Vy Nam Cafe may be relaxed but it’s so much more than just another cafe.

The Venue
Vy Nam Cafe may not look like much from the outside. In fact, the garish red and blue sign is in-your-face – and not in a good way. Luckily, the large window offers a glimpse of an altogether different space within. The space is light and airy and the comfortable high-backed wicker chairs match the wicker-topped tables, each layered with glass with pressed flowers and plants underneath. The neutral decor is just lifted with some foliage and a few pictures on the walls and, although the space is quite narrow and certainly not large, it succeeds in avoiding that awful trap of becoming claustrophobic.

The Atmosphere
While most people seek out Vietnamese food on Kingsland Road, Vy Nam Cafe is pulling in locals and those North Londoners who can’t be dealing with the trek to East London. And so there’s a rather charming, friendly feeling to this space and the staff certainly seem to care more about your patronage. And the service is attentive and quick, which is ideal if you’re not looking to languish too long over your dinner.

The Food
The menu at Vy Nam Cafe is lengthy, it’s authentic and it’s well thought out. The dishes aren’t particularly cheap but if you’re careful about what you order you can easily dine here without putting any pressure on your credit card.

For starters, the Vy Nam soft shell crab (£5.95) arrives as a big plate covered in fresh salad and greens and generous, fat pieces of soft shell crab in a delicate, well seasoned batter. In fact, the portion is so generous you can easily share it between two as a light start to your meal. If you’re watching your waistline then the fresh papaya salad (£6.95) is an example of why salad doesn’t necessarily have to be low on flavour. Order it with plump, sweet prawns that complement the sweetness of the delicate chilli sauce and shredded carrots perfectly. Some dried shallots give it a pleasant tang and it’s all rounded off with a pleasant hit of crushed peanuts, which also act to stop the texture being too soft, too stodgy.

Equally light, but more filling, is the rice vermicelli noodles in soup. Again, the prawns rule here (£7.20) and the portion is generous and the quality of the fresh, plump prawns clearly evident. The vermicelli noodles are wonderful, absorbing the flavours of the soup, which itself has a pleasant bit of heat. Vegetables add texture and keep it all feeling very healthy. It’s certainly enough for a light dinner or lunch.

The Drink
The drink list is very simple at Vy Nam Cafe with a few bottles of wine priced at between £13 and £24. It is, though, hard to see how some of them would ever stand a chance of matching the food. Instead, the beer is far more impressive, with three bottles of Vietnamese beer, including the rarer Hanoi beer and Hue beer.

The Last Word
Vy Nam Cafe is a star find for the area. Finally, North London has a Vietnamese to match all those places down Kingsland Road. Splendid.

venue information venue map view london review write a review