Stockpot, Old Compton Street, London

What is it about the Stockpot? The daily photocopied menus of British and continental dishes? The double-take cheap prices? The prime Soho location? Nope. It's the food. How they serve such tasty lunches for typically under £5 is a mystery to me. How they do it while paying Soho rents doubly so.

I went for pork meatballs with pasta and a side of garlic bread for £5.20, one of two daily specials. The meatballs came after about 15minutes, but no sign of the bread. The waitress couldn't explain why, and dropped the item off my bill, which raised the agregate price of the meatballs to a whopping £4.40. The food itself was delicious and my mood, sitting at a table almost outside on the pavement, could not be dented by the pinball service. I know I'll eat there again whatever, it's got character that you just can't pay for.