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Quick and cheap lunch-style Indian place in the basement of [Malabar Junction, WC1B 3NA]? (which I have not yet visited). Just down Great Russell Street from the British Museum.

At lunchtime (when we went), there is a set "two course" meal for �3.99, and a set "three course" meal for �4.99 (drinks and service extra).

For the two course meal, you get a choice of lamb or veg samosa then lamb, chicken or veg curry (hence the two courses). What then actually arrived was a thali with the samosa, a few mini poppadums, rice, a dry unspiced cabbage dish (similar to a Cabbage Thoran if you've ever had one), a really nice tangy lime pickle, and a small pot of the main curry (maybe half what you'd normally get ordering a main dish in an Indian restaurant). Overall the portion size was about right for a lunch, and good value for the price given that you do get a few unadvertised extras such as the cabbage, pickle and poppadums. Both courses do arrive at the same time, though this is obviously likely to be an advantage for lunch, which is where this place is obviously aimed.

The three course meal offers a choice of lamb or veg cutlet; lamb or chicken Malabar or potato and cauliflower curry; and a choice of kulfi for dessert. I have not tried this one though I assume it comes in a similar manner.

There are also other things on the lunch menu if you don't fancy the set lunch: a few starters (pakora and the like) and a few mains. The selection is not huge but then again it is the cheap lunch menu (a masala dosai downstairs was �4 but the menu for the upstairs restaurant (Malabar Junction) quoted this at �7). Onion pakora were very good: small and crunchy rather than the huge greasy onion bhaji you tend to get in many Indian restaurants. They came with a tomato/chilli/tamarind dipping sauce. The masala dosai had a nice crispy pancake with fluffy potato, and was accompanied by sambar (a type of vegetable curry, almost like a lentil soup with vegetables in), a sort of chutney made of coconut, and more of the sauce that came with the pakora.

Lassi was around �1.50 if I remember correctly. As with all cheap set lunch places, the cost of drinks always seems disproportionate, though most people would think nothing of spending �1.50 on the same drink to accompany a �10 meal.

Lunch for two (one two-course set menu, one onion pakora, one masala dosai, two lassi) came out just under �15 not including service. This could have been reduced by us both sticking to the set menu (or not having starters) and by drinking water rather than lassi.

Overall, recommended if you're in the area and want a quick, cheap, decent lunch. It's close enough (5 minutes' walk) to the British Museum that you can leave there, get lunch, and go back again (as we did).