C&R Cafe Restaurant, Chinatown

I'm bored at work, so I thought that I'd write a quick review. This isn't a biker place, but might be of interest to any members of the Soho Massive who want cheap good nosh.

C&R (Cafe & Restaurant?) is an authentic south-east asian diner, serving Singaporean and Malaysian food. About two thirds of the customers are ex-pat or student south east asians who want a taste of home. Unlike a lot of asian restaurants, the food isn't 'westernised', so you're getting the genuine article here. Dishes such as mee hoon. wa dan ho and mee goreng aren't exactly familiar to most westerners so it's a bit tricky choosing dishes. On the plus side, it's something of a novelty and you might randomly pick something really amazing. It's not somewhere to take a date, unless they really like formica tables and being elbow to elbow with chattering Malaysian students, but is a great place for a quick, filling, tasty meal.

The food is generally excellent, with main courses costing about £6. These are noodle or rice based and usually so large that you won't need a starter or dessert. There are also some bizarre Chefs Specials which cost around £7.50. I don't tend to bother with them and stick mostly to the cheaper dishes.

C&R is very well hidden, so people tend to either stumble across it by accident or hear about it by word of mouth. Even so, it can get quite busy and isn't really somewhere to go with a group larger than about 4 people, without prior arrangement. You may even have to queue outside at really busy times.

And finally, the secret location is in Rupert Court, a small alley by the side of Pizza Express on Wardour Street (near Leicester Sq), so it's very convenient for Soho Massive members who want a massive meal before or after the meet.

Map here