Quality Asian food for less with East Street's lunchtime offers

Working in the Soho/Fitzrovia area, with its humongous choice of lunch options, can be pretty bad for both my waistline and wallet. You can sample every cuisine imaginable within a square mile, yet for a price which is likely to have you retreating away from the till. 

Step in East Street, a restaurant on Rathbone Place which offers fresh pan-Asian cooking and regular great value offers. Despite it's modern, Westernised look, East Street serves an impressive mix of authentic Thai, Vietnamese, Malaysian, Indonesian, Filipino, Korean and Singaporean cuisine, allowing you to broaden your horizons beyond the Chinese dishes you might be most familiar with.

Decked out with bright Asian street signs and featuring a large screen playing anime on loop, East Street is perfect for a fun quick lunch with friends. Mains come in at between £7 and £11, but the Eastern Express Menu (available daily between 12 and 6pm) contains great choices which won't disappoint. For just £8.95 you can help yourself to one of 4 dishes (or 2 more if you pay an extra £1) and get an accompaniment of either Tod Man Khao Pod, Miso Soup, Gyoza or Goi Cuon. I'd recommend the Pad Krapow, a Thai dish of chicken breast quick-fried with red chillies, fresh Asian basil and red pepper, served with steamed jasmine rice as its not just delicious, but pretty healthy too. Twin that with the Japanese Gyoza, griddled dumplings of minced pork, bamboo shoot and spring onion, and you've got yourself a filling, satisfying lunch for under a tenner.

One of the best things about East Street is that they are always putting on special offers in addition to those advertised on their website, so it is well worth signing up to their mailing list via the link here. Their current offer is a whopping 50% off the new Grab & Go menu which includes salads, baguettes and their hot dish of the week. I got an incredibly large and delicious grilled chicken salad for just £2.49 with this voucher, so it's definitely worth downloading for if you ever find yourself in the area stuck for a quick bite to eat. The offer is valid until 10th May so get your voucher here and start saving some cash. For the students among you, the restaurant also offers a 20% discount at any time on any dish, but not the Eastern Express Menu.

Splashing out? Head north up Rathbone until you get to Charlotte Place, a charming little passageway crammed with coffee shops and restaurants. Check out the cafe Lantana and enjoy some top of the range coffee and cake. Their website is here. 

Escape the crowds at Fitzrovia's mini galleries

If you work in Fitzrovia and want to do something interesting with your lunch break, or find yourself waiting for a friend at Oxford Circus and can't face the world's busiest Topshop, then I'd recommend checking out the scatterings of small art galleries which populate Fitzrovia.

Chris Bracey- Love and Hate at Scream Gallery

The area bordered by Euston Road, Tottenham Court Road, Great Portland Street and Oxford Street has been a renowned artistic community since the mid-1920s, yet in recent years a growing number of cutting edge galleries have opened, showcasing a surprisingly extensive range of the visual arts in their small collections.

I am certainly no art buff, but I think that's why I love the galleries so much. They are small (many are just one room), silent and devoid of tourists which means that rather than being pulled towards whichever work most people are crowded around, I can go at my own pace and concentrate on the pieces of the collection which naturally draw my attention. The small size also means that you can visit a number of galleries within a short period of time. In my hour lunch break I explored Scream Gallery, Art First and the Rebecca Hossack Gallery- all  very different and rewarding in their own way.

Liane Lang's 'Fallen' exhibition

My first visit was to Scream, where I was greeted by a giant neon dagger breaking through the gallery’s window. London-based light artist Chris Bracey’s first solo exhibition contains neon lights emblazing messages of religion and pop-culture. Prepare to see a gun-wielding Jesus, an angel holding an ‘on-air’ sign and illuminated lyrics from The Smiths. The exhibition is lively, interesting and has brightened up Eastcastle Street at the start of this grey Spring. Find out more about Scream here.

I then moved a couple of doors down the road to visit Art First. This gallery was split into two exhibitions, the first being Simon Lewty's artistic presentation of the lost shorthand system called 'Tachygraphy' and the second Liane Lang's exploration of defaced monuments of dictators and deposed leaders. I loved the peacefulness of the gallery, particularly as some of Lewty's works were lengthy narratives which required concentration to be fully appreciated. The dreamy nature of his writing was complimented perfectly by the silent, white-walled gallery, and it was easy to be transported away from the busy London streets outside. Lang’s exhibition downstairs provided a similar sanctuary, yet her deformed miniature sculptures of former leaders and photographs of people treating the original structures in an unconventional manner provided humour which was absent from the works upstairs. Both thought-provoking in their different ways, if Art First sounds like your cup of tea their website is here.

