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This is little cheap eats cracker for those of you living or working near to Wandsworth Town. Nestled on the South Circular at the bottom of West Hill, this lunch time only Thai “take away” is definitely worth a visit. It’s a tiny little place and although it’s called a take away it does have seating inside for about 15 or so people. When I turned up just after 1pm there was a short queue but it quickly grew until it was a long way out the door. Many of the customers ordered a take away box but I decided to eat in and get a real feel for the place.

So how was it I hear you ask?

Well, generally it was very good. The menu isn’t extensive but what they have looks and tastes great. The food isn’t cooked fresh for each customer, instead you have a range of options kept warm on a Bain Marie / hot plate and served by a friendly little Thai lady. I ordered a plate of egg fried rice with a Thai red chicken curry and a portion of beef in black been sauce. I was also offered some chilli sauce which rather foolishly I accepted. Believe me when I say you don’t want too much of this stuff, unless you really know your chillies - it’s not for the feint hearted. There are also a small range of other sauces on a side table should you wish to liven up your lunch even more.

The Thai curry tasted quote authentic although it didn’t really have the rich spicy flavours I’ve come to expect from other Thai cheap eats. The beef was very succulent and tasty and despite being a strange mix with the Thai curry I was pleased to have tried a variety of dishes. The egg fried rice was excellent and plentiful and overall I was very pleased. It was a large plate of food and all for the handsome price of £3.20.

Looking around the cafe I could see a lot of happy faces, with people tucking into spare ribs, sweet and sour and about half a dozen other dishes. The other diners were mostly local office workers and I suspect this place is a bit of a local legend. I know for a fact next time I work from home I’ll be popping in. I’ve been trying to think of a negative for this review and the only one I can think of is the place only opens at lunch time. What a shame for those who live locally and work in town.

For the price this is an essential cheap eat.

Overall rating 9/10.

The Wok Wok restaurant is situated in a great location, near the cross roads of Battersea Rise and Northcote Road near to Clapham Junction. It was always somewhere we have pondered going to but never quite made it, probably because in this area there are so many other restaurants and bars around. However, last week, after checking out the menu and finding it could definitely be classed as a “cheap eat”, myself and my friend thought we would give it a go.

If you love Asian food then this is the place for you. With an extensive range of Thai and Chinese dishes on the menu costing as little as a fiver, (with lots of options for the vegetarians among us too) this is a cheap eat that cannot be missed.

Well the way to my heart is with food, so being greeted with a huge basket of prawn crackers and dip whist choosing our food was a real winner and meant the place earned points before we’d even started (even though I couldn’t eat them being a vegetarian and all). Still I love it when restaurants give that little extra to please their customers, it doesn’t take much to give that personal touch and goes a long way.

I had the cashew nut, tofu and vegetable option which looked fab and I was surprised to find came as quite a hearty portion for under a fiver! At that price it was great – not massively flavoursome but I think I am being a little picky there. (Be careful when ordering vegetarian food as like any real Asian food place they add fish sauce to most things – just mention that you would like it taken out).

My friend however went for the chicken pad Thai which was done with the chunkier style noodles and came on a massive plate. At £5.50 – what a bargain! She seemed to enjoy it.

All in all this is a definite recommendation for somewhere to eat on a budget. For two drinks, and two main meals (beware of the service charge on top mind you) it came to just £16 in total. The food and service was good and to end your true Asian experience they finish your meal with a fortune cookie or two. But the beauty is this meal didn’t cost a fortune!!!

Overall rating 8/10

My latest cheap eat is an Asian cafe / restaurant called good Morning Vietnam that is opposite the main entrance to Clapham Junction train station. Before last week I’d eaten there just once before and seem to remember having a reasonable experience, with decent food and huge portions. I haven’t been back since as my wife’s experience was not so encouraging - she found a long black hair in her dinner.. nice.

Still, after a few bevies on Friday night three friends, my wife and I decided a cheap eat would be ideal and with this place being local it got the vote. We stumbled in around 10pm ish and ordered the buffet for four and a vegetarian selection for my wife. The food arrived fairly promptly and the service was efficient, if not particularly friendly - but then it was late in the evening.

However, unfortunately I have to say the quality was questionable, with huge quantities of MSG to every dish and ribs with barely any edible meat on them. The crispy duck pancakes were great though, which is pretty much this place’s only saving grace. Having travelled to Vietnam I would also say this is far from an authentic experience.

Overall I can only say I was disappointed. It looks promising from a cheap eats perspective and it’s frequently busy. I can only assume each customer is a new one, because I for one am fairly unlikely to go back. Shame, it’s in a great location and could do very well indeed.

Overall rating 5/10