Restaurant-Guide.com
hand picked restaurants

The Viet Hoa Café specializes in authentic Vietnamese cuisine and what it lacks in stylish surroundings it more than makes up for in its food. Crispy duck pancakes are a popular choice here as is the pho bo, a traditional beef noodle soup and with main courses for around the £6 mark you can make this a regular spot for lunch or a cheap evening out.

Reviewed by Linda Buttle

Situated in Walthamstow Village, East London, The Trattoria La Ruga is a quaint, small Italian restaurant, that is well known locally for its lack of a printed menu and the homemade food prepared from fresh and daily produce. Served and explained by an experienced staff, the menu offers a wide variety of mouthwatering dishes that can be enjoyed by large groups of families or even couples out on a romantic date.

In a comfortable and timeworn ambience of candlelit interiors, guests are served dishes of baked gnocchi with cream and sage; monkfish with tiger prawns in a provencale sauce; and loin of pork with cream, mustard and roasted parsnips. Pastas of carbonara; napoletana with spicy tomato sauce and funghi with spinach, mushroom and cheese make for the other varied fare.

Although the menu is limited, it is re-worked everyday and is refreshingly paired with wines such as Frascati, Pinot Gregio and Prosecco to name a few.

Que Viet, is a small but sophisticated Vietnamese restaurant in east London which is conveniently located near Old Street tube station, with Hoxton rail station just a short walk away. Featuring elements of French colonialism in its appearance and look, the restaurant stands out as one of London's most modern Vietnamese restaurants. The food served is authentic and fresh, with traditional recipes passed down through generations infused with French culinary touches.

The menu is varied and offers a choice of typical Vietnamese as well as French dishes. The signature dishes include tender slowly-cooked duck served with onions and ginger, deep fried salt and pepper squid and stewed goat with coconut sauce served in a flaming dish. Dishes like papaya salad with a dressing of lemon and fish sauce and Hanoi fish with dill and herbs blend well with plain noodles and Vietnamese dipping sauce.

The restaurant also serves a variety of Vietnamese beers and French wines alongside a range of rum, gin and brandy to accompany the meal.

Set in the heart of Hackney, directly adjacent to the Hackney empire, the Old Ship Pub is a modern take on classic British cuisine with the inn staying true to its original concept of serving a varied and wholesome menu despite its recent change in look and design. The food is authentic, sourced from specific farmers throughout the UK, with this extending to the beers and wines as well.

The menu is fresh and changes periodically, with old dishes mingling with the new, reflecting the general nature of the clientele. The dishes mirror contemporary British cuisine with the tapas menu of Suffolk pork pie, Brixham fish cakes with lemon mayo, and a selection of British artisan cheeses with piccalilli. The à la carte menu includes roasted pork belly with mashed potato and apple blossom, steak and ox kidney pudding and fine beans, with specialities like beef and real ale pie. The substantial wine list offers guests an option to either relax with a bottle of wine, a pint of ale or one of the special British cocktails.