Simon Lewty's 'Absorption' exhibition 

I next crossed a few streets to the charming little Rebecca Hossack Gallery on Charlotte Street. The gallery does not have many pieces, but Hossack’s strong reputation for showcasing bold and energetic art means that the work that is up is likely to be of high and interesting quality. The gallery actually feels more like a small shop, and indeed all the art within it can be bought (for a pretty hefty price). Pop in for a quick browse if you find yourself there- it beats wandering around WH Smith. More information here.

Ian Penney- I love you little star

Although I only visited three, there are over twenty five art galleries in Fitzrovia, and their diversity and uniqueness mean that you are bound to find an artist or piece that resonates with you. If you’re keen to avoid the crowds of the Tate and National, or just want to take a reflective half hour out of your day, then a trip to W1 could be right up your street. 

Splashing Out? Although picking up an original piece of art is probably beyond the budget of most readers,  Rebecca Hossock sells beautiful cards (£3) and other little bits which will brighten up your desk. Also currently on sale are  Ian Penney’s gorgeous cut outs which won’t break the bank at £15. See some examples here.

Snaps and Drinks at Frui's Photography Social

Let's face it- photography courses are expensive. If you want to be taught to use your expensive SLR properly then ask a favour from a camera-savvy friend or prepare to part with some cash. However, if you want to get out and have some fun with your camera under the guidance of the pros without breaking the bank, then look no further than the Photography Socials organised by London-based company Frui.

The evening's challenge

The Socials cost just £10 and give you the opportunity to explore your photography skills in a relaxed environment, whilst still having the benefit of tutors on hand to give you tips about how to improve. Starting off in a pub, you're split into groups of 5 and then released into the wild with a set of challenges to complete, before coming back to the pub to regroup and have a few more drinks. 

 My flatmates and I met at The Anchor Pub by London Bridge and were immediately encouraged to grab a drink at the bar. Paired up with a lovely guy called Karl, we were set the challenge of taking photos reflecting the following films: North by Northwest, Star Wars, Being John Malkovich, Cliffhanger and Top Gun. Terrifyingly, bonus points were available for Basic Instinct...

After a drink and a brainstorm we set out to get the shots.  Points are given for originality, inventiveness and creativity, and luckily for my friend Shorty they seemed to favour outrageousness too. For Star Wars we positioned it so that Shorty was holding the Shard as a lightsaber, Top Gun saw him riding his bike in a fluorescent jacket and goggles rather than Tom Cruise's iconic jacket and aviators, North by Northwest saw Emily being held aloft as an airplane crashing into Karl and Being John Malkovich saw us flop her hair over Karl's bald head to reasons unbeknownst to everyone except for Shorty. Despite three of our cameras running out of battery (what rookies) we managed to get all the shots we wanted and could head back to the warmth of The Anchor well within the hour and a half time limit. 

The Lightsaber Shard

Back at the pub we remembered the bonus challenge, so Shorty gamely whipped off his clothes and sat on a chair with legs akimbo, managing to make Sharon Stone's own scene seem the most subtle ever made. Surprisingly, this seemed to be the photo which the Frui team liked the most...

Whilst food and more drinks were ordered we chose the photos we were going to use and played a few bonus games. The Frui guys came around and rated our photos out of 10, scoring us highly on originality but less so on composition. This is the part which those wanting advice should value, as they gave us tips on how we could have used the space more creatively and cropped the photos to improve the focus on subject matter. However, I'd say that the main purpose of the evening is to have fun with your camera (or even camera phone), make some friends and discover a new watering hole. The session is a great way to meet people and practice your creativity, and I'd definitely recommend it as an alternative evening of entertainment in London.

Our (not quite) winning team

You can book yourself into a monthly Frui Social here. If you've never been before you can bring another first timer friend for FREE. That's just a fiver each. The next session is on 24th April in Spitalfields. 

Splashing out? If you're keen on photography and want a real hands on experience then book yourself onto one of Frui's day or half day courses. I went to the Introduction to Digital Photography course in Hampstead Heath (£120) and found it extremely friendly and informative. Other courses include Painting with Light (£59), Life on the Street (£69) and After Dark (£69). Hire a DSLR camera for £16 if you don't own one. More information here.