Mandalay

A few touristy posters of Burma are just about the only eye-catching feature of this small, unassuming café in the drab northern reaches of Edgware Road. Yet Mandalay has a reputation for authentic home-style cooking among students, the Burmese community & the gastronomically adventurous. Burmese food absorbs influences from China, India & Thailand, so expect plenty of stir-fries, curries, rice & noodles, pepped up with aromatic spices, fresh herbs & fish sauces, & mellowed down with coconut milk & roasted chickpea flour. Vegetable & shrimp fritters, samosa salad & delicately flavoured bottle-gourd soup are the must-try dishes; other favourites include light & fluffy omelette curry. Lunch deals, from £3.90, are ludicrously good value.