Vietnamese food is definitely having a moment. Want to know where to get your Pho in central London? Old Street's legendary Vietnamese restaurant Cay Tre has opened up a Soho branch to feed the spice-loving masses.
Location:Smack-dab in London's Soho
on Dean Street.
Why to go:Regional Asian cuisine has
finally been getting the attention it deserves. of late, with
exciting establishments specialising in Szechuan, Cantonese and
Vietnamese food opening in London. Vietnamese food - full of fresh
herbs, vegetables and zingy flavours - is definitely having a
moment, especially thanks to the street food staple, Banh Mi, even
entering chains such as Eat and Pret.
Why everyone's talking about
it:London's Vietnamese food scene has traditionally been
based around Kingsland Road and Old Street in east London. The
burgeoning food scene has been creeping further central, and Cay
Tre - one of Old Street's favourite Vietnamese haunts - has finally
opened a Soho location.
Who goes there:A real mix of local
workers, Soho media types and those hankering after some
traditional Vietnamese cuisine, which is due to the more unusual
meat items on the menu. Like their big sister on Kingsland Road,
Cay Tre Soho also caters to groups, and that includes last-minute
walk-ins
What we drank:Vietnamese coffee,
famed for its sweet condensed milk, sadly, wasn't available, but
the cocktail menu proved intriguing. We went for a refreshing
lychee and prosecco number.
What we ate:What makes Vietnamese food
so appetising is it's approach to light, fresh flavours. A salad of
papaya and cured beef didn't disappoint, while fresh rolls had
plenty of crunchy vegetables to dip into the peanut sauce. Pho, the
famous Vietnamese mix of noodles and broth, could've had a little
more oomph in terms of spice, but the seafood and meat (in our
case, we went for the unorthodox, but highly recommended pigs'
cheeks) was expertly cooked.
Why EL loves:Dining in London's Soho
can very often be a game of two halves, veering from expensive
tourist trap to bargain basement culinary treasure trove. We've
bookmarked this as the perfect place to go for a tasty, original
meal with friends before a night out in London.
Address:42-43 Dean Street, London W1D
4PZ. caytresoho.co.uk.
