Ladies and gentleman, Guardian Travel's quest to map London's best budget eating experiences continues apace and, today, we land in west London.
I had approached Kensington, Chelsea and beyond with some trepidation, assuming that "posh" London would offering slim pickings to a man in search of places where you can eat and drink well for £10 a head. Clearly, I am an idiot. Not only is west London much more varied than its reputation suggests - it's a 15 minute walk from Notting Hill to Shepherd's Bush and the two areas couldn't be more different - but I was also forgetting that where middle-class people flock together good food proliferates, some of it much cheaper than you might imagine. If there is one thing that people with money like it's a bargain.
It is slightly ironic, perhaps, that arguably the best value lunch in London (£7 for three courses at Books For Cooks) is to be found in gentrified Notting Hill, but it is not a gated community. Get over there and get stuck in. Likewise, others in my ten, such as Santa Maria Pizzeria in Ealing, Hereford Road Restaurant (whose set express lunch is another steal), Mr Christian's, Orange Pekoe in Barnes, or Sally Clarke's Kensington deli-cafe. Conversely, while the lively, sprawling Shepherd's Bush Market may not appear on many tourists' itineraries, a trip out to Mr Falafel or Abu Zaad would wow any foodie visitor to London.
But, as ever, this post is less about the places that I have included in my chosen ten and more about those places that I missed. Didn't have space for. Didn't get around to. Should Taqueria have made my Top 10? Is the breakfast at the Electric Brasserie worth shelling out for? Does anyone here love Lola & Simon? Is the Larrick pub one to add to the longlist? Heading back into town, is it worth picking and choosing from the limited sub-£10 dishes and platters at Iberica, or is Sufi - an amazing sounding Iranian grill restaurant - the notable omission from my list?
Come, west London, spill the beans and toast your own budget dining favourites.
