London's top 50 restaurants: South East Asian

Rice and spice – London's best Thai and Vietnamese restaurants

For great Thai and Vietnamese food, London has many good choices. But which ones are the stand-outs for overall experience, or great value? We reveal all. Do you agree with the choices? Use the comments box below or tweet your suggestions.

Patara

Rated as: 4/5
Price band: 2/4

An elegant interior and attentive staff are a winning combination for the Soho branch of the international Patara chain. You’ll find the expected red and green curries on the menu, along with other familiar dishes, but they’ve been smartened up for a fine dining audience.

When to go: For a low-lit, romantic meal.

What to have: The plump king scallops sautéed in chilli paste are superb.

Read Patara review

15 Greek Street, W1D 4DP

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Song Que

Rated as: 5/5
Price band: 1/4
Critics choice

The over-enthusiastically long menu at this Kingsland Road stalwart might not suggest anything special is going on in the kitchen, but the nightly queues out the door dispel all doubts. While neighbouring restaurants have chased the trendy Shoreditch pound by tarting up their interiors, Song Que remains resolutely perfunctory in design (although the toilets have been seriously spruced up – not before time). The draw is the low prices and the fairly high standards of the food. Almost all dishes on offer are good, but the perfectly balanced broth in the pho is a work of art.

When to go: When you need a cheap, large, appetising meal in Shoreditch.

What to have: It’s got to be the pho.

Read Song Que review