Twenty pounds does not get you far in London. A sandwich, a drink and not much change, most days. But London food creator Hannah Ricketts admits she is a bit of a snob who likes somewhere nice on a budget, so she set out to see what 20 quid could really buy. Her first stop was Zedel, a Parisian style brasserie in the heart of Soho, a short walk from Piccadilly Circus.
The menu board outside told the story. Two courses for £16.99, three courses for £20. Upstairs is a chic cafe with artwork on the walls and newspapers hung on little wooden sticks. Downstairs, Ricketts says, is where the real show begins, and she could not hide her delight as she walked down. “Oh guys, is this fancy? Is it really £20?”
She describes a huge Parisian brasserie with gold, marble, uplighting, gorgeous floors, a glowing bar and a grand chandelier. In her words the art deco room looks like a Wes Anderson movie. Live music is played later in the evening, around 6:30, and she says the room gets very loud when it does, so it is worth checking the website for times.
Bread, Soup And A Hot Or Cold Question
Warm bread and creamy butter arrived at the table with the little Z logo on it. Ricketts points out that in the UK, bread is normally not free, though this arrives with a one pound cover charge. She called it light, fluffy and very nice.
Starters on the set menu were egg mayonnaise or potato and leek soup. Ricketts chose the soup, and the server asked if she wanted it hot or cold, because the dish is traditionally served cold in France. She went for warm. Her verdict: creamy, with a nice tang from chives and not too thick, a solid 8.5 out of 10. She admits afterward that she wishes she had tried it cold.
A Burger Shaped Steak With Serious Pepper
For the main course she picked the steak haché, which the menu calls American chopped steak, with peppercorn sauce. Other choices on the set menu included a curried dal with garlic naan. Her plate came with skinny fries, and a generous pour of sauce. She says the beef is a dense, good quality mince shaped into a patty, grilled on top and cooked a beautiful medium. The peppercorn sauce she called one of the tangiest, strongest she has had in a very long time, and she says the fries were crisp, golden and piping hot.
Dessert was a poached peach and blackberry sundae with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream and crumbs, which she called brilliant. Alongside it came a strawberry macaron with elderflower cream. To put the price in context, she says a burger and fries at Five Guys is about 12 quid, so a three-course meal at this price struck her as mad.
Where The Drinks Bill Bites
The set menu is the bargain, and Ricketts is clear that the drinks are where the brasserie makes its money. A Coke is £5.25. A pint is £8.50. A cocktail is around £14, which she says is normal for London these days, and non-alcoholic cocktails are £10. Wine is mostly sold in 175 ml glasses starting at £9.25, with champagne by the glass from £11. The Soho brasserie does bring free tap water, which she says is not guaranteed in London.
Her bill: the three courses at £19.95 plus the £1 cover charge, with a 15 percent service charge of £3 added, came to £23.94. Her verdict was that the set menu is a good way to try a more expensive restaurant at a good value, with fewer choices than the a la carte menu, and she would add Zedel to her list. The basement American bar, with art deco styling and comfy seats, is open for a nightcap, and the venue also hosts jazz, cabaret and a mind reader show at £24.50.
Round Two At Hawksmoor
For her second stop she headed to Hawksmoor in Covent Garden, a steakhouse some call the best in the UK, with 15 locations and eight in London. Its lunch and dinner set menu runs one course for £21, two courses for £26 and three courses for £30. She went for three courses, starting with potted beef and bacon, which arrived with two huge Yorkshire puddings, a steaming sweet onion style gravy and a pot of terrine with melted butter on top. She calls it humongous for a starter. A £10 Negroni during Negroni week was another bargain.
How To Eat Well On A Budget In London
- Look for set or prix fixe menus, which let you try a pricier restaurant at a fixed price.
- Go in the early evening, before live music pushes the volume up.
- Watch the drinks. A soft drink at £5.25 can add more to the bill than a dessert.
- Budget for the extras. A cover charge and a 15 percent service charge pushed a £19.95 meal to £23.94.
- Check opening times for the set menu before you travel, since food service can start later than the bar.
The takeaway from Ricketts is simple. The food and the setting at Zedel beat her expectations, and the set menu delivers. Just remember the Coke.
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