In my endless quest to be cooler than all you people I shunned the food stalls of Sunday UpMarket…read morewith their mobs of people wearing ironic large sunglasses, I turned my nose up at the hog roasts at Shoreditch cliches 93ft East and the Truman Brewery, and I certainly wasn't going to join the More4-loving set lunching away at shiny chain restaurants in what used to be wonderful Spitalfields. No, I decided I'd abandon the Time-Out guided Sunday masses and wonder the wrong way down Brick Lane in search of authentic options. And because of that my lunch for £2.40 consisted of two of the best spinach samosas I've ever had and two hearty but dry fish cakes. It was window placement of these savoury cakes, samosas and pakoras that magnetised me into Ambala. The rest of the shop was largely devoid of the Bangla sweets they profess, but do I look like I'm bothered? It was lunch time, I wanted something salty, satisfying and solid value and I found it in spades. Next time you do the sunday brick lane thing, give Ambala a look. Don't just be another sheep having free range tofu sausage crepes with the other Nathan Barleys.

I work in the City with a team from India and they have established a custom of zipping out to…read moreAmbala on a Friday afternoon and returning with a huge box of hot samosas. When I find out who came up with the idea I shall demand that they are promoted and given some sort of employee of the decade award. Ambala sell a vast range of Indian/Pakistani savoury snacks and sweets. Both their lamb and vegetarian samosas are fantastic, their pakora is great and so is more or less everything else they sell. If you work near this part of London you absolutely have to go in here and buy enough of their delicacies to fill a wheelbarrow, push it straight back to your office and bask in the warm adulation of your co-workers as they scarf hot eastern yumminess. Unfortunately they aren't open early otherwise I would pick up breakfast here.

Windows, crammed full of faded posters advertising phonecards and money transfers to African, this…read morelittle shop offers some of the tastes and smells of African right here in Hackney. I grew up where there were no food shops like this, where you couldn't buy a mango in the local supermarket so coming across this still seems really exciting and novel. Chin-Chin. Dried Fufu, fufu flour, garri, palm oil, Soko Yokoto, Ozziza, Egu, Semovita. I really don't know what these things are. The woman there was really friendly, despite clearly, my not being there to get my weekly shop. And I did pick up some hot pepper soup spices, which I love... So that was good. And it's amazing to come in and see dried catfish piled in boxes. Places like this are surely only found in certain areas of big cities. So, check it out for an interesting (and interested cook?), well worth a browse.

It's busy! You'd think it was Christmas. The staff could be…read morefriendlier especially on the check outs!

Out of the major supermarkets ASDA is far and away my favourite. Their superstores are packed full…read moreof goodies. They have the clothing label George, toys, CD's and loads of household goods. The range of food is excellent and the least costly of all the major stores. On site they have a pharmacy, optician, photo centre and a petrol station. They are also open 24hrs on a Tues, Wed, Thurs and Fri which means avoiding busy shopping hours. This is a great superstore and the only one I will do a big food shop at.

Hiding in the shadow of the Lyle & Tate factory in Silvertown is this massive Far East Asian…read moresupermarket selling almost everything you could possibly need. You've probably seen Loon Fung in Chinatown, right in the middle of Gerrard Street, the largest Chinese supermarket there, complete with butcher and funky smells. Well, this is their larger and better store, right next to City Airport. It's a bugger to get to. Even if you have a car, the Crossrail works happening in its immediate vicinity have rendered Sat Nav systems a little bit useless as Factory Road now appears to be one way only. But perseverance pays off because you will literally be able to load your car up with all the stuff you can't buy elsewhere and not need to make this trip for another 3 months. There's free parking on site. A huge fruit and vegetable section, massive frozen section, you can buy industrial boxes of laundry detergent here (cheaper than at a mainstream supermarket.) A fishmonger, butcher and every single brand of soy sauce under the Sun. It's also possible to buy hotpot stoves/pots as well as as bamboo steamers and other kitchen objects popular in Far Eastern cuisine. It used to be a cash and carry which meant you needed a membership card to shop here. I've recently been told that I can get points on the card. No idea if it's still a cash and carry but it's worth getting a card for the loyalty points if you plan on being a frequent shopper.

