Going out for homemade food

Using his trusty mobile phone to take photos for this post, your mild-mannered blogger faced certain mugging, or at least harassment by aggressive 14 year-old girls. Not willing to put my life on the line for the sake of the reader, and having more hunger than sense of propriety, I made a beeline for Makan, Portobello's offering of Southeast Asian cuisine to the starving punter.

Situated right beneath the Westway along Portobello Road, you have to make your way past a variety of weirdos, trustafarians, women who lunch, and the general jobless to get there. It's tempting to think that, juxtaposed with a restaurant whose initials are S&M, Makan ('food' in Malay) will only deliver the mundane. What is on offer is a variety of curries, vegetables, classic singaporean and malaysian dishes, and sundry snacks such as samosas and banana cake.

The servings are generous, and the prices reasonable. Rice with three dishes is a mere £5.20. Some favourite combinations: rice with chicken rendang, spicy okra, and potato-lentil curry. Among the set dishes, we find Singaporean Char Kway Teow, or the mildy hot Laksa. I highly recommend the seafood Laksa not only because a large bowl of spicy, coconut-based soup filled with noodles, vegetables, and seafood is a perfect complement to the cold wet London midday weather, but also because it takes slightly longer to make, forcing your eating companions to wait for you.

All the dishes have the look and smell of authenticity. Service is with a smile, though if you're the type who quibbles over the difference between a lot of food and more than is good for you, wait until one of the girls is free to serve. For some unknown reason, they seem authorised to really dish it out, whereas asking one of the guys for "more please, sir" is usually met with a shewd scowl.

I, and everyone in my office less senior than me who aren't allowed to offer their opinion when I'm talking, give it our whole-hearted recommendation and approval. It offers seating space for about 15 people, as well as any dish to take-away. Lunch is usually between £4 and £6.