Viet Hoa – Part Two

Prior to last week’s award winning performance at the now infamous, A Fashionable Pub Quiz, Team Win, also known as ‘Dior going home in a fucking ambulance’ convened at Viet Hoa on Kingsland Road for some essential brain-food. I had been hankering for a return visit since my last trip, and Iso was feeling ill and in need of some medicinal hot and sour soup, so anywhere else was pretty much out of the question.

As much as I love a noodle soup, I decided to explore the menu further this time, although still didn’t make it beyond the starters and soups section of the menu before I had found something I wanted. Since it was Banh Xeo that left me so enamoured with Mien Tay, I thought I may as well give Viet Hoa’s offering a go.

In the absence of a tofu version, I went for the pork and prawn filled pancake. It was a pleasant surprise to find the juicy prawns and char-sui like pork melded into the thin egg of the pancake, allowing the crisp onions, beansprouts, mint and basil to be neatly encased and easily devoured.

The chilli sauce wasn’t especially hot, but was nicely sweet and sour and an all round pleasant addition to the dish. Whether it was because it was the first time I had tried Banh Xeo, or because their thick slivers of crisp tofu just made it better, I reckon I preferred Mien Tay’s, although I certainly had no complaints about Viet Hoa’s, and they were both the same price.

To accompany my pancake, I went for a small bowl of won ton soup. For just this kind of indecisive meal, it pleases me a lot that Viet Hoa offer all of their soups in either a full meal, or small side dish size. The broth was light and non-greasy, and the won ton filling had a lovely balance of pork and prawn. I am so addicted to the hoi sin and chilli sauces that they have on the tables in Viet Hoa that I couldn’t help dousing my soup in them, which probably masked the broth’s fragrant subtlety, but whatevs, I enjoyed it.

Since we’re on the matter of A Fashionable Pub Quiz, lauded as ‘the shit’ of Monday night entertainment, I thought I’d share this beautiful couture creation from last week’s creative round that did us no harm on our road to Bollinger soaked victory.

It is also with almost parental pride that I see young Pepe le Pugh’s name mentioned in none other than the Evening Standard today. Here’s that filthy fashion love-child once more:

Tags: shoreditch, viet hoa, vietnamese