I commute, and on the nights when I drive I need some time to eat or have a drink until rush hour traffic clears enough to allow me out of the city. So I look for inexpensive places with decent wine that aren't packed in the early evening. (In the same situation? Post some reviews - there must be lots of us who need ideas for quiet places in N/E/S London to wait out the evening rush hour.) I read or write until the food comes so I pick restaurants with enough light to see by. Being single I avoid places packed with couples (so's I don't feel too envious) and it's cool if there are a few attractive fellow diners to glance at occasionally.

Had some fantastic cocktails and a delicious meal at the new Alisan chinese restaurant near the new Wembley stadium. On arrival the place is a little daunting and characterless due to it's size but it has a lively atmosphere (probably due to the 2 for 1 cocktails we had with the Dim Sum snacks!)

A good tip is to go for the set menus - it's saves a lot of reading of the extensive menu!! The veggies amongst us can highly recommend the veg set menu - a big thumbs up!

They’ve just opened and had a lot of press, but before you call me a foodie fashion victim, they’re also on the 43 bus route, and so am I. The shop front is a work of art in itself, with a gorgeous display of home made breads, cakes and salads on sale to take away.

In the restaurant there are just two large white melamine tables, round which everyone sits. And everyone gets the same starter, they bring it regardless unless you ask them not to. As it happens, it’s brilliant: three different kinds of home made bread, on a board with olive oil; a shot glass each of aubergine puree, a generous portion of green lentil salad and a small herb and roasted pine nut salad. One of the breads had small, sour plums in it – much better than it sounds. My Seven Hour Cooked Lamb with root vegetables was a big joint of meat, perfectly cooked and falling off the bone, with sweet potato, a roast onion, parsnips, spud and carrot - a massive plateful which I couldn’t finish, while L’s Prawns and Scallops in a Thai sauce didn’t look much but he had to struggle to finish it. The waiter (a young woman, but we don’t say actress or manageress any more, do we, so I’ve made a policy decision to drop “waitress”) was quite happy to fix me a doggy bag, she just put it in a carton from the deli counter in the front. Which left me a bit of space for pud. The chocolate brownie with crème fraiche ice cream was more than enough for two, which is just as well cos I had to fight for every spoonful. “It’s not often I think a dessert is worth six quid” he said, by way of excuse. (There’s this squid, shivering on the Ocean Bed. “What’s the matterwith you ?” asks a passing shark “I’ve got a headache and a runny nose and I feel awful” said the squid. “Don’t you worry, little squid, just jump on my back and I’ll take you home”, said the kindly shark, but instead of taking him home, he swam up to the Great Barracuda and said “Here’s that sick squid I owe you”)