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Green Papaya
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It’s refreshing to see a Vietnamese restaurant that proudly highlights its specials. At Green Papaya, dishes of the day are cheerfully splashed across a blackboard behind the bar. This time, though, we weren’t tempted by the various stir-fries offered. Instead, a delightful salad of thinly shredded banana flowers with coriander and a powerful salty-sour dressing set the pace for the rest of the meal. The pho ga (chicken noodle soup) here is sublime – a far more delicate dish than its cousin pho bo (beef noodle soup). The savoury soup was peppered with juicy shreds of chicken and hints of sweet onion and ginger, elevated with a squeeze of lemon juice. We were also impressed by the (rarely seen) smoked tofu, which had a distinct ‘umami’ meatiness about it. Staff were amicable and knowledgeable, explaining the provenance of the dried ‘Vietnamese olives’ in a dish of braised pork belly; these are imported from north Vietnam, where the olives are harvested. Located on a lonely stretch of Mare Street, this joint isn’t as lively as its Shoreditch counterparts, but we rate highly the food and mellow atmosphere.
Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2009
Time Out reviews restaurants anonymously and pays for meals. Of course, we cannot guarantee the accuracy or independence of user reviews.
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Details
- 191 Mare Street, Hackney, E8 3QE
- Area: Hackney
- Tel: 020 8985 5486
- www.greenpapaya.co.uk
- Category: Vietnamese
- Travel: London Fields rail/48, 55, 253, 277, D6 bus
- Times: Dinner served 5-11pm Tue-Sun
- Price: Main courses £5-£8
- Credit cards: DC, MC, V
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Went there after the rave reviews and was not as overwhelmed as expected. All was ok but nothing had the richness of flavours I normally associate with Vietnamese cooking.
Maybe the chef had an off day but will go back to Tre Viet which has been consistently good.
The sweet potato and king prawn starter is amazing, as is everything else. I've just started going here and I've been 3 times in a month. Yum.
The food is lovely. Always try the specials. Great service and very cost effective. Better food and nicer atomsphere than any other vietnamese I've been to including those down shoreditch way.
i swear by SPBD (spicy purple basil dressing) Its not to be missed.
Amazing food, great price, I had a beef pho soup, with sumemr rolls and a bootle of water £10, cooked to perfection...highly reccommend this place
Consistently good but not moribund as so many: the dishes subtly change and develop over time and so worth going back to. Excellent smoked Tofu noodles, sensational squid with a feisty purple basil dipping sauce, very fresh Tilapia in ginger spring onion soy and a memorable pork stir fry with Vietnamese herbs and chili. Emperor vegetable salad anyone? Sweet people. Dont tell everyone...ooops.