Randomness Guide to London - Differences between Version 12 and Version 11 of Panda Panda, SE8 4PA

Cafe selling Vietnamese baguettes and snacks on Deptford Broadway at the New Cross end of Deptford.

Inside, there are five tables, round and wooden-topped with tubular metal frames, and four matching chairs at each. The floor is covered with large light tan tiles, the walls are painted white, and large windows at the front let in the sunlight.

Sarah visited on a Tuesday lunchtime in May 2010 for a banh-mi (French/Vietnamese baguette). Previous banh-mi experiences have varied — the now closed Viet Baguette had nice fillings but dull bread, and a recent banh-mi at Chung Viet was tiny and lacked veg. Happily, this was a decent size, the bread was fantastic, and the vegetables were lovely and fresh. The bread was light on the inside and crisp on the outside. I believe traditional Vietnamese baguettes are half wheat flour and half rice flour which may explain it... I went for the "rolled pork with Viet ham", which had plenty of vegetables inside (carrot, cucumber, chilli, and peanuts — the latter two optional). It was made fresh in about a minute or two and served still warm. The cafe itself was nice and clean, and the staff were friendly.

Kake visited a month later and tried the Vietnamese ham & paté banh mi (£3.45) photo. I was similarly impressed with the bread (though note that the crisp outside does go soft quite quickly, so if you're having takeaway then be prepared for this) and the generous size for the price. The paté was significantly smoother than the version at Chung Viet around the corner. There was something a little odd about the flavour of the pickled vegetables, not entirely to my taste. The Vietnamese ham (a sort of sliced boiled pork sausage) was fine, though, and the slices of fresh red chillies, while fairly sparse, were pleasingly hot.

As of June 2010 they have one vegetarian banh mi on the menu — "vegetable delight" (£3), which experience with the previous version of the menu suggests may involve tofu with glass noodles. Sorry to all who were expecting the Laughing Cow cheese, le vache qui rit is not on the menu.

In addition to the baguettes, they also have cartons of summer rolls ready made to take away and all sorts of drinks, fresh fruit juices, a range of bubble tea, Vietnamese coffee, etc. Snacks are things like curry fish balls on a stick, beef noodle soup, and there's a range of Hong Kong style puddings. There's also milkshakes blended with all kinds of chocolate, a bit like Shakeaway.

Kake tried the prawn summer rolls (£3 for three) in June 2010 and thought they were fine, even though pre-made — the wrappers hadn't dried out, the prawns were sweet-tasting and well-seasoned, and there was a decent quantity of herbs. I marginally preferred the summer roll wrappers at Chung Viet, but I preferred the balance of the filling here.

They only accept cash, although they are very happy to point you in the direction of the nearest cashpoints. A sign seen in June 2010 offered free wifi as long as you spend over £3 (we suspect you need to ask for the passkey at the counter).

Sarah's verdict: I'd definitely go back, I'd like to try Vietnamese coffee, and see how their bubble tea compares to my usual bubble tea from Cafe de Hong Kong.

Kake's verdict: I might go back, but I still have to try banh mi and summer rolls from the other places along Deptford High Street — Panda Panda isn't yet a clear winner for me.

Accessibility: No steps to get in, just a sort of very shallow ramp up, hidden under the welcome mat. Not sure about toilets.

See also:

• Deptford Dame review
• Hollow Legs review
• Hungry Female review
• Sharmila On Food review
• Tehbus' review
• Brockley Central comments

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