Cheapskate ... where to eat out for under £15

Telephone: 020-7937 3339.

Address: , 54 Abingdon Road, London W8.

Two courses for £10.95.

A typical set menu: carrot and orange soup ,or crispy duck salad with pickled cucumber and tomato salsa; deep fried cod in beer batter with tartare sauce or grilled pork chop with sauteed cabbage and peppers with a red wine jus. Tells you everything you need to know about the food - modern but not too modern; tasty but not challenging; fused but not wacky; pleasurable, decent, wholesome grub at pleasurable, decent, wholesome prices. Cosy and comfy but not showy. Relaxed but not laid back. Booths for intimate chats. Short, sharp (as in smart) wine list.

Quick bites ... where to eat out in under 15 minutes

Telephone: 020-7723 3159.

Address: Raffles, 13 Craven Road, London W2.

For those times when food is a plain old life-saver. That's what a Big Ben breakfast at Raffles is for. On the morning after the Friday night thrash, when it's all you can do to find your own shoes, make your way to Craven Road and take a table on the pavement, one table leg in the traffic. A Big Ben is a wonderful thing, with all the usual suspects, properly cooked, and the best £2.99 you'll spend all weekend. The nursing staff are kind and uncensorious, and they know regulars' orders by heart. Not much to look at, maybe, but a true refuge from the storm and private medical practice at its finest.