Restaurants

An anonymous, unpromising stairway leads down to this subterranean halal cafeteria, where you'll find easy-wipe tables, plain green walls and a steamy bain-marie counter. But who needs all those designer fripperies when you can queue at the counter and get rice and vegetables with three dishes of your choice for a mere £5? For a little more refinement, there's a separate restaurant area with clothed tables, fanned serviettes and long-stemmed (fabric) roses. Here you get waiter service, an à la carte menu, and your bottle of wine expertly opened – if you brought one along with you (Mawar is unlicensed). Even in the restaurant you'd be hard pressed to spend more than £25 for two. The food is sustaining enough for the price, but it's a shame so much of it looks like indeterminate chunks in a thick brown sauce.

Time Out Cheap Eats in London Guide 2007