Cheap Eats in One of the World's Most Expensive Cities

I have mentioned very little about this, but I will be taking my blog across the Pond, as it were. I am visiting a friend who lives in London, England, UK of all places! Better yet, where his partner works is centrally located, so I will be close to everything! Of course, I am the type of guy who wants to see all the places the tourists don't go. And I need to save as much of my precious money as possible - Londontown ain't cheap. This means lots of travel on the subway - or as it is known in London, the Underground.

And economically, I could not have picked a worse time to go - when the dollar is at its lowest since the early 1990's - US$1.96 to UK£1! And they're expecting it to be a more even $2 to £1 exchange rate by New Year's! You can assume, probably, that I will be watching the exchange rates like a hawk. No wonder these blokes don't want to switch to the euro! Anyway, I'll be over there right after Christmas - after Boxing Day even, and will be there until just after New Year's Day. Maybe I can make up for it by finding ridiculously cheap after-Christmas sales.

So I am scopin' out all the "cheap eats in London" sites. One vow to myself: I will not eat in American chain restaurants or anything advertized in Heathrow Airport - those places will not be cheap. So I am already doing research.

Toptable seems to have oodles of good, cheap restaurants. A less promising site appears to be "Britain on a Budget," which only has a few places listed. And "Going Underground" looks like it has info not just on cheap restaurants but cheap everything! London Eats also might give me some tips.

Hopefully I can get some good food without spending much. Despite its rep, I hear British food is actually experiencing a renaissance. If you didn't buy your tickets 8 months in advance to get the relatively cheap fare of $600 after taxes (that's out of BWI, mind you), try out the Café Anglais in Frederick, about which I've blogged before.