OK, I am daring. Whereas I tried to end the tip with a perfect English tea, I am ending my dinners with the cheapest British style food possible.
The Chelsea Kitchen is the same restaurant that goes by the name The Stock Pot in other locations.
The Stock Pot/Chelsea Kitchen is known for it budget conscious and simple meals. I wanted to eat here tonight because I didn't want anything too spicy or strong before my flight tomorrow.
Prices for starters are in the range of £1.90-3.40. For main courses, £3.60-5.50. Desserts (called puddings in British) are £1.50-2.40.
They also always have a fixed price menu which tonight is Chicken Parmigiana and jam pudding plus a cup of soup. It's £8.20
For my meal I order the green salad and roast lamb with potatoes. This is food. It's like diner food. Just good enough to keep you alive. Nothing gourmet about this. The lamb is actually decent (not good) and in what seems to be canned gravy. There are 3 roast potatoes on the side and some canned peas.
Oh, as I sit here I remember, this is like school cafeteria food.
The wine is filthy cheap at £2 a glass. I get the Chianti. How elegant.
For dessert I get the apple crumble which is cooked apples with a shortbread like topping and I added a scoop of ice cream. It reminds me of the fine desserts I have had in Paris. Yeah right.
I was actually hoping for sticky toffee pudding!
Atmosphere here is about a -5, service is by waitresses who are about as dumb as logs and isn't worth giving a rating. Food is a 1, but if they used herbs I might say a I+.
It's not the finest place in town but if you come to London and need to stay on a budget or if food isn't a big deal for you, it's a good deal.
Total bill - £10.40 plus tip. You get what you pay for.
The Chelsea Kitchen
98 Kings Road
Chelsea, London
A short walk from the Sloane Square tube station.
(I will post additional locations later)
Now that you saved money, get out on Kings Road and shop!
P.S. As I went to pay my check I was given a receipt to take to the cashier. I ask him to give me a receipt and he hand-writes me one with the address stamped on it plus a VAT number.
I tell him I need the printed receipt because my company does not accept hand written ones. He tell me he cannot and the handwritten one is a VAT receipt.
After a bit of haggling, he tells me that the printed one will do me “no good” because it is not a VAT receipt.
I tell him that the VAT receipt means nothing in the United States and I want the printed one. He tells me it's the wrong receipt, I again tell him it means nothing and a handwritten receipt is unacceptable with my company.
He tells me I am wrong.
Then another man, with a non British accent, speaks up and says, “that's the problem, everything is wrong with the United States.” The cashier agrees with him.
My blood is now boiling and I am three seconds from telling him to f**k off when the owner give me my printed receipt and says, “it not do you any good, you see!”
SOB, what if I insulted their country?
This is the only rude incident that I have encountered on my entire trip to Europe. It comes from ignorant people.
What did I go to that dump for anyway?
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