The big dilemma when I visit Chinatown in London is where to eat, and I can never make my mind up. I recently met a lady who works in Chinatown (music to my ears, if truth be told) and she highly recommended the restaurant Viet-Food for authentic Vietnamese street food.
Located on the south side of Wardour St, Viet-Food is the brain child of Jeff Tan. An ex chef of Hakkasan and many more incredible restaurants. He wanted to offer Londoners delicious Vietnamese street food at affordable prices. He does just that. It is very much cafe style, so don’t go expecting swanky seating.
Viet-Food say they take reservations, however, everyone seemed to have a different answer. My recommendation would be to arrive on the earlier or later side of lunch. Get a seat at the window, and watch the world go by.
We went with my daughter, who was recently back from Vietnam, and she chose our menu. Very simple, but between the three of us, it was perfect.
What we ate at Viet-Food
We had the Vietnamese home-made spring rolls – super tasty. Different from your regular spring roll in that they were like nests. A delicious moment for ‘le crunch’.
Morning glory was so good and full of favour. A dish of healthy greens, which should be so obviously good, but isn’t always the case. This is a dish she ate the whole time on her travels and she gave it a full thumbs up.
We had the Saigon stir-fry duck breast with green papaya, which was spot on, melt in the mouth succulent and full of flavour – each mouthful was bursting our tastebuds.
The other dish we had was the chicken. I can’t find the exact details now, but it was absolutely delicious. It fell apart in the mouth, and honestly I wished we’d had more that I could have taken home. It was a set menu dish for lunch.
Verdict on Viet-Food
Viet-Food delivered on every level. Food was delicious. Service was really efficient and it was good value. We all agreed we’d go back again and again. The best news is that in writing this article, I’ve discovered there is Jeff’s other branch Gô in South Kensington, and it is delicious.
August 2020 update: Both restaurants back open since Covid-19.
Viet-Food
34-36 Wardour St, Soho W1D 6QT
0207 494 4555