Mooli’s W1
Traditionally, you couldn’t get anything worth eating for a fiver in central London. Times, though, they are a-changing. Here are two recent débuts where you can do just that.
There aren’t many places in London where we’d positively look forward to a lunch for a fiver, but Moolis is the obvious exception.
Bright and extremely welcoming, this Soho diner specialises in moolis. Not a term known to you? Well, the management describes them – entirely accurately – as follows: ‘warm flavoursome fillings, zesty salsas, vibrant chutneys and crunchy salad, all rolled in a fresh homemade roti’.
This is one of those rare marketing propositions – the brainchild of a former banker and a forrmer management consultant, both of Indian extraction – that entirely lives up to its billing. The star dish really is addictive. Visit at lunchtime, and you even get a popadom and a soft drink thrown in, all for a fiver.
The bad news? Well, we can’t imagine that this brave one-off won’t shortly become a chain, which – history suggests – will almost certainly precipitate a decline in standards. So hurry along. On our most recent visit, a potential architect of what we assume to be branch number two was sitting on a neighbouring table with the owners, pitching.
Adagio W1
The same street has recently also seen the arrival of Adagio. It’s a less exciting proposition all round than Moolis but, similarly, if offers the prospect of a satisfying snack for around a fiver.
That sum would buy you a medium slice slice of tasty Roman-style pizza, and a soft drink. OK, you don’t get a setting of the greatest conviviality in which to consume it. If you’re going to spend a tenner a couple, though, you’ve got to be realistic.
Adagio W1
10 Greek St
020 7434 1255
