The Real Greek, 60 - 62 Long Acre, Covent Garden, London

To start with let me say this place is good food for value. Especially if you are into mediterranean cuisine you'll like it. As a beginner to greek cuisine I can't tell whether the dishes taste traditional but anyways they taste great. You can really feel that the ingredients used are fresh fresh!
In the picture you see Cretan Meal Deal, you choose couple of mezes and a main. Enjoy sharing!

After all I think a-la-carte items should be a little more cheaper. If you were to order meze individually they cost around 3-4 each. So you feel obligated to choose the sharer to get more value but then again the sharer options are limited to cheaper menu items.
I would still go there to try other dishes.

In my second visit I tried Soutzouki Souflaki; spicy beef sausage on flatbread topped with tzatziki. Intense taste and aroma but don't worry not that spicy plus yoghurt topping helps tone it down.

My third, fourth and ...visits followed as I got addicted to this place. Steamed baby potatoes are tasty and the red wine is fine. What I like about this place the most is manager Roman, such a fun guy! He must be tired as his restaurant is busy pretty much the whole time but he never shows. He is always cheerful and willing to have a few words with you :)

Tas Restaurant, 22 Bloomsbury St, London, WC1B 3QJ

My first Turkish restaurant visit in the UK. More to come!
The long and feastish lunch began with the starters (mezes). Honestly I didn't like any of them. When I see the dishes I could tell what they are but then they taste totally different than what I normally expected! As for the main, I chose Hunkar Begendi (lamb on a creamy-aubergine sauce). That is one of my favourites in turkish cuisine. Here the sauce was well prepared however the meat, I couldn't eat...I could never know that I would forget all about my disappointment in the main dish by the time I had my first bite of the dessert. Baklava was alright. But the chestnut and cream was a blast! It's a retouch to the chestnut candy; lighter and still full taste. As you can see in the picture, the display is also nice huh?
I will try some other main dish before a final verdict :)

Dim T, 2 More London Place, Tooley Street, London, SE1 2DB

Again a chain restaurant..
Location is lovely, if you get a window seat you could enjoy the view of Tower Bridge, cool!
Atmosphere is informal and elegant. Little dim at night though..
As a main I enjoyed my prawn sweet coconut rice noodles. Probably the tastiest and most filling noodle ever!
As a dessert we had fruit and marshmallow chocolate fondue, you can never be wrong about chocolate :=) Though I never had marshmallows before in my life, my friends were so nice not to make fun about it :))
The washroom is cleannn. Haha they also followed this invisible-door trend I see nowadays. Although it may seem like a brown wall, if you are lucky you can discover the door before it's too late :P They also play good music in there ;)
Prices are also moderate, worths a visit!

Hummus Bros, Victoria House 37-63 Southampton Row, WC1B 4DA, London

First of all this place is innovative in the sense that they use hummus which is usually a side dish as a base for mains (veggies, chicken, beef etc.). The hummus is a little creamy than I expected and it comes with a medium piece of pitta bread which is usually enough.
Chunky beef is my favorite along with mushrooms. Can't wait to try the guacamole next time! Though I don't understand why they treat tzatziki as a topping for mains rather than as a side dish...
One negative comment for the menu is for tabouleh and baklava, both are very dry.
Aloe vera juice is energizing, love it!
They bring complimentary salad/dessert and mint tea which is a lovely treat :)
Great value for money.

Ping Pong Dim Sum, 45 Great Marlborough Street, Soho, London W1F 7JL

Waow waow waow! What a great dinner!

Totally packed on a saturday night, luckily we had reservation for our group. The atmosphere is humble for its elegant décor.
This place eliminated the one big problem in chinese retaurants i.e ordering the right thing on the menu, by giving out a card where you mark the buns you want.
The dough covering the steamed buns is almost see-through, very thin which without stuffing your stomach with carbohydrates makes you feel full.

Vegetarian sticky rice parcels are wrapped with bamboo leaves, very light and fragrant.
The only feature that the place lacks is the chinese wheel-type tables. They have round tables alright but it doesn't help much if you ordered 15 boxes of buns and that there are 6 people trying to reach them :)
The prices are reasonable for such high quality food. Definitely going there again!

