Cheapskate... where to eat out for under £15
Telephone: 020 7287 2000
Address: Soho Thai, 27-28 St Anne's Court, London W1.
Although not, as the name suggests, the only Thai restaurant in Soho, this is rumoured to be one of the best. Formica tables and a laminated menu belie a splendid selection of Thai cuisine. Starters range from £3.50 to £7.95 and include the usual fishcake, soup and dumpling squad. Main courses are an assembly of pan-fried dishes, curries, noodle dishes such as pad Thai, all priced between £4.25 and £14.95. There's an impressive vegetarian stretch too, including a scrumptious pad woon sen for £5.25. The decor's not stunning, and it's a bit cramped, but the service is chipper.
Quick bites... where to eat out in under 15 minutes
Telephone: 020-7494 2434
Address: Thanks For Franks, 26, Foubert's Place, London W1.
Thanks indeedy, for Franks is a jolly place with tasty morsels galore, keeping Soho's baggy-trousered brigade fed and watered six days a week. You can sit inside - a bit squashed - or outside if the weather is kind. Or, of course, you can take away. A full breakfast, just £3.25, includes bacon, sausage, egg, toast, chips and a nice cup of tea. Lunchtime brings a choice of hot dishes such as shepherd's pie and moussaka and a quite possibly endless range of sandwich combinations. A rosemary bap with roast chicken, mayo, parmesan and lettuce is yours for a mere £2.50.
On the menu
Made mustard
As opposed to unmade mustard?
No. As opposed to mustard powder, a substance peculiar to this country, devised by Jeremiah Colman.
And made mustard?
Refers to pungent emulsion favoured by the French, Germans, Americans and Japanese.
But isn't made mustard made with mustard powder.
Indeed it is, except for Dijon, which is made with crushed mustard seed.
Anything else I should know?
There's Savora, an English-made mustard developed at the turn of the century, which, apparently is very popular in South America. Then there are..
Enough, enough.
Just out
El Rey Caranero Superior Chocolate
Form:
Slim, 80g bars of Apamate Dark Chocolate; Caoba Milk Chocolate; and Icoa White Chocolate.
Flavour:
Apamate: balanced sweetness/acidity; long dry, dense chocolate finish. Caoba: rich; sweetish; velvety; seductive Icoa: well, it's better than Milky Bar. Just.
Verdict:
Venezuela's gift to choccie lovers. Made only from Caranero Superior cocoa beans, and superior they are too. Not outrageously or searingly chocolatey. Relies more on sublety and texture for effect. Apamate is a stunner, Caoba a vamp. Pass on Icoa.
Price:
£1.30 per 80g bar at Waitrose.
Food on the net
Weary of dining on lettuce leaves and vinaigrette? Fear not for it is now, unarguably, soup weather, and this here chirpy little site is fully equipped for the frozen-toed, blender-wielding population. You can wade through categories such as slow-cook, noodle, stews and gumbos, rifle through the alphabetical index, search for the Thai broth of your dreams, safe in the knowledge that there are hints galore if things go awry.
Pros:
more recipes than you can shake a stick at, including apricot, lentil, BLT, avgolemono, and pizza (it sounds crazy, but it might just work).
Cons:
Excrutiating puns are rife. Witness: "Roux the Day" and "A-Maize-ing Corn Chowder".
