Que Viet

Chris Hudson heads east to try one of the standout Vietnamese restaurants along the Kingsland Road

If you’re running a Vietnamese restaurant in an area the locals often term ‘Little Hanoi’, you know you’re going to have to be at the top of your game to beat off the competition. Que Viet is exactly there.

Priding itself on using the freshest ingredients purchased daily from local markets, Que Viet has a varied, extensive and somewhat eclectic menu that includes soft shell crab, goat and squid. The ‘rarely’ steamed goat meat was succulent, soft and tasty, quite unexpected in fact, while the main course of Mongolian duck ‘chua’ was quite possibly the most well cooked duck I’d ever tasted. The meat was soft and flavoursome; the sour pepper sauce complemented it perfectly.

The signature dish of seabass with dill and lemongrass was a grisly spectacle: the gutted curved carcass of the fish part of the presented dish, with the meat piled up inside – still incredibly tasty nonetheless.

The only downside was the entrees: the crispy spring rolls and soft crab felt a little too fried in comparison to the fresh flavours of the following courses, and it perhaps made Que Viet feel a little cheaper than it really is.

Overall the belief that cooking with the freshest ingredients has paid off. It might not seem the most luxurious restaurant you’ll ever eat in, but it keeps the food close to its heart, and at the top of the Kingsland Road pecking order.