Towpath Cafe: Life beside the canal.

You might think that something as modest as a cafe on the side of a towpath, used by neighbouring residents as a jogging and cycling route, would always remain hidden and truly a gem. That can no longer the case in the internet age. This sort of concept

Mien Tay Shoreditch: Relatively average.

One can do no wrong dining in Phởmile, even though I think it is established that arguably the best London Phở is found outside of it. Arguably. After a fantastic experience at Cafe East, the better half was craving yet more soupy noodles, and so we decided to head toward Shoreditch. Mien Tay is one of the better published brethren amongst Vietnamese restaurants, though many (if not all) are reputed anyway. Success has since led to the opening of a second Mien Tay in Battersea (which AA Gill loved) , and most recently, they launched a strong PR campaign which saw the Vietnamese restaurant collabing with Bibendum to tailor a wine list to match the spicy menu. No doubt you would have heard about this in one form or the other. Meanwhile at the Dalston Kingsland branch, we arrived at a modest little eatery. The room is rectagular shaped, long and narrow, lit by nefarious bulbs with wattage that bordered the limboland of being bright enough to see, but underpowered that it felt suspiciously dim. Decor is whimsical, clad in polished rattan, especially the tables – Rattan foundation holding up a glass surface that gave the illusion of eating atop violet coloured flowers (artificial I gather). It all looks so flimsy that this may as well be a film set. Then again, what is one to expect from such a

Viet Grill: Phởever more.

The idea behind Viet Grill and Cay Tre – sister restaurants both owned by Hieu Trung Bui – is simply to bring delicious (and authentic) Vietnamese cuisine to London. They’re not the only ones in the Shoreditch area hoping to do so, of course, with much of ‘Phở Mile’[1. Phở Mile as described by Bellaphon], the term coined by Bellaphon, vying for the same. Affectionately or otherwise, many have come to recognise the brillance of this wonderful strip of Vietnamese restaurants along Kingsland road. Personally I have limited knowledge of Vietnamese cuisine, being Chinese, I grapple on to equivalents when ‘translating’ the cuisine whenever I visit a Vietnamese restaurant, for better or worse. They eat rice, we eat rice. They share dishes, we share dishes. They have noodle soup, we have noodle soup. Chopsticks apply. I have colleagues who hail from Vietnam and their first choice is Song Que, the crowd favourite really,I loved it too on my visit. Unfathomable affordability and food was delish

19 Numara Bos Cirrik I : my first london turkish restaurant experience