It’s that time of year: overspending on summer hols, student loans already starting to dwindle, and the start of the dreaded run up to saving for Christmas. The purse strings may be tight, but that doesn’t mean your rumbling tummy should go without.
A great lunch doesn’t have to be expensive, especially if you don’t mind trying something new, eating on the go, or teaming up with a friend to share.
A favourite fast, filling lunch option is to go for dumplings or gyoza. Hidden away by the Grafton Centre, Café Oriental on Burleigh Street and Zhonghua Traditional Snacks on Norfolk Street both serve a delicious selection of filled, steamed and fried oriental dumplings, with a chilli-spiked dipping sauce that will revive any miserable Monday lunchtime. 12 dumplings come in at less than a tenner, saving some pennies for a refreshing green tea on the side.
Street food is massively popular at the moment, and rightly so; it is freshly made to order, tastes great, and represents restaurant quality at affordable prices. Eat on the go at the city’s street food market, foodPark, on a Thursday and Friday lunchtime on Station Road and pick up a bargain from Inder’s Kitchen’s Kati roll menu (a huge hand-rolled bread roll packed with spiced veggie or meat fillings for around £4.50); or feast on Irie Man’s Caribbean lunch box of jerk BBQ or curry with rice and peas and all the trimmings for £5.
There are some local gems to be discovered if you’re on the hunt for big portions. The Urban Shed on King Street sells delicious paninis, big enough to share and affordable to eat alone if you’re really hungry! They’re huge, generously filled, and just £4.75. If you’re up for eating al fresco, grab a friend and choose a selection of fantastic fresh salads, pies and soups from Garden Kitchen café on Mill Road and make your own, very good value, picnic lunch.
Meal deals, be gone.
