Hieu Trung Bui may have just opened another Cay Tre in Soho, but to purists this Old Street stalwart will always be the one they head for.

The Venue
Just round the corner from East London’s famed Pho Mile, this place finds itself a little walk away from all those Vietnamese on Kingsland Road. In contrast to its sister sites (the Soho branch and Viet Grill), it looks a little tired, but that’s pretty much by-the-by, as it’s the cheap and excellent food that has people coming back to these Vietnamese venues. Wipe-clean tables, a very Shoreditch, stencil wallpaper and simple seating just about sums up this two-floor venue: the emphasis is on the food, and rightly so.

The Atmosphere
The East London Vietnamese love-in shows no signs of abating, so don’t be surprised to join the queue when you arrive – these are popular places. It’s Old Street, so you can expect to see plenty of self conscious folk with moustaches, thick-rims, beanies and brogues, but don’t let you put that off. And anyway, you probably won’t care too much when the food comes out.

The Food
It might not be quite as good as once it was, and there are certainly better down Kingsland Road, but it’s still a pretty good little spot for both authentic Vietnamese fare and those dishes that us Western folk like to think as being authentically Vietnamese.

Dishes like cac mon rang muoi (salt, pepper and chilli squid - £7), goi cuon (summer rolls with king prans, viet herbs and vermicelli in rice paper - £3.50), ga ro ti (roast chicken marinated in cinnamon and herbs, dressed in soy, served on a house salad - £6.50) and vit xao cai xanh (roast duck with greens and plum sauce - £8) are great for Western palates, but there are a few authentic options that you have to try.

Thankfully, they’re easy to spot as there are nice little happy smiles next to them on the menu. The ca kho to (£8) is a particularly good example, with catfish poached in caramelised fish sauce in a clay pot and served with plenty of chilli. Also worth trying are any of the phos, especially the hu tieu bo kho – a Saigon beef stew noodle soup (£7) with braised brisket, lemongrass, enryngo and pho noodles.

If you’re looking for lunch then there are some great ‘one dish’ meals for £6, or if you want to put you dinner in Cay Tre’s hands then are some decent set menus that give you a bit of an introduction to this cuisine – and they’re not bad value at £20 per person.

The Drinks
There’s a surprisingly good wine list that’s well thought out to match the Vietnamese flavours. The cheapest white is a perfectly reasonable Chilean Semillon/Chardonnay at £16 for the bottle, but if you do want to splash out a little then there’s enough scope to do so, with options rising steadily up to a quality Australian Riesling at £38 or up to a Pinot Noir at £37.50 if you’re going down the red route. There are plenty of very informative and helpful descriptions, enabling you to play the sommelier with ease.

The Last Word
Its location makes it an ever so slightly more accessible alternative to the Kingsland Road venues and although you’ll probably be rewarded for walking a few more metres, this place is still worth a go.

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