Pieminister are according to themselves and their “manifesto” firm believers in locally sourced natural ingredients. Making “great British food that tastes lovely” is what they are passionate about.

What started out in 2003 as a small two man band making pies for friends and festivals today delivers delicious pies to some of the best cafes, food halls and delis in the country. The shop in Gabriel’s Wharf sell the pies with a choice of vegetables, mash and gravy.

Read some of these pie names and tell me you don’t want to drop everything you are doing and go down to the Wharf straight away: minty lamb, chicken of arragon, thai chook, heidi pie, matador (chorizo and beef…), moo and blue (with stilton!)… Lovely.

In the summer Gabriel’s Wharf is a lovely place to go to have a browse through the designer shops, buy a treat and sit down among the outside tables and enjoy the sun and atmosphere. Great way to spend a relaxing lunch.

Don’t let that deter you though, when it comes to acquiring your lunch this place is a real gem.

Not sure what the other half of the name alludes to, it being very German I can only assume that the origins of this place is firmly based in leberkäse, sauerkraut and wienerschnizel, but I think those days are gone. Zeitgeist has evolved, they no longer have a German slant on their food anyway (neither is this place mentioned on the Zeitgeist web site). Shame, I love sauerkraut.

What you will find though is two to three hot dishes (menu changes daily), a salad counter, pickled gherkins, nice bread and usually some sort of pudding (like a cake or similar treat). The warm dishes seem to usually be some sort of curry or stew with rice, roast potatoes and sausages… …and the piece de resistance, always on offer: a big slab of slow roast pork with amazing crackling!

Get the pork with potatoes, or if you like me follow a food philosophy low in carbs, with the tomato salad and a gherkin. Lots of food for a mere fiver, and it will keep you full well into the after work drinks session.

While the front looks very narrow, once inside you will find it is surprisingly roomy. Downstairs the bar and a few tables, upstairs a number of really plush and comfy leather sofas. For you book lovers out there, the comfortable seating arrangements upstairs go really well with the fact that this is an official Bookcrossing,com Crossing Zone. Seriously, there are worse places to sit and chill with a good book you just found lying around.

There is also a nice outdoor area for those sunny summer days.

Food is served all day, of the good variety too. Typical pub grub, but well done (although not the cheapest). There is always a nice homemade soup of the day, for those cold autumn evenings, but the best thing on the menu has to be their Mexican burger: beef burger covered in chilli concarne and cheddar… Just as sloppy and depraved as it sounds, it fills you up and leaves a nice stinging heat in your mouth.

Beer selection is limited, a few good bitters and the normal set of cheap lagers. They do have Budvar on bottle though, for those who are a bit more picky. Fully licensed, of course, and the drinks are not bad.

Being so conveniently located, and of such a high standard, this is a very popular place in the evenings for those after work drinks. If you come here for lunch though, you can usually get a seat quite easily.

While possibly a tad OTT on creative freedom, the moniker is not far off. This is heaven on Earth for the cake, pastry and coffee aficionado. Not only is coffee and edible accessories delivered to perfection, the framing of their excellent work is always pleasing to the eye and sometimes even giggle inducing. For example, I couldn’t help laughing when I saw their Ninja Slice cake. “A mind blowing experience”, as one (presumably!) happy customer put it.

Conveniently located just a coffee mug throw away from the excellent lunch pub The Kings Arms, this is a must visit after your meal. Get one of their marvellous double espressos and walk around the corner to the park behind the church opposite the IMAX and enjoy a few peaceful moments of pondering the better qualities of life. Such as sitting in a park in Waterloo with an excellent cup of coffee, pondering the better qualities of life.

Failing that, you could always think about the quote on the church wall:

All may have, if they dare try, a glorious life or grave.

That line is from a poem by George Herbert, one of this country’s greatest religious poets. Look it up, it is called “The Church Porch”. Print it, bring it to the park. Well worth a read and a ponder.

Only drawback of Konditor & Cook is that it draws more people in than cameras at a G20 rally. Persevere though, you deserve that relaxing moment in the park.

Staff is friendly, efficient and attentive and they all seem to understand that good food alone does not make a great restaurant experience. Weight it all in along with the really nice ambience and the short walk to Waterloo station and you find yourself with a gem of a restaurant. No wonder it is so popular.

