Quite possibly the simplest hot item on this list, but in terms of hot item for buck, the clear winner. Just a couple of coins buys the would-be itemiser a gloriously soft and yielding flatbread, wrapped around a melted white cheese that can introduce borderline intolerable levels of heat to the unsuspecting consumer. Pro tip: ask the nice lady operating the oven to leave it in for an extra spin — the reward is a crispy top layer that puts even the best cheese on toast to shame.

Bane of soft palates and impatient diners the world over, the shengjianbao on offer at Dumpling Shack’s two sites (one in Spitalfields, the other in Canary Wharf) are not to be messed with. At £6.50 for four they’re also pretty damn affordable, so think of them as a base camp from which to range over the rest of Dumpling Shack’s menu, particularly when it features a weekend special like a brunch cong you bing or chicken stock congee. The house ma la chilli oil should also be a staple in any lockdown pantry.

It must be hard for London’s fancy sandwich mavens: they’ve spent months, years even, marking out their turf and yet with a single statement –—“We do sandwiches now” — 40 Maltby Street forced its way into the running as a viable contender for London’s MVBBP (Most Valuable Bread-Based Product). The filling changes weekly: at the time of writing it’s a one-two punch of split pea samosa or fried chicken and bacon, which, pass the smelling salts. Beyond that the only certainty is that the end product will embody that signature 40MS blend of Goldilocks-level simplicity and Goldberg-Variations-level virtuosity. 

One of the few genuine good news stories of this pig of a year has been the emergence of Sonora (formerly El Pollo Feliz) and the way its traditional tortillas de harina have taken hold of the capital’s imagination. Since moving to a bigger, better stand in Netil Market a month or so ago, the taqueros have started commanding the sort of queues associated with supermarkets in late March this year, so get there early, and don’t pussyfoot around: this is a one of everything situation.

It’s the paper baggie that really sells the breakout hit of Bao’s Rice Error delivery and / or takeaway service — a stalwart from the Netil Market days, it’s finally getting a chance in the limelight as bao production has been forced to take a back seat. The hot sauce that comes with it is incendiary and yet somehow a case study in nuance; the chicken itself is perfectly apportioned, each piece crunchy, succulent and robustly spiced. A hot item made for a cold beer. 

In an era that increasingly fetishizes the thicc Ginger Pig-style sausage roll, give thanks for Sunflour’s retro version, at best as half as tall as it is wide. The benefits of these old school dimensions are immediately apparent: a better, more equitable share between pastry and filling in each mouthful — the former soft and often thrillingly caramelised on the bottom; the latter crumbly, properly peppery, intriguingly padded out (wait, is that shredded carrot?) A splendid companion for a walk along Regents Canal if restraint allows it to last that long.

When does a hot item transcend the concept of itemhood and become, simply, a warm dish? Leave the ontology to the nerds: the important thing about Dapur’s lunch offering is that it’s hot, filling, and eminently portable. An excellent rendang is admittedly a clear case of category fraud, but a solid bone-in chicken kari and excellent chicken berempah practically demand hands-on participation. Nearby Red Lion Square is probably the best impromptu seating option; ask for extra napkins.

Take a pliable, flaky paratha and wrap it round mashed potato enriched with chilli, onion, tomato and spices. Or wrap it around achar-marinated paneer, or beef tikka, or freshly beaten egg. The permutations are dizzying at The Kati Roll Company, but the masala potato option — as perfect an expression of double-carbing as exists in the capital — should always be one of them. Just remember to add a cup or two of restorative chai to stave off the very real threat of an unplanned afternoon-spanning nap.