Posts Tagged ‘budget food’
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Dinner at The Diner
It is my conviction that a burger and chips (or fries, if you like) is, if not a shoo-in for the Best Dinner Ever award, certainly a contender for the shortlist. But as I learned at a recent trip to The Diner in Shoreditch, not all burgers are created equal: some taste better and cost less.
I’ve long been a fan of the Gourmet Burger Kitchen, and while I can’t fault the food, I also can’t seem to leave without spending at least a tenner, and that’s before the tip. What’s more, I like my burger with a side of atmosphere, and I find most chains are a bit of a let-down in that department.
Enter The Diner.
The Diner channels a classic American diner feel, with vinyl booths, retro movie posters and solidly sing-alongable tunes (we got Elton, Carly Simon, The Beach Boys and Bowie in one fell swoop, making me a rather happy diner indeed). Service was friendly and relaxed, with none of that non-subtle hustle to get rid of us and flip our table.
The menu runs from burgers to macaroni cheese to quesadillas and meat loaf, with most plates coming in at between £5 and £8. I had a burger, half a huge plate of fries, and a cup of coffee. My burger was juicy and satisfying, with plenty of fresh, crunchy salad. Fries were crisp and well-seasoned, and the endlessly refillable coffee was surprisingly good.
I paid £5.00 for a burger, £2.50 for a big dish of fries (we shared this, so £1.25 each) and £2.00 for coffee. Total cost of a booze-free dinner for one: £8.25 (£9.25 with tip)
128-130 Curtain Road
London EC2A 3AQ
Tel: 0207 729 4452
Posted in Food
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Gorgeous lunch for a fiver: Sacred Cafe
Serious coffee fans who flock to London’s alumni of Antipodean cafes usually end up lingering for lunch, especially when they offer up a host of delicious lunch options for less than a fiver. Take Sacred Café on Ganton Street, for instance. The blackboard boasts a line-up of affordable lunches that don’t come pre-packaged in cardboard and plastic, like quiche of the day with garden salad (£4.80) and pate of the day with toast and caramelised red onion chutney, (£4.60).
I was in the mood for something light and healthy, so I ordered the hummus with flat bread, cucumber sticks, olives and red onion chutney for £4.30. It hit the spot and I had change of a fiver. Quite perfect, really.
Sacred Café
Ganton Street,
London W1B 5PW
Tel: 0207 7001628Posted in Food
