• Added: 23rd of January 2008
• Area: Islington
• Category: Restaurants

London N1 9EX
020 7833 1167

stantoncarlisle said
Be Beautiful eat Veggie
The dusty neon sign outside sports the legend All you can Eat - £3.50 and its been that price for about a decade. At night its bustling will all sorts of pond life. Open 7 days a week from midday until very late evening. Its hardly surprising that the carpets dusty and the whole joint has a threadbare feel to it, bordering on the grimy. For some thats part of its charm. On the walls are large colour pix of lithe Indian actresses. Vegetarian babes who don't eat meat. Their full pouty lips and glowing complexions combine sexiness and healthy living - at least in the mind of the management. The rest of the walls have verbose propaganda about the benefits of veggie nosh. The place serves a running buffet which is good, but be warned the food is all pretty hot'n'spicy. Not scorching, tongue-sizzling and throat frying hot. But still kind of burning. If it was cooler then people would eat more and buy a lot less cooling drinks. If you can handle it hot this is a good place to tank up. Kind of like going to roadside India without leaving N1.

• Added: 18th of January 2008
• Area: Camden Town
• Category: Take Aways

London NW1 8PB
020 7428 5818

stantoncarlisle said
Awesome Chippy and Chinese Takeaway
Good Fish and Chip shops are thin on the ground. I don't want to eat some grease-caked gunge masquerading as the national dish. I want to feel patriotic and proud and enjoy my unhealthy grub to the maximum. At Pang's they know how to knock up good old British fare. The secret is the fish is fresh and not frozen. And these guys know how to cook it to perfection. Often they are cooking it up just as you arrive. To top it off they are all warm and fun. The service is great, out-going and friendly. That counts for a lot. The Pangs Chinese takeaway next door is also good. Recommended dishes are Kung-Po prawns, should be called Kung Pow prawns, they are damn hot but worth it! Sweet and Sour Fish Hong Kong Style is also excellent with a whole heap of fresh fish cooked in batter smothered with a spicy home-made sauce. Another goodie is the special fried rice - practically a meal in itself. Although the Chinese takeaway is closed on Sunday - if you really need a chinese meal and fast. You can phone orders in an collect them from the chip shop. Hey it doesn't get any better than that.

• Added: 18th of January 2008
• Area: Lambeth
• Category: Restaurants

London SE1 7BL
020 7401 3976

stantoncarlisle said
Spacious Treasure Trove
Yao fu is a long stones throw away from Waterloo, the South Bank and the Royal Court Theatre but worth the trudge, as the nosh is as good as anywhere in Chinatown. More importantly, the restaurant is calmer and the prices more than a shade cheaper. The green bamboo lined walls are quieting. The place has a two-tier aspect - with some secluded spots up above the main dining area. The service friendly. People are hipping to just what a godsend this place is. Most times I go there they are hosting a small bash, not just office get-togethers but other more fringe looking, party stuff. The sushi is good, fresh although not as good value as the Inshoku just around the corner. They serve the tea in cups - you have to ask for a pot and they'll rustle you up one. Almost everything I tried was fresh & cooked with warmth and precision. They change cooks regularly - the last one was from Fuijan and the food had a more local flavour. The Fuijan Rice was awesome. with tasty shards of lovely fish and vegetables.So good it was almost real home cooking. Knocking in at £5.50. I call that a cheap feast. If your in the area check it out. Or if you like Chinese and can handle a long schlep go for it.

• Added: 17th of January 2008
• Area: Camden Town
• Category: Restaurants

London NW1 0JH
020 7383 7245

stantoncarlisle said
Cool & Swanky, Airy & Elegant
Cool mat black decor on the outside and smoked glass windows hide a treasure trove, two-floored restaurant that you won't forget in a hurry. The welcoming door-mat outside is a tongue-shaped version of the Chinese longevity symbol that draws you into the refreshing feng-shui ambiance. On top of the wooden steps is golden horde of prosperity gods, placed their not just because they look cool. Whoever designed this place takes the art of placement very seriously. This joint is classy. With a borderline fantasy decor to match. It doesn't shriel style it has style. The lunchtime menu is good, prices reasonable. Even if the nosh has MSG. The authentic Vietnamese approach to the food comes through in the subtle things like the use of herbs. Many of which don't have english names and are grown in the back or imported specially. This is a great recharge place. And also not that well known that you have to queue. Has all the class of the Wolseley without the clatter. Portions are good. Food, fresh and darn fine even with the addition of MSG. If you want to take yourself briefly to another world - this is the place for you. The staff were light and bubbly, well dressed and informal. Oh ... and the multi map is slightly off base - it's on the other side of the street.

• Added: 17th of January 2008
• Area: Camden Town
• Category: Restaurants

London NW1 7PN
020 7284 4082

stantoncarlisle said
Fast tasty and friendly
Lets face it the food in Camden Market is over priced slop - the stall vendors motto is anything goes, an approach that's backed up with a verbal hard sell straight out of Apocalypse Now. Thankfully the Viet-anh cafe cum restuarant offers a friendly, buzzy haven with food to match. Tables are small. the turnover is fast - expect to get served swiftly. The waitress is cool like martini regardless of the pressure and the food comes fast and fresh. Highly recommended is the mixed seafood and noodle soup. Whipped up in around 5 minutes. The soup base was excellent, the rice noodles, thin but meaty and the whole bowl was topped with a mound of assorted perfectly cooked seafood. Yum. Just what you need on a cold day. Starters were cool too - all the ingedients were fresh and in good combos. At lunchtimes the media crew descend and the place can turn into a total hubbub with a resonant yak-fest. But as a recharge place it's hard to beat when your kness are wobbling and you really need that good food top-up and fast.

