Namo

This family-run Vietnamese is located in the heart of the hip Victoria Park Village, which is sort of a hipster version of Chiswick. There are a lot of Vietnamese restaurants around in Hackney, but this one has a cool factor and has set itself in the middle of Bohemia. The decor is quite nice, bright red Frenchy Wallpaper and red metal chairs, street stall style. The back of the place has an option for open-air on nice days, which I thought was a very Southeast Asian touch- could totally see that in Thailand somewhere. I also liked their mix matched chop sticks and the white metal and enamel plates that were artfully chipping away. Also the wine list was very cheap, which we liked, but a really teeny selection, which we didn’t.

We tried the Vietnamese spring rolls- the not fried version- but they were very large and bulky to eat, stuffed to the hilt with noodles, overpowering any idea of prawn. But it was fresh and light, and I enjoyed the rich savory sauce that accompanied it.

We also tried the green mango salad, a Southeast Asian mainstay, and I was really impressed with it. Its usually my test for a good Thai or Vietnamese, this Som Tam Salad, and they really pulled it off. It was very pungent, very sour, very sweet…all you want in your Som Tam. There were fried shallots and nice herbs to top (ok, more herbs would’ve better and more authentic, but this was ok…), and we had it with some perfectly cooked soft calamari.

The softshell crab we ordered was really disappointing. It was actually boring, soggy, and a bit tasteless. How about a spiced batter? An interesting sauce? Where was the traditional basket of fresh herbs when you need it? We also tried the monkfish which was also disappointing- again, really plain and boring, no flavor or herbs or spices. I went from high to low…an hounorable mention for the Vietnamese coffee though…overall a nice experience but I wouldn’t go back unless it was my local. I liked the artistic vibe and the Som Tam was top. But in general, the food needs a little tweaking…