ÇokÇok, Beyoglu, Istanbul, Turkey (second visit)

After the disappointment from my first visit I didn't consider giving this restaurant a second chance. However I felt responsible after the anonymous comment to my entry, and went there again to give a fair rating after all.
There are mainly international customers which I perceived as a sign of quality and taste but it simply doesn't address my gusto.
This time I only had a main dish. Fried noodles with prawns (pad thai kung sod). Isn't fried noodles supposed to be a dry dish? Noodles were wet and sticky (maybe because of the sliced watery tofu pieces) The dish came with dry chillies and roasted peanuts on the side which made the dish edible. The prawns didn't taste good.
I have only positive comments about the place: service personnel are nice and softdrink prices are moderate.
Not going there again, sorry.

Köfteci Ramiz, Kazasker, Istanbul, Turkey

Although on a sunday night, the restaurant was very crowded.
The restaurant specializes in meat balls(köfte). Contrary to the traditional style, meatballs are served over a bed of bread (pide): I find it very practical, so that you don't have to tear off the bread with your hands. The meatballs are delicious! The side dish is simple-only tomatoes and pepper. The red pepper sauce wasn't tasty and could have been a little more spicy.
The salad bar is satisfactory. But of course, piyaz (cold dried beans) makes the best accompanying vegetable for the meatballs.
The menu includes couple of other meat dishes and desserts.
I had kadayıf and kemalpaşa tatlısı, the latter was amazing.
The prices are very moderate, even cheap for the high quality ingredients.
My only negative comment would be for the service. The staff didn't seem to be experienced. The place was very crowded and the staff couldn't keep the pace with the orders. For a fast food outlet, the rate of service is very important for customer satisfaction and we heard some customers grumbling...Since this restaurant is a new store of the chain, I'm sure the service quality will get better shortly.

Sarovar, Fürstenstr, Munich, Germany

It was a sunday evening therefore the place was peaceful and not crowded.
We ordered the easiest dish to the middle to share. We had sarovar thalis (mixed platter) which included various Indian delicacies such as beef masala, chicken tandoori and tikka...
We had extra rice and nan(flat bread) as usual.
Had lychee juice, it was good.
Staff was very friendly: Indian style:) We were asked if we would like mango liquor after the meal. It was a sweet shot, hopefully helps digest the large amount of food we had:)

Le Cap Breton, 2eme Arrondissement, Paris, France

As I cried for crepes to my french friends, this was the place they brought me to. Although we had a reservation, we still had to wait for some time. The place was simply packed. Because it is near the Opera, it's a pretty popular destination for after-show diners.
The savory crepes were meant to be the main dish. They lacked flavour.. A very thin crepe dough was simply topped with cheese, tomato etc. Maybe it didn't address my taste, because everyone around me seemed to enjoy their dish. The portions were french size, not much filling :)
The sweet crepes as dessert were not sugary at all. They were basically made from savory crepe dough and topped with chocolate, honey etc. I would like nutella, banana crepes sold at street counters much better :=)
But Cidre Bouché Brut (french liquor) was delicious and it is a good company to the meal. We had two big bottles of it!

Le Mouff'tot Mouffetard,5eme Arrondissement, Paris, France

A hidden gem in rue Mouffetard.
What makes this restaurant affordable is that they have fixed meal options.
I had a regular meal which included a starter, main dish and a dessert. I had avocado and shrimps as starter, meat as main dish and chocolate mousse as dessert. For approximately 15 E that's a good deal!
The menu includes many different dishes, seafood is the highlight, recommended.
Staff is friendly. After lunch, we were even offfered coffee for free :) Doesn't happen that often in bars these days.
Inside there is a bar counter where you can get a few drinks in this gloomy room.
It has a very small WC, attention for ladies wanting to refresh their make-up.

Happy Moons, Bağdat Cad.,Istanbul, Turkey

You are out, alone or with friends, looking for a trendy and cheap place to eat and chill. This is the way to go. Menu has numerous fast food dishes along with more meal like options.
They are all very filling; actually I'm still trying to figure out why they serve gigantic burritos:=)
Mexican dishes are satisfactory, they come with classical side dishes like sweet mash and beans.
Their summer hit is home made lemonade with mint leaves.
Coming to the atmosphere, they have cool american-style decoration. The music is never too loud.
Especially young people's choice.

