Food&Drink C h e a p
Ea t s THE MANNA HOUSE
In the post-Christmas lull, when every penny counts, you can still eat well for not much money. David Pollock picks five cheap, but quality, eateries 22-24 Easter Road, themannahousebakery.co.uk Sit-in space is limited, but Easter Road patisserie The Manna House is worth doing as a takeway option. From their croissants and delicately designed cakes to savoury tarts and shortcrust pies, the whole range is a delight. Worth it for a loaf of their bread, even.
EDINBURGH UNDER A FIVER
MID-RANGE HANEDAN
THE MOSQUE KITCHEN 31 Nicolson Square, mosquekitchen.com Now relocated from its former al fresco spot outside Edinburgh’s mosque, the café-style Mosque Kitchen still serves a fine range of halal meat and vegetable curries in no-fuss polystyrene dishes for under £5 including rice, alongside breads, kofta kebabs and Indian sweets.
ILLEGAL JACK’S 113-117 Lothian Road, illegaljacks.co.uk A fast food option with a difference on Lothian Road, serving thick-packed, build-your-own burritos, tacos and quesadillas. Add your choice of meat, beans and home-made guac and salsa sauces to a foil wrap of Tex Mex delight for under £7, also serving fajitas, salads and nachos from £7-12.
Red Squirrel
34 THE LIST 5 Jan–2 Feb 2012
For more food and drink visit list.co.uk/food-and-drink
RED SQUIRREL 21 Lothian Road, fullerthomson.com/eating-and- drinking/red-squirrel One of a few venues making the north end of Lothian Road a new dining destination, this quirky pub offers good food at cheap prices, including homemade burgers or fish and chips for around £7-£9 or sharing ‘planks’ (cheeses, ham, artisan bread and chutney) at £12 between two.
UNDER £20 BIA BISTROT
19 Colinton Road, biabistrot.co.uk A welcoming family restaurant, the relatively new Bia Bistrot is a real find, offering locally and seasonally sourced mains like venison haunch and partridge breast alongside a fine wine list. Great value at any time, but the set menu (£9.50 for two courses, £11 for three; Tue to Sat lunch and early dinner) is amongst the best deals in Edinburgh.
41 West Preston Street, hanedan.co.uk A Southside institution amongst fans of Turkish food in Edinburgh, Hanedan offers a range of meze and fish specials alongside delicately charcoal-grilled lamb and meat mains. Two-course lunch is only £8.95, but a similarly sized dinner won’t set you back more than £15.
GLASGOW UNDER A FIVER
THE BANANA LEAF 105 Albert Drive, thebananaleaf.co.uk The original Dumbarton Road branch is well-renowned for the cheap and cheerful café atmosphere. For value though this second branch’s £3.99 thali lunch is hard to beat.
PIECE 1056 Argyle Street, laucknerandmoore.com Tom Lauckner and John Moore’s gourmet sandwich bar/coffee shop in Finnieston serves one of the best ‘pieces’ in Glasgow, with Thai pork and
ham, egg mayo and cheddar sandwiches all under a fiver. Make space for a gorgeous cake too, if you can.
MID-RANGE
STEREO 20-28 Renfield Lane, stereocafebar.com
A trendy bar and club venue in the ground floor and basement of a Charles Rennie Mackintosh building, Stereo offers affordable food all week long and some great off-peak deals, including pasta for £5 on Tuesday, a daily special for £5 on Wednesday and best of all, five generous tapas plates for £10 on Monday.
LUCKY 7 CANTEEN 166 Bath Street, lucky7canteen.co.uk The shabby chic ‘love child of an empty tummy and a fragile bank balance’ offers no-frills at an affordable price. The best deals are their ‘Lucky 7s’, mains like battered fish and chips, coq au vin and homemade beef burger for £7.
UNDER £20 STRAVAIGIN
28 Gibson Street, stravaigin.co.uk With an outlook on food which begins in Scotland and explores the world, Stravaigin is one of Glasgow’s most beloved fine dining outlets. Yet the lunch and early/late dining menus are anything but exclusive, with the café bar offering soup and a main for £10 during the day.
PINTXO 562 Dumbarton Road, pintxo.info Described recently by Joanna Blythman as ‘stylish but not bourgeois, cosmopolitan but local, fresh but familiar’, this high-quality and popular tapas bar offers a range to suit all budgets. Plates are priced between £1.95 and £5.95, with a lunchtime and early dining menu from which three tapas cost £8.95.
Special mention also to The Roxy 171 (171 Great Western Road) in Glasgow and Bell’s Diner (7 St Stephen Street), The Mosque Kitchen (31 Nicolson Square), Hanam's (3 Johnston Terrace) and Cafe Piccante, (19 Broughton Street; 7 East Norton Place) in Edinburgh.