Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Mon-Wed noon-3.15pm & 6-11.15pm, Thurs & Fri
noon-3.15pm & 6pm-12.15am, Sat noon-4.15pm &
6pm-12.15am, Sun noon-4.15pm & 6-11.15pm.
Salt Yard
54 Goodge St, W1
T
020 7637 0657,
W
saltyard.co.uk;
!
Goodge Street; map p.97.
This
sleek, stylish charcuterie/tapas bar brings a dash of Italy to
the proceedings, too. Dishes use the finest ingredients -
the rarest hams, tru
es - on seasonally changing menus.
Try the signature courgette flowers stuffed with goat's
cheese and drizzled with honey (£7.95). Tapas/small plates
£4-9.
Mon-Fri
noon-11pm
(bar
snacks
only
3-5.30pm), Sat noon-11pm.
BLOOMSBURY
CAFÉS
Abeno
47 Museum St, WC1
T
020 7405 3211,
W
www
.abeno.co.uk;
!
Tottenham Court Road or Holborn; map
p.120.
Small Japanese place that specializes in hearty
okonomiyaki
(£9.50-25), a cabbage, egg and ginger pancake
filled with pork, bacon, seafood, cheese, tofu - the sky's the
limit - prepared before your eyes. Noodles and interesting
side dishes, too. There's another branch,
Abeno Too
, on Great
Newport St near Leicester Square.
Daily noon-10pm.
Bloomsbury Coffee House
20 Tavistock Place, WC1
T
020 7837 2877,
W
bloomsburycoffeehouse.co.uk;
!
Russell Square; map p.120.
This basement coffee bar, a
popular place for local students to chill out, study and chat, is
a cosy little hideaway. Savoury dishes are healthy and
comforting, and the coffee and home-made cakes, are great.
Free wi-fi.
Mon-Fri 8am-4.30pm, Sun 8am-12.30pm.
Ì
Hummus Bros
Victoria House,
37-63 Southampton
Row, WC1
T
020 7404 7079,
W
hbros.co.uk;
!
Holborn;
map p.120.
Fabulous fresh hummus and a choice of toppings
- chicken, fava beans, mushroom, guacamole - with pitta
bread, feta, tabbouleh and the like on the side (plates from
£5). Don't miss their refreshing mint and ginger lemonade.
Also takeaway. Branches on Cheapside in the City, on Wardour
St in Soho and on Exmouth Market in Clerkenwell; the latter
two are open at the weekends.
Mon-Fri 11am-9pm.
Occupying an old granary building in the rapidly
redeveloping area behind King's Cross/St Pancras station -
now home to St Martin's School of Art - this trendy, busy
fusion restaurant is popular for breakfast (coconut bread
with lemon cream cheese and poached rhubarb?) or
brunch (parmesan grits, girolles and boar sausage?), with
an all-day menu of small plates, pizza and heartier dishes.
The priciest mains are around £16, but you can spend as
little as £4 for a snack. Takeaway coffee, cakes and pizza,
too.
Mon & Tues 8am-10.30pm, Wed & Thurs
8am-11pm, Fri 8am-midnight, Sat 10am-midnight,
Sun 10am-4pm.
Ì
Diwana Bhel Poori House
121-123 Drummond
St, NW1
T
020 7387 5556;
!
Euston; map p.120.
On a
street lined with good, cheap Indian restaurants, this South
Indian veg diner wins out for its scrumptious all-you-can-
eat lunchtime buffet (£7) and huge thalis brimming with
fresh, flavoursome dishes.
Dishes from £4. BYOB.
Daily
noon-11pm.
GAIL's Kitchen
11 Bayley St, WC1
T
020 7323 9694;
map p.120.
The setting, linked to a hotel, isn't inspiring,
but you get good wholesome and creative comfort food,
from Taleggio and tru
e toasties to clam and bean stew, in
this restaurant offshoot of the
GAIL'
s artisan bakery chain;
sharing plates from £7. The bakery, on the other side of the
hotel, serves bread, scones and cakes, along with good
salads and savouries to eat in or take away.
Mon-Thurs
noon-3pm & 5.30-10.30pm, Fri & Sat noon-3pm &
5.30-11pm, Sun noon-4pm.
24
RESTAURANTS
Caravan
1 Granary Square, N1
T
020 7101 7661,
W
caravankingscross.co.uk;
!
King's Cross; map p.120.
COVENT GARDEN AND THE STRAND
CAFÉS
Canela
33 Earlham St, WC2
T
020 7240 6926,
W
canelacafe.com;
!
Covent Garden or Leicester
Square; map p.132.
A casual little Brazilian/Portuguese
café-bar that serves up strong coffee, cakes and a few hot
dishes including warm cheese bread and
feijoada
, the pork
and bean stew. The high-ceilinged, chandeliered interior is a
nice place for a coffee and a
pasteis de nata
, or sit outside
with a Caipirinha and watch the action on Seven Dials.
Mon-
Wed 9.30am-10.30pm, Thurs & Fri 9.30am-11.30pm,
Sat 10.30am-11.30pm, Sun 10.30am-8pm.
Ì
Food for Thought
31 Neal St, WC2
T
020 7836
0239,
W
foodforthought-london.co.uk;
!
Covent
Garden; map p.132.
This minuscule veggie restaurant and
takeaway is a very old friend in Covent Garden - dishing
out its hearty veggie/vegan soups, salads, hot dishes and
desserts for nearly forty years. The menu changes daily, but
always features favourites like strawberry and banana
“scrunch”. Expect to queue and to get cosy with your
neighbour at peak times. Hot dish with salads around £7.
Mon-Sat noon-8pm, Sun noon-5pm.
Homeslice Pizza
13 Neal's Yard, WC2
T
020 7836 4604,
W
homeslicepizza.co.uk;
!
Covent Garden; map p.132.
Homeslice
, a popular street food fixture, now has a
permanent home in this lively Covent Garden courtyard.
Wood-fired and thin-crust, the pizzas are piled high with
delicious toppings, from smoked trout, baby beets and goat's
curd to courgette and artichoke; it's de rigueur to wash them
down with Prosecco (which is on tap). £4 per slice or £20 for
a 20” pizza.
Mon-Sat noon-11pm, Sun noon-6pm.
