Dapur

13 Lamb's Conduit Passage
London WC1R 4RH

Once I read this review, I knew I had to find a lunch hour to pop by. It's only a 10 minute walk from where I work, but it's hidden down a little alley that I rarely walk through. Thankfully other people are good at discovering things for me. When I asked the lady behind the counter what she would recommend, she said she had tried both the chicken and lamb dishes that day and they were excellent, so I of course asked if I could have both, which was not a problem. I also said yes to all the extras on the side - including an incredible little sauce of fried, dried shrimps and chili and crunchy peanuts. It was all incredibly flavorful and on a sunny afternoon, the little tables outside are a lovely place to bask in the sunshine and have a fabulous, casual Malaysian meal.

Ho-ja

39 Goldhawk Rd
Shepherds Bush
London W12 8QQ

I was in Shepherds Bush for a gig and since I'm so rarely in the area, I had a quick look at interesting places for a casual dinner beforehand. Ho-ja popped up and as soon as I saw that it was Taiwanese, I was sold (my dad's from Taiwan, I miss that food sometimes). I went with popcorn chicken, which came with a generous scoop of rice, along with beansprouts and broccoli. You also choose a sauce, and I asked for curry - which essentially turned my meal into the Taiwanese version of a katsu curry. It was an ideal solo meal, cost less than a tenner, and fulfilled some nostalgia for me, so thumbs up all around!