Beat the crunch with a Mediterranean marvel

Written by Starvin' Marvin

In these times of financial austerity, going out for a meal is one of the first treats to get the chop.

Surveys show that more people are getting a takeaway instead of eating out and bringing packed lunches into work to save money.

So it’s good to know that there are still some places you can enjoy a nice meal without breaking the bank.

One such place is Meds, in Burdett Road, Mile End.

From the outside, the eatery looks like an ordinary café, a “greasy spoon”. But on the inside, your senses are bombarded with the rich aroma of Mediterranean cooking.

The Meds menu offers something for everyone. There is a choice of breakfasts and omelettes, with plenty of vegetarian options, and an array of sandwiches, with interesting fillings like overnight marinated lamb and beef sausage and pepper fried eggs.

But, for the more adventurous, there is another menu – a choice of pasta dishes, including seafood in cream sauce and salmon and baby spinach, and a whole range of Mediterranean specialities.

You can choose from various grilled lamb dishes, homemade koftas, marinated king prawns and North African chicken.

For starters, we picked falafel salad – homemade spicy chick pea fritters with salad, vine tomatoes, pitta bread, humus and tahini – and a tapas dish of pan fried shell-on prawns with chilli, garlic and pitta bread.

My lunchmate was hungry, so he also ordered a main dish of chicken chermoula – marinated chicken on a bed of salad, with aoli, harissa sauce, grilled courgette and aubergine, all served with fries and pitta bread.

When the starters arrived, it was immediately obvious we had ordered too much. The falafel salad was huge and truly scrumptious and the prawns were juicy and perfectly cooked.

We ate the lot in appreciative silence but then the waitress brought my friend’s main course over.

The chicken dish was also humongous, so much so that we had to ask for a doggy bag to take it back and eat for tea.

The food at Meds is simply delicious and very good value. Washed down with a Black Magic fresh fruit cocktail (£1.60) and a creamy cappuccino (£1.25) the whole bill came to a credit crunch-busting £19.65.

Meds Café is at 37 Burdett Road, E3. Tel: 8980 4088