Monday, 27 April 2009

The Pho Mile


The Phở Mile that's also Kingsland Road, E2
To date I've been to all eleven of them and only a few have been blogged. The general gist is that none of the eleven twelve joints are bad, they can't afford to be, but anyone of them can also be hit-or-miss. The Vietnamese staff hate getting wound up by whim-hungry diners, and in any case one shouldn’t ask for the earth anyway, the food served is dirt cheap and nearly, always delicious. Please do let me know if there are new restaurants that crop on this road and you're more than welcome to contribute any testimonials for any of the restaurants listed below. Send your comments and I'll caption them with the relevant photo.

FYI, my favourite is Loong Kee Café.

Viet Grill – The Vietnamese Kitchen
58 Kingsland Road London E2 8DP

Tây Đô Restaurant

60-64 Kingsland Road E2 8DP
Review

Tây Đô Café
65 Kingsland Road London E2 8AG
Review


Now...

...then

Viet Hoa Café
70-72 Kingsland Road E2 8DP
Review
 

Now...


...then

Third time lucky- Quán Nuóng, previously Thăng Long (in itself, formerly known as Phở Sweet Basil).
 
97 Kingsland Road London E2 8AG
Review

Hanoi Café

98 Kingsland Road London E2 8DP
Review
 
Que Viet
104 Kingsland Road London E2 8DP
Review

Anh Đào
106-108, Kingsland Road London E2 8DP
Review

Miền Tây

122 Kingsland Road London E2 8DP
Review

Sông Quê Café

134 Kingsland Road London E2 8DY
Review
Now...

...then.

Hung Việt (aka That Vietnamese Place)134A Kingsland Road London E2 8DY
Review

Banh Mi London
134B Kingsland Road London E2 8DY
Loong Kee Café
134G Kingsland Road London E2 8DY
Review
by enlarge
A nigh on loveless place Kingsland Road is...


A gentle reminder on 'The Pho Mile', it was coined here first by yours truly.


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11 comments:

  1. kerstin29 April 2009 at 00:04

    There is also the one on Englefield road which does amazing barbequed King fish. Viet hoa used to be there.

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  2. Charles30 April 2009 at 09:40

    Geat round up of the area - funnily enough I used to live in a flat and the door to get into it was down that loveless alley!

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  3. Helen Yuet Ling Pang30 April 2009 at 15:08

    Great guide as I haven't been to ANY of them, yet! Thanks for eating on my behalf and choosing the best. I'm getting too fat to do this eating lark for much longer...

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  4. bellaphon30 April 2009 at 16:28

    Charles- Thanks for stopping, I would love to stay in Hoxton/Shoreditch. Don't mention pie and mash though ;)

    HYL- Salt in wound, I hold Vietnamese cuisine above Korean anyday, get on down you'll love it!

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  5. Sung5 May 2009 at 16:31

    Great list - I love it that you've eaten at all these places. BTW - have you tried Banh Cuon at any of these places ?

    Also agree that Vietnamese beats Korean in foodie top trumps !

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  6. bellaphon6 May 2009 at 09:18

    Sung- Oh yes Banh Cuon, you know this just might trouble the Dim Sum fans; it's more delicate and sophisticated than Cheung Fun.

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  7. Sung6 May 2009 at 12:59

    Controversial ! I've just come back from both Vietnam and HK/China and would largely agree. One thing to add though is cheung fun in HK & China tends to be more delicate and the fillings more imaginative than in the UK.

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  8. Anonymous4 February 2011 at 01:01

    Hi Bellaphon,
    im really interested in this pho mile. ive been to almost every single one you have reviewed here and i think you have done an excellent thorough job. i have my personal favourite, but i wont divulge them here. when i sit down at my fav joints and they are not so busy, i got thinkind and i was just curious and wondering do you think that mien tay and song que have some sort of affiliation with time out? they always seem to get 5 stars? they are actually related to one another and i think its pretty strange and unfair as what this does is deter people from all the other restaurants. most of these places are family run so i think it is only fair everyone gets a fair try and people should stop relying on following crowds so much! what are your thoughts?

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  9. bellaphon4 February 2011 at 19:10

    Anon- Thank you for your enlightening comments. I could be wrong but I don’t think Song Que and Mien Tay are affiliated, the former was single-handedly put on the map by Time Out and whereas the latter invested heavily on the services of the hyperactive PR folks. But then again, some PR-led businesses work a treat, Viet Grill is very good despite its westernised leanings. I still swear by Loong Kee, Hung Viet and now Anh Dao.

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  10. Szaller3 May 2011 at 23:19

    Thanks for the reviews!

    BTW, I counted 17 Vietnamese restaurants in the area.

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  11. Marie Chase4 September 2024 at 08:02

    Great blog I enjoyed reading

    ReplyDelete