Any rants or raves about the places listed below? Would welcome other suggestions.

Would love to keep the price around 20 - 30 pounds per person or less, if possible. Don't mind eating a bit early to catch pre-theater specials.

Suze, Sarasto, Veeraswamy, Gay Hussar, Soho Spice and Chiang Mai

Been a few years but we really enjoyed Veeraswamy..if you book thru www.toptable.co.uk and are going before October 1st..they have a 2 for 1 offer

Offer 1 (Min Size: 1 - Max Size: 10 - Ends: 01 Oct 03)
For every 2 diners, eating two courses from the a la carte menu, one of the meals is free! (up to the value of £20). Available Monday ? Saturday for lunch & dinner and dinner only on Sunday. Maximum group of 10 diners. Includes Vat, excludes service. Offer ends 1st October.

jody, thanks for the great tip.

I hope my peanut crop is a bumper so I can pay all those high London prices. How do the locals live over there?

Still, you got to go since its such a special place.

Check out that website ..they have lots of special offers at really good restos..but you do have to book thru them..no charge so no big deal!

ttt

Sarastro's is pretty much a theme restaurant (if it's the one I'm thinking of, near Covent Garden) and is known for it's decor.

Which is quite fun and quirky - very theatrical and you can book an "upstairs" balcony table if you want to experience it yourself.

Food is acceptable and prices for set menu are fair but it's nothing to write home about.

Worth a look in to see if it appeals to you, if it does, give it a go one evening. Atmosphere is best then when it's busy and if you can go when they have live entertainment, so much the better.

Kavey

Sarastro, as Kavey says, is a rather mad opra themed restaurant. Always busy, loads of fun, but the food is awful. If you don't mind having poor food, then you would enjoy it.

Soho Spice used to be great - it was one of the first wave of nouveau-Indians and is birhgt, modern and buzzy. It's not smart, but it's very reasonably priced, and attracts a large pub crowd. Good alternative to a traditional curry house. Food seems to have gone off a bit (they must have lost their chef) but is still acceptable.

Veeraswamy is one of the old guard - London's oldest Indian - but has reinvented itself in a contemporary style, so you won't be able to 'feel the history' if that's what you're after. Upscale Indian, it'll costs you more than your budget, but would be worth it for a special night out. If you want to do a posh indian, you could also look at the Cinnamon Club, Chutney Mary, or, possibly best of the lot, Zaika in Kensington.

check out hardens.com

Chiang Mai has a great reputation for food, but the decor's really dodgy. You could always wonder by and have a look before you decide to eat there (it's in Soho).

Never heard of Suze.

For a change from Thai or Indian, try Indonesian - Melati in Soho serves excellent, reasonably priced food. The decor is nothing special, but then, you get what you pay for.

My favourite ethnic restaurant of the moment is Champor-Champor - amazing Indonesian food, fabulous decor, and within your budget. But it's out of the way of the main sites nr London Bridge just south of the river. You'd want to take a taxi there and back, but WELL worth it.

I found another cheap one that is supposed to have good food, but spartan surroundings:

India club 143 The Strand, inside Strand Continental Hotel. Masala Dosai is said to be good.

Soho Spice is an okay place and you might also want to check out the Cinnamon Club.

Degas..I posted a message to you on some thread today about a reallt neat place!


But unfortunately I don't remeber where!

jody, thanks. I found it. Sounds interesting.