Gruel Britannia: Food in ol' Blighty?

Pizza Express ... to avoid all the aforementioned stodge.

Pie Floater = South Australia (definitely not Queensland)

British food is one thing... but in London you have the opportunity to try food from all round the world. I'd take in a couple of British classics, Fish and Chips and a Sunday Roast... but personally I love nothing more than wandering around Borough Market, and the South Bank Food Fair behind the National Theatre (there are a couple in Camden and Shoreditch too, but I haven't done those yet, just wandered through), and trying all the street food dishes from all kinds of countries. Not everything is a smash hit taste wise, but you will find some real gems. Get a dish each from two stalls and share, rather than two dishes from one stall, and maximise your tasting adventures!

If the weather is bad, Westfield White City has 50-60 good quality food outlets, all indoors... and especially in the food court, you can get starter, main and desert from all different places while staying at the one table.

A 'bob' is 5p by the way... so 100 'bob' is £5... you might starve! But with a budget of 100 quid... you'll do well.

Enjoy!

The main places you'll get traditional British food of reasonable quality are pubs (quality can be quite variable) or a few very expensive restaurants like St John. Fish and chips is best from a specialist shop, which is more likely to be takeaway than sit-down.

"Pizza Express ... to avoid all the aforementioned stodge."

And pizza isn't stodge??

OK, djp_syd and Keith, dare I ask? What is a pie floater? I took my granddaughters to Pizza Express near Waterloo last month. It was pretty good; they loved it. They serve pints there.

Pizza Express (despite the dodgy sounding name) is an attempt at an authentic Italian pizza, thin base, top quality fresh, non processed ingredients. Pizza Hut, Domino's and the like are American Pizza, which is fine if you like that kind of thing, and many do... personally I don't. To heavy (stodgy) for me.

I think a pie floater is very similar to our pie and mash, but with more gravy, into the middle of which the pie is placed (floats) and the mash on top... but I'm no expert.

To clarify... a 'floater' in the UK, is a VERY different thing!... I won't clarify further.

Tayyab's in Whitechapel for some Pakistani/Punjabi lamb chops and such. Easily the best meal I've had in my 2 visits to London.

Poppie's for fish and chips.

Have you looked into booking a tour at the Fuller's brewery? They're located off the Tunham Green stop of the District Line. Pints at the end of the tour!

You can also tour the Meantime Brewery in Greenwich.

I found the pubs to be the best value for the evening meal money. Most pubs have gone well-beyond the meat pie and fish & chips menu and the food was surprisingly good. Although, a good meat pie isn’t to be missed, even if it has kidneys.

Other options, at least for lunch, are the street markets. Borough Market is a foodie paradise and Portobello Road Market had some of the best paella I've ever had. The street food was fabulous and cheap! I just wish the markets were open in the evening...

The cafeterias and cafes in the larger tourist venues are surprisingly good but they can be a little expensive. They are, however, convenient...

The Whole Foods Market has some surprisingly good take-away if you happen to be close to one. And both Harrods and Selfridges have food courts of surprisingly good value.

Out of the corporate chain restaurants, the only one in London that sticks out in my memory is Giraffe. Although, I had a really good meal at a Zizzi Ristorante in Edinburgh so it may also be a contender as they have several London locations.