Restaurants

Style zealots will find little reassurance in the spartan floor tiles, utilitarian plastic seating and closely packed Formica tables numbered with handwritten stickers, but this New York-style Jewish diner prides itself on function before fashion. A long metal counter by the front door serves as a hectic base of operations, a handful of signed West End posters (and a couple of framed photos celebrating the custom of Matt Damon) as decoration. A starter of chicken livers fried with onions and mild mustard arrived almost before it was ordered, only to be replaced – five minutes later and barely finished – with a main course of hungarian goulash that was fine if a little fatty. Sandwiches, bagels and pittas occupy a large part of the laminated menu, as do salads from the counter display. Baklava and a crumbly own-made cheesecake share space on the dessert list. As well as local office staff, Gaby’s attracts plenty of elderly diners who linger over bottles of Greek wine and gesticulate with a vehemence that would make real New Yorkers proud.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2009