EAST Bar and Grill is hanging on tenaciously in the burned out wreckage of the Sydney Building facing the bus interchange.

The mimimalist decor is not immediately welcoming, it’s all but empty at 12pm, and the staff seem almost surprised to have a customer.

As the customer I’m a little surprised to discover that “Lunch $9.90 All Options” means that options are on top of the $9.90.

On the other hand the naan I order on top of the lamb rogan josh seems to only cost a dollar so no huge damage done.

The surprise, on the other hand, continues when the meal arrives without rice.

In the world of cheap lunches the inclusion of rice is normally taken for granted, if for no other reason than it makes a cheap filler.

The naan is a sad pre-sliced thing for that matter. No fluffiness to be seen here, it’s flat and greasy.

The waitress literally brings me a box full of serviettes to get through this meal.

With those caveats applied though, they really do a great curry for $9.90.

While not the most charismatic of naan breads it was delicious dipped into the rogan josh and the lamb was delightful and not at all stingy as some discount curries can be.

So it’s a mixed bag, not the friendliest place to eat and with an ordering system prone to disappointment. But at the same time the food tastes rather good.

[This article is the seventh in a series on cheap lunches to be found in and around the city. If you have any suggestions leave them in the comments or email them to john@citynews.com.au . The complete series can be found on our cheap lunches tag]