Restaurants

Khoai Café
This outpost of the original Khoai Café in Crouch End is the kind of place that effortlessly brightens up a neighbourhood. The spacious, airy interior is sleek, but not cold; modern, but not pretentious. Most importantly, the food is flawlessly executed. Everything we tried was bursting with fresh flavours and skilful presentation: from the colourful summer rolls that didn’t skimp on the prawns, to the fragrant minced beef rolled in betel leaves and chargrilled. Green leaf soup had less of a presence, but the flavour of the broth was clear and sweet. Similarly, the southern-styled hu tiu (a Chinese and South-east Asian noodle soup made with pork broth and without fish sauce) with chicken, prawn, grilled fish cake and chives was delicate and soothing. The tongue-twistingly named bun tom cang nuong goi xoai was the highlight of our meal – fat, butterflied tiger prawns fresh from the grill, topped with slivers of juicy mango and served with vermicelli noodles, crunchy carrot and cucumber, Vietnamese herbs and piquant nuoc cham. All the desserts are outsourced: a shame, as we would have loved to see the same culinary flair applied to the puds.
Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2009

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Posted by KG on 04 Aug 2009 12:46
I just moved into the area and got very excited to see this place at my doorstep! The restaurant fulfilled my expectations and was just as good, if not better, than the places I have been to in Shoreditch.
Brings you right back to Vietnam - the spicy, pungent Bun Hue noodle soup, and the fresh, crisp summer rolls (vegetarian version). Excellent and authentic!

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Posted by Dr. Dev Singh on 07 May 2009 23:04
Went there on my birthday after reading reviews on this site and wasnt disappointed.
The service was quick, the prices reasonable and food was delicious.
I would recommend the hanoi grilled fish.
All in all, a good experience. would go there again and recommend to others.

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Posted by Charmaine Julien (registered user) on 20 Jun 2008 17:10
The whole family went, 18 of us and we didn't feel cramped. Kids are welcomed, staff are friendly and the food is interesting. Definitely the place to dine en masse.

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Posted by Simon Armiger (registered user) on 19 Mar 2008 22:36
A great restaurant with friendly service and authentic Vietnamese food. Too often, it seems, any restaurant outside Hoxton that claims to be Vietnamese turns out to serve Chinese or Thai dishes. Not a problem here, with great Pho, delicious Bun Cha and even proper Vietnamese coffee (made with condensed milk). A real treat for Finchley, and a great addition to the excellent Thai & Co, and Hi Sushi that opened within the last year and make this area a great choice for oriental food.

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