Randomness Guide to London Menu

Small cafe in Deptford serving good, authentic Vietnamese food. It has seating for maybe about 25 people. They also offer takeaway and possibly delivery. No alcohol, and it's really a cafe rather than a restaurant, but it is open in the evening.

Note: As of February 2009, Cafe East has moved to the Surrey Quays shopping/leisure complex, near the cinema, and is due to open in mid-March. The original premises is still in the hands of the same landlord, and his son will be opening yet another Vietnamese cafe there around the same time; it'll be called something like Mama Pho (I'm sure about the Pho part, slightly less sure about the Mama part --Kake).

Kake and doop visited the original location on a Saturday evening in December 2007; we'd been warned that we might have to queue, but we got a table straight away.

We shared summer rolls to start, then both had pho (Vietnamese noodle soup) - doop had chicken, and Kake had chicken, beef, and prawn. Kake liked everything about hers: the base stock was really clear-tasting; the noodles weren't even slightly stodgy; the prawns were good big ones and not overcooked; and although the beef was well-done, it was still tender and not at all dry. Portions were very generous. Our bill was £18.20 in total, including tea (50p per person) but not service.

Will try the Bun Bo Hue (spicy beef soup) next time, as it's been recommended on Chowhound.

Note that the owners of Cafe East close up and go on holiday for a month or so every year, generally around August/September.

See also:

• Chowhound thread
• Culinary Hags review
• Darren Ferguson's review
• Elitist Review review
• Frankly Cross Eyed review

Comment added by M: Went to their new location yesterday and it looked like a bomb site. This is only a personal opinion,I doubt it will open in March. Possibly early April?

Comment added by MC: New site is now open (Easter weekend 2009). Been far too long since I've had my Cafe East fix. I was so full after eating I couldn't move. It was great :)

Prices have gone up marginally. Plenty of parking available (end of hollywood bowl car park), seats around 100 and there is now a waiting area.

Think I might have to go again this week....