With November having passed - and me realising the gap between meals eaten and reviews written stretches beyond a year - everyone can now shave off their moustaches for another year. Last year, a friend (who usually wears a beard) was complaining of the effect the cold weather was having on his face having had to shave in the line of men's health. This culminated in the line "why does Movember have to be in November?" which was a nice way to start the evening.
The evening, it turned out, was eating in Shoreditch. The wife and I, along with many others, headed to one of the many Vietnamese places which are rife in the east end these days. I'd not heard of Viet Grill but any place wouldn't have made much difference to me since I was feeling somewhat sceptical and didn't have much interest in trying an Asian cuisine I knew very little about.
My own narrow-mindedness aside, around ten of us took our seats in a packed and buzzing downstairs which certainly filled me with hope for the evening to come. Despite being one who always stays on the side of good food over anything else, there is something about a bustling joint that comforts and reassures.
There were highs and lows throughout the meal. It was, I don't mind admitting, a lot better than I had expected. Simple things like their mango lassi were rather lovely, if not in the same league as Quilon. There were other small highlights from dishes such as soft-shell crab (left). Not too greasy or spicy, it went down a treat.
Spring rolls are a part of Asian cuisine which usually provoke plenty of eye-rolling from yours truly, mainly due to various ruinous takeaways and supermarkets. That said, if they are done with some kind of variation and good taste there's enough in there to hold my interest. These were of the pork and mushroom variety and were actually quite a treat (right). The rolls themselves were thicker and crispier, a quite impressive textural difference to the usual thin and crunchy insubstantial casing one is used to. The filling was a classic Asian mixture of salty, savoury and punchy tastes.
Other dishes we enjoyed around the table were chicken with anchovy (a well-balanced, salty proposition), simple noodles & rice (staples which were of a reasonable standard), some whole fish (moist, soft and properly cooked) and some pork & beef noodle soup (left). The wife ordered this and it was of a suitably spicy and fresh nature for her. Naturally it was far too chilli-ridden for me but she enjoyed it along with the rest of the assortment at the table.
Finally, I ordered something for myself in the shape of some fillet beef salad (right). This initially looked a little insubstantial and as if it was lacking variation but the dish worked excellently. A mixture of leaves and dressing lent a pleasant textural and acidic variation to the dish itself which in turn made the very well-cooked beef stand out. There were fragrant citrus notes, subtle spices and - most importantly - some lovely meat on the plate.
After the meal, I was pretty much a Vietnamese convert. Whilst the main obsession with London's interest in this kind of cooking is Pho noodle broth, this meal showed me there is a great deal to admire about proper Vietnamese food. Fresh, rustic and interesting, the meal was a meeting of old and new friends in an atmosphere conducive to having a good time. This is a restaurant which rose above the clamour and posturing of the east end to change my mind and remain firmly on my list of places to return to.
My own narrow-mindedness aside, around ten of us took our seats in a packed and buzzing downstairs which certainly filled me with hope for the evening to come. Despite being one who always stays on the side of good food over anything else, there is something about a bustling joint that comforts and reassures.
There were highs and lows throughout the meal. It was, I don't mind admitting, a lot better than I had expected. Simple things like their mango lassi were rather lovely, if not in the same league as Quilon. There were other small highlights from dishes such as soft-shell crab (left). Not too greasy or spicy, it went down a treat.
Spring rolls are a part of Asian cuisine which usually provoke plenty of eye-rolling from yours truly, mainly due to various ruinous takeaways and supermarkets. That said, if they are done with some kind of variation and good taste there's enough in there to hold my interest. These were of the pork and mushroom variety and were actually quite a treat (right). The rolls themselves were thicker and crispier, a quite impressive textural difference to the usual thin and crunchy insubstantial casing one is used to. The filling was a classic Asian mixture of salty, savoury and punchy tastes.
Other dishes we enjoyed around the table were chicken with anchovy (a well-balanced, salty proposition), simple noodles & rice (staples which were of a reasonable standard), some whole fish (moist, soft and properly cooked) and some pork & beef noodle soup (left). The wife ordered this and it was of a suitably spicy and fresh nature for her. Naturally it was far too chilli-ridden for me but she enjoyed it along with the rest of the assortment at the table.
Finally, I ordered something for myself in the shape of some fillet beef salad (right). This initially looked a little insubstantial and as if it was lacking variation but the dish worked excellently. A mixture of leaves and dressing lent a pleasant textural and acidic variation to the dish itself which in turn made the very well-cooked beef stand out. There were fragrant citrus notes, subtle spices and - most importantly - some lovely meat on the plate.After the meal, I was pretty much a Vietnamese convert. Whilst the main obsession with London's interest in this kind of cooking is Pho noodle broth, this meal showed me there is a great deal to admire about proper Vietnamese food. Fresh, rustic and interesting, the meal was a meeting of old and new friends in an atmosphere conducive to having a good time. This is a restaurant which rose above the clamour and posturing of the east end to change my mind and remain firmly on my list of places to return to.
Viet Grill
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