On first entering the restaurant we noticed the place was small and fairly busy, but were pleased that although we hadn't booked, the three of us were given a table immediately. It has a good setting for romance. Candlelit and cosy with dark wood, I liked the look immediately.
First ordered were drinks. Our friend had a beer and The Bloke and I opted for Jasmine tea for two and were promptly given two cute cast iron pots on a wooden block with little cups. Adorable. I poured immediately and grimaced, suggesting to my partner to not drink it. We tend to drink jasmine tea at home and it is meant to be light and refreshing - a pinch of leaves is plenty. They had heaped in what looked like about two or more tablespoons. It was so strong you could nearly stand a spoon up in it. We asked for more water to thin it down which they happily did, but my concerns were already twitching - if they can't make the basic tea - what would the food be like?
The waiter suggested we picked about three 'tapas style' dishes each so we picked ten to be sure (I was particularly hungry that night). Peering at the menu in the dark was quite difficult but eventually for starters, we decided on the rolls and chose one each - although we planned to share our food. I was looking forward to trying their Pho but they only serve that at lunchtimes. I went straight to the 'steamed' section of the menu and only found three things. Jasmine Rice, Lobster or Sous Vide Egg. I moved on to the rest of the menu.
I chose the Hot Crispy Rolls with pork and mushroom which I couldn't fault, very nice. The Bloke chose Pickled Vegetable summer rolls, which were quite nice, bit bland but okay and our friend chose the Mushroom & Herb Rolls. Again very nice and one of them came with the best peanut sauce I have EVER tasted. Sadly, that was the best part of the meal.
The (half) chicken wings were cooked well, in a sauce and were just okay. The Crispy Squid everyone agreed tasted exactly like the crisps you can get in England (Nik Naks). I guess if you like them - you'd like the squid. I wasn't a fan but the others loved them.
The Duck Breast was well cooked and came with a lovely black rice in a cabbage leaf, however, the 'sweet and sour' sauce was up with one of the worse flavours I have ever tasted. I could smell something immediately I didn't like on the table and when I tasted the sauce I knew that was what it was. We all looked at each other... "what IS that? It tastes.. almost dusty.. like.. an old dusty cupboard". It was the only description that seemed to fit as we all nodded in agreement. At least that comment made us laugh for the rest of the evening.
The Morning Glory (like a sea spinach and a favourite of mine) was lovely and served with crispy shallots. The Vegetable Curry was bland, although the okra was perfectly cooked. The Heavenly Flowers (grilled little flower bulbs) were interesting, crunchy and nice.. but left an strange, empty taste in your mouth. Everything was served very sporadically and we had to wait for something to go with rapidly cooling vegetables, or eat them alone. The rest of the dishes we picked at and left on the table when we departed, which is surprising as the servings are quite small. And I pretty much eat anything when I am hungry.
The words I said as I left were that my stomach "was left feeling sad". Which is a shame as Vietnamese food cooked properly is a delight! The bill came to about £100 (with one beer and tea as drinks).
On the website they quote "Our food is served ‘Banquet Style’ meaning it is served as and when it is ready". One gets the feeling that it is more for their convenience than anything else. That being said, the waiting staff were polite and we felt we were treated well. Its just a shame that the food, although presented beautifully, is just... well.. just okay.
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