Caphe House

I work near Old Street and have been obviously spoiled by the Vietnamese food that you can find in the area. The food at Keu for example, is superb and there is a wealth of choice on the Kingsland Road. Having relocated temporarily to Bermondsey, I had to fight back the tears when I bought lunch recently from Caphe House, which, by comparison, is an atrocity for Vietnamese food. Yes, the staff may be a delight, but can someone explain why they feel an already lacklustre lemongrass chicken curry on rice might benefit from iceberg lettuce? Generally speaking, flavour is a gamble. They seem to be stingy when it comes to the broth - the essence of a good pho - and are reluctant to introduce holy basil, coriander, lemon grass or chilli in any significant quantity. I was also horrified (but I am of a delicate nature, admittedly) to see the chef (?) making a sandwich using cheap white bread and some sketchy looking accoutrements from their cold counter. The greasy spoon down the road is perfect for that and they should not need to encroach on their turf! Ridiculous. I am seriously tempted to invite the owner / chef out to lunch near Old Street so they can see what they have been missing.

Just had a Banh Mi from Caphe House on Bermondsey Street and I was very disappointed! Way too much pickled chilli sauce, (which by the way is not traditional) overpowered the lack lustre baguette. A great cafe for quick vietnamese bites is Banh Mi on old street.

lovely bahn mi! look forward to my next one.