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Tay Do Restaurant

  • Restaurants
  • Hoxton
  • price 1 of 4
  • 3 out of 5 stars
  • Recommended
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Time Out says

3 out of 5 stars

A south Vietnamese restaurant on the Kingsland Road.

Tay Do runs two established Vietnamese outlets in Kingsland Road – a café opened in 2000, then a restaurant in 2008 – and is renowned for serving big portions of quality nosh at low prices. It’s BYOB, too.

The food in the restaurant is excellent, with an exhaustive menu for meat-eaters and vegetarians alike. The chef’s special, bánh xèo, a Vietnamese pancake made from rice flour, was splendid: a shining turmeric-coloured half-moon, filled with a jungle of beansprouts and juicy prawns.

The hu tieu noodle soup, one of Tay Do’s specialities, arrived in a cavernous bowl. Succulent pieces of pork bobbed between rice noodles, alongside refreshing bits of coriander, spring onions and chilli. A splash of lime added a welcomed sharpness to this translucent broth, rich in flavour. A dish of chicken cooked in chilli and lemongrass started out fiery on the tongue, but was cooled by coconut milk.

But Tay Do has lots of foibles: most notably, a lack of atmosphere. Harsh lighting combined with sickly, pale yellow walls makes it feel more like an NHS hospital waiting area. There were only a few other customers on my Wednesday night visit, while nearby Sông Quê Café was rammed. And the service, although prompt, wasn’t at all friendly (on my arrival, a waiter gestured me to a table with a silent hand-point).

Tay Do still delivers on low-cost, delicious food. Just don’t expect much in the way of ambience.

Written by
Ella Braidwood

Details

Address:
60-64 Kingsland Road
London
E2 8DP
Contact:
View Website
Transport:
Hoxton Overground.
Price:
Dinner for two with drinks and service: around £50.
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