Randomness Guide to London

Morning readers!

This week's featured article is for the Indian Veg Bhelpoori House, an all-you-can-eat Indian buffet at the end of Chapel Market in Islington. It's completely vegetarian and mostly vegan, and extremely good value at £6. It's a good option if dining alone, with plenty of reading material on the walls about the excellent qualities of veggie food, and a wallchart of prime ministers who all have something in common...

There's a new article for the branch of The Real Greek in Stratford's Westfield shopping centre, where the bean stew is hearty, the cheese is salty and the background music is clichéd to the point of hilarity.

Finally, while it never achieved the status of having its own RGL article, I can confirm that the Birdcage pub in Stoke Newington has closed. Denizens of N16 will now have to eat odd pizzas in the dark elsewhere.

Afternoon all! I hope you had a good long weekend.



This week's featured article is for Zoilo, a smashing Argentinian restaurant in Marylebone near the Wallace Collection. The wine list is interesting and the empanadas are excellent - if you're going for lunch, make sure you don't have to go back to work afterwards.

Your contributors have been busy this week: we've got new articles for Franco Manca, a branch of the sourdough pizza chain in Westfield Stratford City; the new-ish Baker Street branch of the Natural Kitchen, which has plenty of unhealthy options to choose from; Bumblebee Natural Foods (an independent grocers and bakery) and Kami (a Japanese restaurant), both in Kentish Town; and - long overdue for a write-up, considering how often I go there - the 24-hour Bagel House in Stoke Newington. I can recommend the £1 pizza slice as a satisfying late night snack.

Kika in Canonbury has closed and is now a cafe called The Fig Tree. Finally, although we don't have an article for it yet, it may be useful to know that the Phoenix bar in Cavendish Square (near Oxford Circus) is temporarily closed for refurbishment, reopening in early September 2014.