restaurant: cay tre

If you've run the gamut of Vietnamese restaurants on Kingsland Road, you might have missed Cay Tre - successfully located off the main drag on Old Street, it pulls action from Hoxton Sq and has built its reputation based on the super stellar food.


Surprisingly, they have recently opened a brand new restaurant in uber snazzy Soho and after my meal last week, I'm sure it will be just as successful as it's East London sibling.


Vietnamese food is about fresh flavours and exciting combinations and Cay Tre delivers on both. I went with a group of hungry girls so therefore able to try a vast amount of food. Highlights included the gỏi cuốn  - spring rolls bursting with mint, prawns and coriander and cà tím nướng - delicious grilled aubergine topped with ground pork and a tangy sweet and sour sauce. Anyone who visits has to try the Mekong catfish - made to order table-side, it's full of dill, peanuts and noodles and a surprise favourite was the curried soft shell crab, an unctuous dish that oozed flavour with every bite of crunchy crab.


The service was good, the wine list reasonable and I've been told they will soon be serving cocktails. Definitely not a place to miss.


Cay Tre Soho, 42 Dean Street, London, W1D 4PZ