If you're looking for 'have a nice day' shiny happy staff dont shop here!!…read moreHowever if you like Chinese/Oriental food and if you like cooking this is the place for you! There's every type of Chinese ingredient you can think of and a few you cant..think instant shark fin soup and odd looking pickled ingredients from mushrooms to monkey heads!! once over the initial shock there is every type of soy sauce, noodles, tofu dim sum, stirfry paste and cooking utensil you can think of,worth it just to look at the packaging! have a browse you wont be dissappointed

I'm a huge lover of West Indian & Caribbean Food! Love it more than my own native food…read more(Philippines) lol. Any yelpers out there who knows how to cook a nice decent Caribbean dish please drop a line and I'll come round with a fork in my hand. Caribbean Scene - Stratford is situated right in the heart of Stratford Circus. Very good location as it is right by the cinema, Stratford Royal theatre, The art centre and 2012 Olympic stadium. I've been there on a numerous of occasions for the buffet as it is the only Caribbean Scene in east London that does buffets. In the evenings a large plate cost £8.99 and £4.99 for a small plate but you cant have seconds with a small plate. You do have the option of going for the open menu although their mains and starters are quiet pricey. They have an open counter where the chef serves the food for you, so having to chose the amount of portions that you want is out of the question. They dont do take away's for the buffet so you'll have to lick the plate clean or you'll be £5 if you don't finish your meal. So choose wisely I got me curry goat, coleslaw, fishcakes, plain rice and the BBQ chicken. Quality of the food was good I was pleased with my curry goat and the coleslaw was so yum I had to go for seconds and by then I was already full! It's a one floor restaurant so its good for wheelchair users and place is hardly ever full. Very cosy, nice and clean and I love the built-in huts that adds the Caribbean Island touch, the LCD screen showing videos of the Islands and of course the soft reggae music in the background. Customer service was superb although some beg to differ I must be one of the lucky ones. There has been mixed reviews about Caribbean Scene -Stratford. I'd say give it a go and would love to hear your thoughts.

It must be Christmas, its my first company meal! What better than to go to a recommended set up, a…read morelocal east end lad no less! Since June, working around London, I have walked past and driven by carribbean take aways and restaurants thinking Imust try it sometime. What better then; a day when it was snowing and Stratford was 10000000miles from any sun, A visit to the caribbean scene. Easy to get to via train and tube due to being opposite the Station. The entrance did briefly elude me as I attempted to enter the takeaway bit. But once I found the entrance to the rear. Inside the large open feeling restaurant was friendly and inviting. The friendly staff made me feel at home even as the norfolk accent cut though the air like a hot knife in butter. The music was good, Quick service . We were offered the menu, my collegue recommended the buffet. 'Verry 'good choice It was paid for but I will take my girls there soon. The food was really tasty! follow this recommended principle ; Simple, little and often! Goat curry rice veg was good Jerk chicken rice roasty veg salted fish with a type of savoury banana can't remmember the nameThough?? really good and finally A Sword fish cake with a little salad. to wrap up mmmmmmm. Again keep the portions almost too small and as in any buffet style, and you can enjoy a variety of food. Once we finished the place was confirmed as good by the local folk who were comming through th door. A pleasent group of office girls who also visiting for the first time with a more experinced friend confirmed with me in the que for the buffet.. There you go! treat your self .

Lovely 'épicerie fine' with all the best French products you can dream of at affordable price!…read moreExcellent service!!

Wow, this place is dangerous. When I walk in, I don't know when I will be walking out...and with…read morehow many bags! What a lovely French deli this is. The staff can be a little aloof, but once they know you they are very friendly and helpful. They also have very informal, but wonderful wine tasting frequently with the wine merchants presenting. Extremely fun affair! The cheese, sausages, salami and butter, yes butter is to die for here. They have a wonderful assortment of cheese and chocolate. Wait, I already said cheese. Did I mention the jams, muesli, oo-oo-hh and desserts, and...

I ordered my food. It arrived quick enough but after dropping off the food, the assistant walked…read moreaway and went on break. The regular assistant then showed up, took someone else's order and walked back into the kitchen. when she returned, I had to ask her to allow me to pay. Her response "I am going on my break". I said "All you need to do is take my money". Reluctantly she did. but before I gave her her my card, I asked about a piece of fish that i could see in the display counter right next to where she was standing. She refused to serve it to me as she wanted to go on her break. An absolute JOKE of a service!!!

Reasonably-sized neighbourhood shop, with a Kurdish twist. Newspapers, grot mags and tobacco at the…read morefront are supplemented with narghile or sheesha charcoal, for example, and they normally have little baklava selections on the counter. The veg is usually pretty fresh, and you're definitely quids in getting pitta breads, Scotch Bonnet chillies, coriander or parsley here rather than down the road at Morrison's. They seem to be catering for changes in local taste, too, with a wide variety of pickles, sausages and so on. Has an expensive cashpoint outside.

Open 24hrs and use almost everyday. Has items hard to find elsewhere in its extensive international…read morefood range. The bread products are good, baked locally often. Very nice staff too, friendly.

Well in today's world no one can stay without having a loan for his need or for making some…read morevaluable assets. In fact many companies are helping in providing fast and instant cash for the immediate requirements. I've been through Payday UK (http://www.cashpayday.co.uk) but never tried GLO loans company; heard a lot about its favorable rates and flexibility.