite delicious. I recommend their Renk Menu for 2 (£9.95 pp) - the stewed aubergines, fried lamb humus and tabule are lovely. Situated near the British Museum, see www.tas.co.uk for their other locations.
2 course menus from £8.75, Humus/Tabule/Salad/Soup followed by Kofte, Shish, etc
Wine £12 (they also do drinkable fizz at £15 a bottle)
Wagamama Cheap Japanese noodle bars all over London - everyone knows them. www.wagamama.com
Starter £4, Gyoza dumplings (though you don't even need a starter as the mains are so huge)
Main £7, 90% of customers eat Chicken Katsu Curry or Yaki Udon; both are scrumptious.
Wine £11
Busaba Eathai Deliciously cheap Thai food, Wagamama-style. Expect to be seated at large square tables so can be a little anti-social if you are less than eight or more than two (strange table dynamics).
At Store Street, Bird Street and Wardour Street.
All main dishes approx. £7, Southern Curry of Braised Lamb Shank, Phad Thai, Prawn & Yellow Curry Stir-Fry
Wine £15 (this is where they make their money)