Japon Kültür, Taksim, Istanbul, Turkey

Cheap Japanese food in Istanbul?
As students we cannot afford the Japanese restaurants in five star hotels, so can this be the way out? Well, unfortunately lower prices came along with bad taste:(
Soba, Udon: no flavour at all..
Sushi: we had three platters of various sushi. It wasn't anything special, and what is that sauce on top of sushi ?? I think that sauce goes well with japanese salad not sushi...
Tea: nice that they had the tea biscuits, however tea flavour was not satisfactory..
They have tables and also tatami room but these soesn't compensate for the disappointment in food.

Le Bistrot d'Henri, 6eme Arrondissement, Paris, France

What is special about this place?
It is small
It is cozy
It is original
Maybe more importantly, it has the best meat and wine ever!

It is situated in a small street. If it was not our French friends, we would have never found this place.
First of all the restaurant is very french, menu is all french, staff speaks french. It can be hard for tourists to order, but it doesn't matter, order something and it will taste great anyways! Our french friend ordered three dishes to the middle and we shared. Meat was cooked medium-just enough to enjoy the flavour.
Accustomed to labeled wines, we found it weird that the wine came in a plain bottle with no labels. However the first sip, the first glass and those that followed(!) proved it again and again that their home-made wine tasted awesome.
We were lucky to sit at the table by the window near the entrance where you get the best view of the street. The staff is very friendly, he asked us if we liked our meal and he was kind to try to understand my french:)
Lastly, such a great dinner comes at a moderate cost as compared to paris bistros.
A spot not to be missed out in your paris trip :)

ÇokÇok, Beyoglu, Istanbul, Turkey

Those who crave for decent Asian food in Istanbul know what I mean when they finally hear that a Thai restaurant is opened. It's been a year, I headed with a group of friends to this restaurant in search for some traditional Thai dishes.
The place is well-decorated, reflecting the Thai style. Definitely try the second floor where you can sit on the mats for a real Thai experience:) Attention: It is dark inside the restaurant
The menu seems to have it all which got us even more excited. However the dishes lacked flavour. Red and green curry didn't taste real Thai, maybe because adjusted to Turkish taste...And where is Thai aubergine in the curry?? Chicken satay is such a disaster! It tastes like sis kabap with a weird sauce.
Lychee dessert: Great, or is it?! It should have been indicated in the menu that it was canned fruit, so pretty disappointing for the ones expecting fresh lychee.
One very positive comment about the place: They have quite a lot of various tea flavours-from the classics like jasmine to oolong and many others. Tea comes with a small pot, well brewed and kept warm with candle light at the bottom.
Restaurant is pricy especially considering that you can eat much better Thai dishes in Asia for one fifth of the price!

Sarı Köşk, Emirgan, Istanbul, Turkey

Looking for smart prices in a richly decorated setting, Sarı Köşk is the place to go!
Weekend brunch is their specialty. Brunch buffet has anything you can imagine for a hearty breakfast. Brunch is around 20 TL (all you can eat style!) Attention: Tea is included in the price, but orange juice comes at a cost.
Easily accessible with public transportation.
Situated in the lovely Emirgan grove, the restaurant offers a quiet meal by the nature.
After the breakfast, take the path down the villa to digest and to freshen up. There are picnic spots along the way.
If you are in the mood for some cultural activity try the nearby Sabanci Museum.

Num Num, Kanyon AVM, Istanbul, Turkey

+ Good value for price
+ Entertaining menu with creative text
+ 4-people tables are large and comfy
+ Dishes are filling
+ Although packed on a saturday night the staff is still caring :=)

- Not a place for a chillout, very loud music!
- Gotta work more on the desserts.

Kitchenette, Palladium AVM, Istanbul, Turkey

+ Menu was kept quite simple -only 2 pages- which decreases the decision time.
+ Nice dish presentation
+ Although there was a smoking section in the restaurant, you could feel no smoke, very well ventilated.
+ Birthday cake was delicious!

- It was very expensive considering that they offer neither creativite recipes nor high quality service. Main dishes cost around 25-30 TL, even soft drinks are 7 TL which is ridiculous!
- Turkish tea was charged although it came in the form of an offering.