Adam's Café - Shepherd's Bush

Since opening in 1989, Adams Café in Shepherd's Bush has acquired a reputation for its full-blooded North African food, great value for money and exotic atmosphere. It doesn't try to deal in 'grand cuisine', but offers fired-up versions of classic ethnic dishes - especially couscous and tagines bursting with bold, aromatic flavours (chicken with pickled lemons, green olives and potatoes, for example).

Open your account with salad Bedouines, ojja merguez (ratatouille topped with sizzling sausages) or brik (savoury filo parcels), and conclude in traditional style with orange fruit salad suffused with cinnamon and orange blossom water or crêpes berbères (pancakes doused in citrus and honey sauce). There are some punchy Middle Eastern and North African wines on the short list, but you can also BYO (£3 corkage).