Shepherd's Bush bars and pubs

Thai café

It might feel a bit like a scruffy canteen, but 101 offers a decent repertoire of authentic Esarn (north-eastern) cookery. You’ll find multiple versions of green papaya salad, accompanied by anything from salted duck egg to sausage. A few southern Thai dishes also make an appearance, such as sour prawn curry, or turmeric-marinated sea bass – all prepared by ‘Auntie Bee’.

Meal for two with drinks and service: around £35.

Syrian restaurant

Informal and with a pleasantly chaotic air, this furiously busy Syrian restaurant attracts a boisterous clientele. Prices are low and portions huge; a sharing meze of cold starters – including parsley-packed tabouleh and lashings of thick houmous – would make a meal in itself. Mains are equally vast: the likes of tomato rice maklouba (topped and filled with chunks of lamb and slivers of fried aubergine; or grilled lamb kebab served with rice, bread and salad. Unlicensed: no alcohol allowed.

Meal for two with soft drinks and service: around £25.

Café

Books for Cooks runs on a simple but very successful formula. One starter and one main from the cookbook they’re testing in the open kitchen that day, plus an array of cakes and coffees. At £5 for two courses or £7 for three, that should keep the bank manager happy. No bookings taken.

Meal for two with hot drinks and service: around £18.

Turkish grill

A huge charcoal grill dominates this compact no-frills Turkish BYO. Hefty, succulent meat skewers are the main draw, preceded by simple vegetable dishes and dips that are scooped up with heated slabs of flatbread. Tables turn fast, with a friendly efficiency, so waits to be seated rarely last long.

BYO; no corkage charge.

Meal for two with soft drinks and service: around £30.

Fish & chip restaurant

Perched at the peak of London-based fish and chippery, Kerbisher & Malt tweaks every stage of the cooking process to make the food as appealing as possible. This means high-quality fillets dunked in floaty-light batter, cooked freshly to order. Chips are double-fried, the rich tartare sauce is made in-house, and the onion rings have been ‘pickled’, adding an appealing vinegar tang. There’s a steady stream of custom from noon until 6pm, attracted by the early specials.

Meal for two with drinks and service: around £30.

Chinese

Cantonese roast meats attract diners from near and far to this no-frills dining room on Bayswater’s main strip. The duck and char siu (barbecued pork) in particular are recommended; see them hanging in the open kitchen by the front window. Flavours are big, and dishes can be oily. Food comes in hearty portions, served by chirpy, attentive staff.

Meal for two with drinks and service: around £35.

Thai

Located in the diminutive basement of a shabby boozer, the Heron certainly hides its charms well. The kitchen specialises in north-eastern cooking, offering an impressive range of spicy salads, sour curries, stir-fries and much more besides – some of the most authentic Thai food to be found in London. Expect things to get lively after 9pm as the dining room doubles as a karaoke lounge.

Meal for two with drinks and service: around £40.

Burmese café

Cherished by students, Burmaphiles and expats for nearly two decades, Mandalay is still operating from its tiny Edgware Road premises – despite rumours of an impending move. Burmese curries, noodle dishes, fried snacks and salads are put together in inventive ways, often with a hot, sour, or sweet mix of spices and herbs – and there’s plenty of choice for vegetarians.

Meal for two with drinks and service: around £30.

Eritrean

Prepare for instruction on Eritrean life and culture at this most welcoming of restaurants. The main event is the cooking, especially the gloriously diverse vegetarian choices, which include beautifully spiced lentils (timtimo), pounded and stewed chickpeas (shiro) and spinach (hamli). Meat eaters also fare well, thanks to the likes of the Mosob special (marinated lamb chops with spinach and lentils). Everything is served on spongy, yeasty injera bread, which is also used to scoop up the food.

Meal for two with drinks and service: around £35.

Indian

Once a basic canteen, this Southall landmark now incorporates a highly presentable restaurant as well as a takeaway counter. Order Punjabi cuisine to get the best from the menu: succulent tandoori fish, followed by thick savoury curries such as chicken methi or dal, perhaps, accompanied by one of the outstanding array of breads. Polite service and smart furnishings add to the appeal.

Meal for two with drinks and service: around £25.