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Inshoku is a Japanese restaurant situated on Lower Marsh SE1, just a few metres further up (on the opposite side) from the Queen of Cheap Eats – Marie’s Café.

I’d been recommended Inshoku by a lady I’d met the week before at a work-related event and she claimed it served “the best sushi in London” (everyone’s got a favourite cheap eat it seems…). So when we went on a Friday night after work, expectations were high.

The restaurant’s a fair size with lots of tables but on the night we went, somewhat surprisingly we were one of only two other couples in there (although it got busier as the night progressed).

Inshoku offers a wide range of Japanese food. Both my fellow diner and I plumped for a bento box for £7 (which I think are only available ‘til 8pm): chicken katsu (breaded chicken) and chicken teriyaki respectively.

The miso soup (included in the price) arrived promptly and the rest of the meal soon followed. Both dishes came with rice and half an orange (presumably to cleanse the palette after eating); the chicken katsu also included a salad and the teriyaki deep fried battered vegetables (similar to tempura). We also ordered a small plate of mixed sushi for about £5.

Overall the food was pretty good and reasonably priced, and the service quick and efficient, if a little unfriendly.

And how was the sushi I hear you ask; was it the best in London? Well, not having tried every sushi restaurant in the capital, I’m not sure I’m really in a position to confirm or refute such a claim. However, two businessmen behind us ordered the sushi platter and I have to admit, it looked pretty damn good…

7.5/10

Located just off Piccadilly Circus, Ryo is a Japanese noodle bar that we stumbled across late at night, in search of something to eat more substantial than a burger.

You order and pay at the counter, as you walk in, and then take a seat and wait for your food to be brought over.

They do a typical range of Japanase dishes: sushi, ramen, noodles and rice dishes, all for about £6 or £7, and also, I was pleased to see, Japanese lager Asahi Super Dry.

We both ordered the katsu curry (deep fried pork fillet in breadcrumbs served with curry sauce and rice), which was tasty and filling - even without the complimentary bowl of miso soup. One criticism would be the curry sauce; I think it’s microwaved on the plate, so it had a sort of ’skin’ on the top, but don’t let that put you off - fortunately it tastes better than it looks!

Ryo is open late - til 3am. Always worth remembering when you’re on the hunt for a cheap eat after a night out in the West End. The place itself is a little gloomy, but then perhaps a lot of places are at that time of night.

5.5/10

With a number of locations in and around the City, the Japanese Canteen tends to cater for local office workers looking for an alternative to the usual sandwich (a fact reflected in both busy periods and opening hours). And this one situated in the back streets between St Paul’s and Fleet Street is no exception.

Pick yourself up some sushi from the cold cabinet or choose from a range of hot dishes (including katsu, teriyaki, curry and yaki udon) and wait til they call your number. Then it’s just a case of finding yourself a stool and wolfing it down.

From my experience, the quality can vary from visit to visit (especially the rice, which can be a little on the stodgy side), but then Japanese Canteen serves a purpose – hot, fast food for under a fiver that’s just right for a lunchtime snack.

I’d recommend the chicken katsu curry.

6.5/10