London Eats
By Joe Fullman
London may not exactly be renowned as a cut-price destination (quite the opposite in fact) but its sheer size and wealth of options make it a rich hunting ground for bargains -- so long as you know where to look. From free entry to some of world's greatest museums and art galleries to cut-price opera tickets and bargain restaurant deals, London is a place to save the pennies as well as splash the pounds.
Affordable Italian: The capital's best slice-on-the-go is served up at
Malletti (26 Noel Street; tel.
020/7439-4096), a tiny Soho pizzeria that offers a huge choice of expertly prepared thin-crust pizzas featuring all the toppings you might expect (ham, mozarella, salami, etc.) plus a few you probably wouldn't (spinach and broccoli?). It's a no fuss sort of place -- your role is to order, pay and then leave -- but great value with pizza portions starting at £3.50.
Bargain British: The taste of 19th-century London at (almost) 19th-century prices, the pie and mash served at
M. Manze (87 Tower Bridge Road; tel.
020/7407-2985;
www.manze.co.uk) is as evocative of the capital as Big Ben or red buses. The classic meal consists of a minced beef and onion pie, soft white mashed potato and bright green (almost luminous) "liquor," a local variation on parsley sauce, and should cost less than £3.
Competitive Chinese: In his desire to replicate the eating experience of the typical Hong Kong street corner
dong mein ('noodle stall'), the owner of
Cha Cha Moon (15-21 Ganton Street; tel.
020/7297-9800;
www.chachamoon.com), Alan Yau, has set prices that do indeed seem more appropriate for street snacks than restaurant meals. Nearly all dishes are priced at £3.50, and none sells for over £5.50, and that's for some surprisingly generous portions.
Economical Indian: Good value Indian restaurants are rather thin on the ground in Central London. In fact the only really decent example is
Masala Zone (48 Floral Street, Covent Garden; tel.
020/7329-0101;
www.masalazone.com; plus other locations). For real value go for a thali, a beautifully presented tray of rice, curry (vegetable or meat), two vegetable dishes, a lentil dal, papadam and chutney from £7.80 -- it's a two-course meal in itself.
Value Vegetarian: The real bargains at the swish vegetarian eaterie
Tibits (12 Heddon Street; tel.
020/7745-6146;
www.tibits.co.uk/e/) are the buffet choices, or 'food boats' as they prefer to call them -- £1.80 gets you 200g at lunch, rising to £2 at dinner. You have a choice of more than 40 dishes, every one of them freshly prepared, locally sourced (up to a point) and GM free, so you can feel good about yourself as you save money.
