Oriental Canteen South Kensington

We were at imperial college and were looking for cheap eats for an affordable snack. We had the house specials of lamb stew with soup noodles £5, beef stew with fried noodles, and pan fried  dumplings for £7.5  the fresh orange juice and fanta were 0.5£ each. Not fancy but affordable. Lots of reviews have noted the tired decor and called it dirty.  Adds to the charm of the place. It is unpretentious and a  canteen after all? There were big chunks of cabbage in the stew. Something you might get at home so it is not fine dining but hearty simple oriental food to fill up. Worth a visit if you are hungry and on a budget. They declined to accept our £50 notes saying it was too old. So we hiked to Paddington after the meal to change all our 5 year old fifty pound notes.

 

Ganges Paddington

Nice Indian restaurant near Paddington station. Opposite st Mary's hospital. Wet and wintery outside. After a mad dash in the rain from the Hilton on Edgware road. We got 5 seats. We had 1 waiter for 2 floors. He was busy but we got our order in before the crowd. Proper table cloths and plates with restaurant logo. Cosy and warm restaurant with the waiter in bow tie. We had the nan, pratha and steamed rice. 5 of us ordered chicken tikka massala, meat korma, mixed tandoori  £12, butter chicken and samosas for starters. Each main about £9. For 5 without beers was £60 and we paid £5 for gratuity. We were impressed by the waiter who was very efficient serving two floors of the restaurant.

 

Valentino Restaurant London Edgware Rd

Just checked into the Hilton Metropole. Next to Edgware Road tube station.  Looking for a snack. We ordered mixed shawarma and lamb kebabs. The shawarma was delicious. Crunchy toasted and juicy with the right interior textures. Have to come back for more. 5£ for each serve. Ideally located next to hotel and train stations. It wasn't busy as about mid afternoon.  Enjoyed the snack.

Came back several times to get shawarma. Staff are friendly and only a couple of minutes from the Hilton where we were staying. Good for a late supper or mid morning top up. 

 

Wong Kei Chinatown London

An old favorite for London old timers from the seventies. No nonsense take it or leave it service without the frills. Just came from a walking tour of Downing St, Big Ben and St James Park changing of horse guard.  We had the roast meat rice £6, wanton noodles £6, mushrooms chicken rice hot pot £8 for small and fried rice noodles with egg sauce & beef £6. About £26 for 5 of us. There's a 15 mins wait for the rice hot pot. We forewarned every one on our table that service can be variable in tone. Not bad for a cold gloomy winter's day. Free hot tea but we opted for hot water. You may have to share tables sometimes. 

Does not accept credit cards. 

 

Royal Seng Paris

We were walking towards Eiffel tower and needed some hot tea and carbs to keep us going on a cold winter morning. The restaurant was warm & had clean washroom. The food was microwaved & wouldn't satisfy the purist. However, it kept us going till we got to La Tour Eiffel. The family staff were helpful and courteous. We had the €7 for 10 pieces of dim sum and a plate of noodles. Also got hot chinese tea. Helped us climb to Level 2 of Eiffel tower later that day.

Metro Indian Subiaco

Purple colours. Hot food and fun in Subiaco. Spicy with flavor. Purple onions on hot plate chicken.

Check it out at http://www.metroindianrestaurant.com.au/

Chicken salad with nice purple stripes. Work place dinner with junior trainees.

Chicken on hot plate. Spicy but blazing hot too.

Sweets. Hard to pronounce but great after a 40km bicycle ride. Lots of carbs and flavorsome aromas.

Spent about $30 per person. Don't forget the mango lassi.

Arirang Perth

BBQ Korean in Perth. Work research with JN & SL. http://www.arirang.com.au/

Unlimited side dishes. Mainly veges eg zucchini, bean sprouts, potatoes in their jackets and Kimchee!

The kitchen can BBQ the food for you and bring it out. We had beef, beef ribs and pork. Rather then cook for ourselves because we were discussing work we got the kitchen to cook all the meats for us.

Soju to wash down the spicy kimchee and BBQ meats. Alternatively you can wrap lettuce leaves around the BBQ meat for a healthier meal.