Indian YMCA

‘When you’re short on your dough’ (Village People, geddit?), you can fill up on authentic curries at school-dinner prices in this utilitarian dining hall attached to the long-running Indian YMCA. The canteen is open to all (not just resident students), so join the merry crowd of office workers, tourists and bargain hunters as they queue up at the counter. Breakfast is an east-west mash-up, while the best Indian deals are on the lunch and supper menus. Check the pegboard for the day’s freshly prepared home-style dishes – the egg curry wins hands-down, but also expect mutton, fish and chicken, plus a couple of tandooris and biryanis, dhal, onion bhajis and the like. For afters? Tinned fruits! Set menus weigh in at under a tenner, and they provide takeaways too.