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The Blacksmith’s Arms offers customers the best of both worlds: a good, traditional ‘boozer’ at the front, and a Thai restaurant serving tasty and authentic dishes at the back.

On arrival, we were greeted by the friendly waitress and although it was busy – both in the pub and in the restaurant, which is split over two rooms – we were shown to a table straight away.

For starters, we ordered chicken satay and spring rolls; £3.95 each but good size portions and tasty.

For mains, there was a large selection of dishes to choose from, with more unusual options including a range of Thai salads sitting alongside old favourites such as pad thai and red and green curry. All main dishes are rated Mild, Spicy or Hot, come with rice and are priced between £7.50 and £8, depending on which meat you chose (chicken, beef, prawn or duck).

I ordered the red curry with chicken, which was fresh and tasty with quite a kick (even after asking for it a bit milder! It was down on the menu as ‘Spicy’). My fellow diner ordered another curry dish (the name of which escapes me) which was also quite spicy but again well received.

To cool down, there’s a good selection of ales and lagers to choose from, including Singha Thai beer in bottles. There’s also a comprehensive wine list, offering wines which have been specifically chosen to complement the food and start at £14 a bottle.

With a couple of beers, our bill came to under £30 and we were both too full for dessert (although there were a number on offer, displayed on the chalk board).

My only criticism of the Blacksmith’s Arms was the service, which was a little slow, but the restaurant boasts a pleasant atmosphere, friendly staff and good food. And with the pub at the front, you’ll never be stuck on where to go for an after-dinner drink…

8/10

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

“Auddy’s Authentic Thai Cuisine” is one of the many Thai eateries setup in a London pub. Often I find the food outclasses the pub and this is certainly one of those instances I’m afraid. I’ve had the pleasure of eating Auddy’s food on many occasions over the years and my girlfriend and I have never been disappointed. It’s particularly good when the small patio is open in the summer and you can escape the smokey hordes in the pub - this is one of those pubs you feel may struggle to meet the new anti-smoking laws.

If we forget about the venue for the moment and focus on the food, I can happily report this is another fantastic cheap eat. There are the usual Thai classics you expect to find such as the cracking Massaman curry, stir fried chicken with cashew nuts (kai pad medmamuang) and Pad Thai. Alongside the classics there is a good variety of vegetarian dishes and Auddy also understands this means no Nam Pla (fish sauce). The Salad Churchills is excellent - sliced beef, with cucumbers, tomato, onion and a spicy lemon Thai dressing - although it has changed names since I last had the pleasure. On the whole the dishes maintain the truly authentic tastes you expect, with moderately spicy heat.

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On the down side I’ve sometimes found the deep fried fish cakes are a little overdone for my tastes, but aside from that, the portion sizes are fair and the food excellent. I have to say this is perhaps my favourite cheap eat in SW London, I only hope Auddy and his family eventually find some premises that do them justice. Churchills is a good pub, but it isn’t a place to enjoy food as good as this.

Auddy and Churchills can be found on St. John’s Hill, a five minute walk from Clapham Junction train station.

7.5/10