Covent Garden - lunch recommendation, please

Folks

We’ll be “dahn sarf” for an overnighter.

I’d thought lunch would have been a butty from somewhere but there’s a now time for sit down meal before the theatre matinee. Casual and tasty is the order of the day.

I spot Great Queen Street in the Good Food Guide but, as dinner is at Rules, wonder if it might be a bit of a Brit food overdose for one day. Any other reccs, please.

If you can be bothered with a short walk, Food House (Sichuan) on Shaftesbury Avenue will be closing in the next 3-6 months (part of the chinatown redevelopment of the area under the arches) It has excellent skewers and dumplings alongside a great chilli oil noodle dish and ma pa dofu.

Or maybe Homeslice in Neal’s Yard for Pizza? Or Balthazar?

It’s a few years (8 and 2.5 respectively) since I’ve been to these two, but they’re in the right area for you and I’d happily go back to either. I’ve added links to my writeups below, as well as the restaurants’ websites.

Hazuki, 43 Chandos Place, WC2N 4HS
http://www.hazukilondon.co.uk/
http://london.randomness.org.uk/wiki.cgi?Hazuki,_WC2N_4HS

Terroirs, 5 William IV Street, WC2N 4DW


http://london.randomness.org.uk/wiki.cgi?Terroirs,_WC2N_4DW

Kopapa is pretty good - I’m not sure whether you need to book midweek, but weekend brunch gets booked up weeks in advance.

A few of the decent small chains in that area - Dishoom, Opera Tavern, Polpo. There’s Flesh & Buns as well.

If you want casual and tasty I’d second the Kopapa rec. Also very different from Rules. I liked the Opera Tavern when I went but not all the dishes were a hit , also not as casual as Kopapa but by no means formal.

I will third Kopapa. There’s also Barrafina (no bookings) near the National Portrait Gallery. Most
of my other faves have been mentioned. I’ll be interested in your new review of Rules. We’ve been
trying to get there for awhile. I also like Balthazar, but it’s noisy… has good food. I guess it’s the New Yorker in me that makes me keep going there.

My thanks to all - although didnt see the posts after Hyperion’s until we got back home. We tried to get in at Balthazar but they were full. Went to Mishkins instead - good lunch and I’d go back there.

I reckon sooner than that Hyperion - I spoke to the landlords the other day and I think they want it out by beginning of next year to get that area finished by 2018. I need to get down there sharpish!