Around Town

Skint mate from college | Grandparents | Teenage relative | Party animal | Friend with kids | Mum and dad | Long-distance lover | Seen-it-all-before cynic

Skint mate from college
Lunch
For a slice of Arab London, take them to Ranoush Juice Bar (43 Edgware Road, W2). This west London institution serves Lebanese to eat in or take away – shawarma sandwiches, tabouleh and houmous – and your pal can sample a hookah.

Museum
The Hunterian Museum (The Royal College of Surgeons of England , 35-43 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, WC2) is a visceral alternative to the usual exhibits – packed with four centuries’ worth of body parts, surgical and dental instruments and anatomical sketches.

Shop (and drink)
Berwick Street gives a proper taste of old Soho – with its historic fruit and veg market, numerous record shops, wholesale cheap jewellery and, if you’ve got the inclination, plentiful porn down at its southerly end. Jeffrey Barnard lived in the stumpy tower block halfway down, and you can drink nearby in his customary haunt the Coach and Horses (29 Greek Street, W1). Alternatively, buzzing Brick Lane has plenty of cheap shops – and numerous places for a budget curry. If you're really skint a bagel at Beigel Bake (159 Brick Lane) costs next to nothing.
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Evening
Fine dining is out of the question on a budget, so grab a bargain bite in Food For Thought (31 Neal Street). Nearby Lowlander (36 Drury Lane, WC2) is worth a visit for its superlative range of Dutch and Belgian beers. Then for dancing, or just a late-night drink, Burn Soo Bright at The Royal George (Goslett Yard, off Charing Cross Road, WC2) is free to get in and plays retro indie classics until 1am.

Blue plaque
The great thing about the plaque for John Logie Baird, inventor of the telly, isn’t so much its content as its location – just above Bar Italia (22 Frith Street, W1), the perfect pit stop for a reviving espresso before you tackle the night bus home.

Skint mate from college | Grandparents | Teenage relative | Party animal | Friend with kids | Mum and dad | Long-distance lover | Seen-it-all-before cynic