ZMAng's Qype profile

Brilliant place not only if you’re a foodie, but also if you have a few tourist friends looking for something different (after the hours/days of museums and galleries). I usually go on a Saturday simply because all the stalls are there (hence a good number of samples to try). But do expect it to be extremely packed at that time.

Highlights for me are the cheeses and the meats, though they aren’t cheap.

The best place I know for fish and chips. Every time I go, it’s always a haddock and fries for me. And all that for less than 7 pounds despite the location its at. It can be very popular during peak periods and there won’t be any seating available then as this place is rather small. But you will still be able to take away, which is as fast as you can see them make it.

There are really only 2 guys and 1 waitress handling the store, but service is good because there aren’t too many people in the store at any one time.

At Kitchin N1, you’ll get a good selection of Thai, Indian, Italian and Chinese - though what really stands out is their Indian food. Both the kebabs and curries are particularly good, with the fresh naan (2 or 3 types) also a big plus.

The place is also very big, so it’s brilliant for a birthday party, and the day I had mine, there were another 2 birthday parties there as well.

And don’t forget how cheap it is during lunch, 6.95 pounds, or if you go for dinner on Sunday and Monday evenings, which is half-price (if you book online). 6.50 pounds for a buffet of tens of dishes is certainly worth it, and its only a stone throw away from King’s Cross station.

If I want to satisfy my craving for spicy chicken, Nando’s is where I’ll go. Their 1/4 Peri-Peri chicken with two small sides for 6 pounds is usually just enough for me, though sometimes I go 1/2 chicken instead as I like chicken, but not so much their sides. The rice side is sometimes especially bland, but that’s easily solved with Extra Hot Peri-Peri sauce.

I would suggest getting a Bottomless soft drink for 1.90 pounds as you will need it if you accidentally put too much spicy sauce on your chicken. If you really can’t take spicy though, don’t worry as they have garlic Peri-Peri sauce as well.

This branch of Fitness First used to be the gym I subscribed for before I changed to the nearby LA Fitness (which not only has a pool, but also has a student plan). It is certainly comprehensive enough in terms of equipment (except for the lack of a pool), but so will all other good gyms.

The price is the real issue, with my membership costing me 40 pounds a month, it wasn’t worth it. And this branch didn’t seem to want to given student memberships, as I’ve heard some branches do. Also, it isn’t open during the weekends. One good thing though is that it doesn’t get too full in the evenings.

As I stay just one block away, this is a place I frequently visit, and for good reason. The all-day breakfasts and omelettes are always fried to perfection, and for a good price. Their pork chops come with two big chops, plus fries, which is great value for something like 5-6 pounds. There’s the usual range of coffees and soft drinks.

Staff are efficient and friendly, plus there’s a small television if you really need it, but it’s not meant to be a football-watching joint - more for breakfast and lunch. You can also takeaway if you want to, though there is no extra charge for dining in.

The first time I came here was to use their 5-shirt cleaning for 5.99 pounds offer, which was remarkably cheap compared to the dry cleaners in this area. As this was a discount service, it took 2-3 days to come back, which was fine by me (they also have a more expensive express service which I’ve only used once).

Since then, I use them almost every month when I need my clothes perfectly cleaned and ironed, and also when I need to dry clean my suit. Service is courteous and efficient, which is more than enough. And they’ve never not met their deadlines before, which is more than I can say for some places.

I’ve only been here once, so you might want to take this review with a grain of salt. When my friends and I were here, they had an offer for 1/2 kg of mussels, plus a beer for just 9.95 pounds, which two of us had.

The food itself was okay, but the service could have been better. Despite not being very full, it took about 40 minutes for our food to arrive (and you would think the mussels would have been pre-cooked half way already).

The also have offers on Sunday, so if you intend to go, I suggest you use the offers just in case it doesn’t go too well. At least you paid less for it.

My first stop when I want to get my shoes repaired or to make spare keys. They are always extremely efficient and can get back to you within the hour if you need it. Pricing is very reasonable as well given that they are at a popular location (very near Holborn tube station).

They deal with both cheap and expensive shoes equally well, and also advise you if you’re treating your shoes wrongly or if they should be replaced - which they don’t really have to do for you. One of the guys there has been in the trade for tens of years, which is probably why your things turn out so well.

Brilliant place for barbecue food, especially if you go on a Tuesday night where all the combos go for only ten pounds (usually up to 15 pounds). This branch also has a special offer where you can get a rack baby back ribs, fries, coleslaw and a drink also for only 10 pounds. That’s cheap for the amount of meat you’re getting.

My preference is for the ribs since I think the pulled pork is pretty lousy. But besides these, they also serve chicken and assorted derivative dishes off these meat. Service was good, where waiters/waitresses were attentive and didn’t force the issue that some of our party hadn’t arrived yet.