Situated so close to the Old Vic, a lot of their business comes from pre and post theatre dinners so they cleverly run offers now and then for ticket holders to get a freebee or discount. You certainly don’t need to use Old Vic as an excuse to go here though, they manage so well to impress on their own. Excellent for business lunches if you want to treat a client to a nice meal around Waterloo.

Lunch and dinner aside, they also on weekends serve brunch all day and traditional roast on Sundays, so whether you just want to get away from the office for a while or want a nice start to your Saturday, this place comes with the warmest recommendations.

Oh, and do try the char grilled squid with chorizo salad. Pure genius.

Above all, the visual appearance of Skylon is amazing. Taking the name from the futuristic looking tower that represented the 1951 Festival of Britain, great care has gone into the design of not only the room and decor, but also the waiter uniforms and furniture. When I say “futuristic”, I of course mean from a 1950′s perspective. The result is a lovely retro feel that makes me think of the Jetsons family.

Central to the restaurant is the stunning cocktail bar. The view and the bar alone makes this place worth a visit. Grab a salad at EAT, sit down somewhere on the bank and enjoy your lunch, then go to Skylon for a cocktail lunch dessert…

Food served has a vegetarian slant to it, and you can choose from a range of salads, soups, quiches, tortillas, sandwiches, fresh bread, coffee and tea. Redommendation is to go for a combination plate, of which they have a few suggestions or you can combine your own. I tell you, a plate with their salad of the day and a piece of still warm potato tortilla fills you up and makes you feel really good about yourself.

Haven’t looked for it myself, but rumour has it that their selection of herbal remedies and teas is excellent.

With very decent prices (in my opinion) it is a very popular place, so come early or slightly late-ish unless you want to wait by the counter for a while.

Once you make the decision to step inside, passing through the small front room with the takeaway hole in the wall, the impression isn’t changing much. Minty green walls and plastic tables? Well, it has character (photo of visiting celebrities on the wall, check) and it looks neat, clean and tidy… Did we come to the right place? Yes, you did. Which you will be totally convinced of as your food is served and you take the first bite. Undoubtedly they dish out some of the best fish and chips you can find in London.

Servings are big, batter is golden and crispy, fish is flaky fresh (delivered from Billingsgate every day) and chips are crunchy on the outside with a velvety, soft goodness inside. Served with pickled gherkin and onion, this is indeed a feast for kings. Oh, and they always start you off with a small plate with three prawns on it, delicious peeled on a buttered piece of bread.

They serve other food as well, like pies, burgers, salads and soups, but it is all about the fish. Order the Superbite or the Masters Special. And do try the calamari, they are divine.

Food served is salads, full English breakfast all day, pastas and various types of sandwiches (you can compose your own from their tasty fillings on offer or pick a ready made one from the counter) on decent bread. They also serve various types of snacks, cake and other nibblies as you would expect from a cafe style diner.

Typically we don’t eat here a lot, since it is too close to our office and sandwiches are as you might guess a bit frowned upon, but here is a recommendation: order the warm piri piri chicken on a toasted poppy seed bagel with lettuce, cucumber and tomatoes. No butter, no mayo, no cheese. Just top it off with some salt and pepper. Best bagel around Waterloo, honest.

Word of warning though, don’t get your coffee here. Just up the road you find Smålands Coffee where you can get really good coffee while bantering with the Swedish girls working there. Nothing much wrong with the Caffe Quattro coffee, but the coffee at Smålands just is that much better.

Smålands Coffee is run by Eva, an energetic woman who makes up for her short stature with a great personality and an even greater smile. As the name implies (Småland is a region in Sweden) you can find Swedish treats, sandwiches and references here served by Swedish speaking Swedish girls who will fill you up with amazingly tasty caffeine while providing excellent banter.

You read right, this is a sandwich shop. So why are they on here, the critical reader may ask. Well, as I see it, this site is not really about having a cooked meal every lunch. Most important is to get away from the office and the computer and have a relaxing lunch hour. Talking to the girls at Smålands Coffee while getting a fantastic coffee and a sandwich with Swedish meatballs and beetroot salad (the Viking, a must try) will certainly put a smile on your face and spring in your step.

So get tooled up and then either have a seat at the chairs outside the shop, or if you prefer a view different from the traffic on York Road cross the street and go into the Jubilee Gardens and dine in style under the cyclopic stare of the London Eye.