E. Mono

The old fashioned sign above this kebab shop reads 'E. Mono, For Value' and these doner wraps - both massive and good quality - certainly offer value for money. But the sign, revealed during renovation work, dates back to half-a-century ago and it's to the new store's owner that credit should go for keeping the charming shop frontage. Credit, too, goes to E. Mono for bowling over Times restaurant critic Giles Coren with its "beautifully sweet and fatty" lamb kebab, "roasty and full-flavoured" free-range chicken as well as "complex, gamey and delicious" kofte. This kebab shop is not the kind of place that should be frequented only after downing one too many pints. Writing in December 2011, Coren proclaimed it to be, "without question the hippest place to be seen at the moment... the coolest restaurant of the turning year". Best of all meats are fresh, not frozen, and salads are similarly perky. Choices are listed on a blackboard menu in two categories ('Doner' and 'Kebab'), and the final product is presented in wraps instead of pitta. If all goes well, they'll open a restaurant in downstairs in the not too distant future.