Top lunches for Christmas shoppers

Bibendumm Oyster House is perfect for a quick bite

10 April 2012

Christmas shopping first of all hits the pocket and then the feet. So even the most battle-hardened shopper will concede that a spot of lunch and a sit-down are vital to invigorate you for the afternoon session. Here are five places where you'll get decent food, the minimum of fuss and, possibly, an oasis of calm...

LEON ***35-36 Great Marlborough Street, W1 (020-7437 5280). Lunch for two with drinks £15 What all fast-food outlets will turn into when they get real. Leon serves simple dishes made with carefully chosen ingredients. Have some freerange chicken, with decent accompaniments, or try the wraps, sandwiches, or salads. The cakes are well made. Worthwhile food at honest prices.
NYONYA***2A Kensington Park Road, W11 (020-7243 1800). Lunch for two with drinks £30 Pull out of the main current that is flowing down Notting Hill Gate and you will find Nyonya at the miniroundabout marking the junction of Pembridge Road and Kensington Park Road. It is a canteen-style restaurant where lunchers tend to eat and run rather than linger. The food is Straits Malay, so there are good nibbles such as satay or dumplings. Or there are great meals-in-a-bowl. No-nonsense, low prices.
BIBENDUM OYSTER BAR ****Michelin House, 81 Fulham Road, SW3 (020-7589 1480). Lunch for two with drinks £40If Brompton Cross is your target zone, it is best to avoid the very fashionable restaurants - they tend to be busy and you are looking for a genteel refuelling stop with a quick turnaround. The Oyster Bar is just such a venue. The crustaceans and molluscs are good here, but so are the simply cooked dishes, such as grilled tuna.
LE CERCLE****1 Wilbraham Place, SW1 (020-7901 9999). Lunch for two with drinks £50If you have been padding down the King's Road it is worth remembering that Le Cercle is just off Sloane Street. For the harassed shopper, picking through a few small platefuls fits well with a lunch break. The food showcases the delicacies of south-western France, so there is plenty of foie gras and serious attention is given to cheese. Grown-up prices.
MASALA ZONE ***9 Marshall Street, W1 (020-7287 9966). Lunch for two with drinks £25Masala Zone is a wild card in Soho. Because it is so cheap and cheerful it makes a great place for an impromptu shopper's lunch. The turnover of tables is fast and, courtesy of the Indian street-food items on the menu, you can build yourself a lunch that could be classed anywhere from a snack toa feast. Good, cheap, informal food.

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