Budget Dining in London
The idea of a city break in London is usually accompanied by the thought of expense, with London being one of the most expensive cities to visit; it’s hard to believe that there are chances to eat out for under a tenner.
With food ranking as the 3rd thing to consider while budgeting for your visit, behind flights and accommodation, it’s good to know that you can have the choice of cuisines for reasonable value.
While eating in the right restaurants will keep costs down, try and increase your savings by booking cheap flight tickets as well as searching around for London hotels.
Koba
The most expensive meal here is around £25-£35pp for a set meal, however the main courses are between £5.90-£9.50pp. The Koba offers a whole range of Korean food and looks extremely sleek.
The menu covers all what you expect from Korean cuisine at fantastic value. At £19-£22, the jeongol is enough to feed four. The Koba can be found on Rathbone Street and can be easily accessed via Goodge Street or by the Tottenham Court Road tube.
Comptoir Libanais
For a more Lebanese feel, try the Comptoir Libanais café. Here you can pick a main course for between £5.95-£6.50. This canteen and delicatessen hybrid is open all day for you to try their in house hot man’oucha flatbreads, falafel’s or chicken kofta’s.
There is plenty to choose from in this more art museum than café, the bar features an Islamic motif, while the cutlery is stored in recycled harissa cans. The Comptoir Libanais is suited for all ages and is situated on Wigmore Street, which can be accessed via the Bond Street tube.
Golden Union Fish Bar
If fish is something you want on the menu, then why not try the Golden Union Fish Bar. For £7.60, you can order yourself a fresh, crisp battered piece of cod with hand cut chips that can barely fit on the plate. Known previously as The Chippy, this no-frills cheery restaurant can be found on Poland Street just on the top edge of Soho.
The menu is ever changing, with plaice, pollock, prawns and even coley making an appearance on the menu. With courses ranging from £4.50-£7.50, the Golden Union Fish Bar is guaranteed to satisfy your hunger at an excellent price.
Rasa Sayang
For more of an oriental experience without the clichés, try the Rasa Sayang. Situated on Macclesfield Street, this ground floor and basement diner offers its ‘heat zone’ and ‘straits cunlinary favourites’ menu at prices between £6.90 and £18.80.
The Rasa Sayang promotes its contrasts, with the ground floor having a unique atmosphere to that of the basement seating area. Here you can order yourself a fennel seeded fish curry and soft crisp roti flatbread, however you must try their desserts, such as the ondeh-ondeh rice cakes, which are filled with melting caramelised palm sugar and are well worth a try.
Beatroot
The Beatroot fast food restaurant is one that will change your whole perception of fast food counters. This fresh vegetable outlet has been offering its healthy cost efficient meals since 1997, and is a perfect choice for vegetarians alike.
Beatroot offers a range of different salads, and vegan friendly dishes such as the moussaka. You can also pick yourself up a soy mince sausage roll as well as an array of different healthy juices and smoothies.
Meals here range from £3.90 to £5.90 and is located on Berwick Street, easily accessible from the Tottenham Court Road tube.
A key part of learning about any new culture is getting to know their food. In fact a meal for many people is their first introduction to a country and a people. I will never forget my first bite of Thai food- life changing, not an exaggeration, although at the time I took it I could not have told you anything about Thailand. The restaurants common in any city are often signposts to the history of immigration to the region and to the current diversity of the population. In Milwaukee, a medium sized city in the Midwestern US, we have Irish bars, Jewish delis, historic German, Polish, Italian, Chinese and Soul food restaurants, and somewhat newer Indian and Thai establishments. The newest arrivals to the city dining scene have been Korean and Japanese restaurants. Japanese cuisine, while always popular on the West Coast, has been growing in popularity in other parts of the country and in fact the world. Considering that Japan counts with some of the oldest people in the world- there is great incentive to learn to appreciate this healthful, flavorful cuisine.