• Added: 17th of January 2008
• Area: Kentish Town
• Category: Food and Drink

London NW5 2AE
020 7267 1267

stantoncarlisle said
an oasis in a grimy desert
Most of the joints around this area are low-grade to say the least and the stuff they sell is pretty un-nutritious to say the least. Not the Phoenicia. They have a wide variety of excellent stuff. This is one of the best shops in the area, part deli, part supermarket with laid-back, fun staff. I can recommend the spinach bread they sell by the till. Excellent.

• Added: 17th of January 2008
• Area: Lambeth
• Category: Restaurants

London SE1 7RJ
020 7928 2311

stantoncarlisle said
Nice price Japanese
Nestled in the buzzing market alley, Lower Marsh is a fine, fine Japanese restaurant that puts Wagamama and the fast food Jap clip joints to shame. The food is fresh. The prices reasonable and the ambiance low-key and unhurried. One gripe tho - the new lighting makes the place look like a submarine. Previously they had umbrella lamp-shades which added a softened hue. Now the glare is cold and blue. Lunch-times are heaving here mainly because of the tasty sushi and sashimi lunch boxes they whip up in a trice for the hungry salarymen at under £7 they're good value. The sushi is excellent and won't flatten you wallet. Some of the side dishes are also top notch - spring rolls - chicken with lemon - edame beans - they're all good. They also serve excellent Japanese green tea for £1.50 a pot. I wish this place was my local I'd be there everyday.

• Added: 16th of January 2008
• Area: Holloway
• Category: Cafes and Coffee Shops

London N7 7BW
020 7697 0891

stantoncarlisle said
Mountains of lovely grub
For comfort food I've found a few no-frills places that are very comforting to the wallet as well as the stomach. Can other chowhounds recommend their favorite, nicely priced nosh pits? I'll be amazed if anyone can come up with one thats cheaper or dishes up better or bigger portions than the Megabite, outside Arsenal Stadium on the Benwell Road entrance. The decor is borderline industrial with no hints of Bauhaus - plastic bucket seats bolted into the ground, red tiled floor, beige tiles livened up with a few mementos of China. In short everything that screams greasy spoon. First impressions can sometimes be the wrong impressions. And the plain outside hides a down home culinary treasure. The grub is superb traditional Chinese cooking with no MSG! Just plain and simple home cooking - served up fast with no pretensions ... The first dish I tried was Sea Spice Aubergine with King Prawns and boiled Rice. The Aubergine texture and taste was to die-for. The King Prawns large and plentiful. After I hoovered it up I had to ask the pipe-cleaner thin chef all about it. "I used to cook that for the Queen, she always had it when she came to the Dorchester". I bet the old gal paid more than the £4.50 he was charging near the Holloway Road. After that I came back many, many times to sample some more. The stand-out dishes from the menu for me are Roast Duck with spring onion and boiled rice. Which has an immoral amount of tender roast duck. Louhan or Monks Vegetables - a great vegetarian dish with pickled plum, wood-ear fungus, triangular tofu and boiled rice. The cheapest dish in the place is Mixed Vegetables with boiled rice(£3.20) - surprisingly tasty. Other natty platters are the sweet and hot KoPo Chicken, Mixed Seafood, Chicken with Celery and the fairly spicy Mixed Vegetables with Curry Sauce. This is a great lunch-time place you can take a date and still have change from a tenner. Clientele are mixed - sometimes theres a posse of Nigerian Traffic wardens, sometimes a gaggle of students & sometimes local regulars as well as the cheap date squad.

• Added: 16th of January 2008
• Area: Holloway
• Category: Cafes and Coffee Shops

London N7 7BW
020 7697 0891

stantoncarlisle said
MegaBite Mega good grub
For comfort food I've found a few no-frills places that are very comforting to the wallet as well as the stomach. Can other chowhounds recommend their favorite, nicely priced nosh pits? I'll be amazed if anyone can come up with one thats cheaper or dishes up better or bigger portions than the Megabite, outside Arsenal Stadium on the Benwell Road entrance. The decor is borderline industrial with no hints of Bauhaus - plastic bucket seats bolted into the ground, red tiled floor, beige tiles livened up with a few mementos of China. In short everything that screams greasy spoon. First impressions can sometimes be the wrong impressions. And the plain outside hides a down home culinary treasure. The grub is superb traditional Chinese cooking with no MSG! Just plain and simple home cooking - served up fast with no pretensions ... The first dish I tried was Sea Spice Aubergine with King Prawns and boiled Rice. The Aubergine texture and taste was to die-for. The King Prawns large and plentiful. After I hoovered it up I had to ask the pipe-cleaner thin chef all about it. "I used to cook that for the Queen, she always had it when she came to the Dorchester". I bet the old gal paid more than the £4.50 he was charging near the Holloway Road. After that I came back many, many times to sample some more. The stand-out dishes from the menu for me are Roast Duck with spring onion and boiled rice. Which has an immoral amount of tender roast duck. Louhan or Monks Vegetables - a great vegetarian dish with pickled plum, wood-ear fungus, triangular tofu and boiled rice. The cheapest dish in the place is Mixed Vegetables with boiled rice(£3.20) - surprisingly tasty. Other natty platters are the sweet and hot KoPo Chicken, Mixed Seafood, Chicken with Celery and the fairly spicy Mixed Vegetables with Curry Sauce. This is a great lunch-time place you can take a date and still have change from a tenner. Clientele are mixed - sometimes theres a posse of Nigerian Traffic wardens, sometimes a gaggle of students & sometimes local regulars as well as the cheap date squad.