Don’t let the drain on your finances that was the festive season force you to eat in on dried pasta, mashed potato and baked beans, just read on for some cheap eats to take in at the end of a Soho sojourn. Korean, Italian, Chinese, American and British – it’s the UN of affordable eating...
Bi Bim Bap
A long time ago my brother told me he’d ‘snogged more birds’ than I’d had hot dinners - tssk. However, with the arrival of the cheap Korean Bi Bim Bap on the Soho scene I’m eating at least two hot dinners a day so I’ll soon have him eating those words - idiot! Enough about siblings though, how about more on Korea’s delicious national dish? A clay bowl filled with a concoction of rice, sautéed vegetables, chilli and meat, topped with a fried egg. Simple ingredients that create a solid eight out of ten meal for under £7.00. Boom Bam Bip!!
The Stock Pot
Ever have the urge for a school dinner, school canteen style? Well, look no further than the one and only Stockpot and its loosely defined mix of ‘British’ cuisine. If you haven’t been to Stockpot then you just haven’t lived – think bacon and liver, escalope and shepherd’s pie for main and apple crumble, treacle sponge or jelly of the day for dessert. Just as loved by those who pine for the dinners of the past as the hip kids who like a side of irony with their dumplings. Retro dining at its (very affordable) finest.
Lorelei
Cheap dining doesn’t have to be in and out roundabout dining and Lorelei of Bateman Street is the case in point. Just show up to this family run Italian and favourite of Soho booksellers and savour one of the area’s true remaining gems. Classics like prawn cocktail starters, lasagna and simple pizzas make up the menu and if that doesn’t seem exciting enough then how about the décor. A giant mermaid mural decorates one wall, Formica tables were here long before the trend for them arrived and you’ll find the lavatory in its own outhouse in the back yard. Can we use the word quirky just this once? It’s also BYO. One of Soho’s cheapest and best.
New Loon Fung
If you’re not in the know then walking up and down Gerrard Street looking for good Chinese food can feel a little like walking down Shoreditch High Street looking for a hip bar – most look good on the outside but who knows what lies beneath. New Loon Fung beats the overpriced New World for dim sum these days and feels as authentic as a Kowloon first floor – and there’s even a happy hour. Dumplings, sticky rice in lotus leaf, char siu bao and a whole bunch of fish and meat in cheung fun for two can be as little as £15.
Mishkin's
Stuck somewhere between uptown and downtown in terms of prices, Mishkin's is the kind-of-sort-of-Jewish-Deli by the same pair that launched Polpo and Polpetto. Relaxed dining it’s not but if you’re looking for somewhere a little more refined than a beigel shop to grab a mighty salt beef and pickle sandwich then this is surely it. The rest of the menu is a flared take on some of New York’s Lower East Side staples – think Knish, chopped liver and mac and cheese – and despite the price of the (hearty) sandwiches things just about refrain from floating away from the grasp of Soho cheap eat lists. Just. Mean cocktails too.
