The Little Viet Kitchen
2 Chapel Market, The Angel, London N1 9EZ
Nearest Tube: Angel
Buzz Factor 4.2/5 stars
Food 4.3/5 stars
Value for money 4/5 stars
4.2 Yummy Stars
Price Small plates - £8-£13.50; large plates – £13.50-£19.50 (at time of writing)
Pho with Beef Shortrib at The Little Viet Kitchen in Chapel Market, Islington
Eat-in or Take-away
For much of the week, Chapel Market operates as a street market by day and by evening, the remnants of the day trade are evident. At the end of the street is a little corner site, sitting pretty with its turquoise-coloured frontage. It looks inviting, as if beckoning you to come in and have a bite to eat.
The fuzzy warm feeling continued inside. This tiny spot was adorned with small chandeliers, adding understated glamour. Black copper teapots lined one wall next to the bar which was surrounded by functional wooden tables and pink-cushioned white wooden chairs.
I came armed with high expectations. The restaurant had won Golden Chopsticks’ award for being the best restaurant in England in 2019. My first visit happened not long before lockdown and I was keen to revisit to see if lockdown had changed anything. The place looked a little different. The tables were more spaced out and a tall screen separated 2 tables. The waiters were as friendly and helpful as ever, speaking as audibly as their masks would permit.
Thuy Diem Pham, the lady co-owner and headchef seems to have the whole thing worked out, with her husband as front of house and her mother helping in the kitchen. A true family affair. She was reported to have said that she opened the restaurant for her mother, who had yearned to have one.
The menu has mostly remained the same with some specials on offer. Of course, I came for the beef Pho, a real test of a proper Vietnamese restaurant. On both my visits, the Pho was the clearest of broth and the depth of flavours was unreal. I am sorry but I won’t be becoming a vegetarian any time soon. All that beef and beef bones (with a mélange of spices) cooked and simmered hour after hour after hour definitely showed. It was a bowl of beauty, worthy of plonking your face in and scooping it all up. Chef Pham apparently said that her mother still checked her broth. Mrs Pham, please keep going. The beef shortrib crowning the noodles (a special on my most recent visit) surrendered with a little nudge and the meat was as soft as a peach.
The sauces accompanying each plate were undoubtedly the star of the day. The clever layering of flavours was evident in the sauces enveloping the dishes. The lemongrass and mushroom gravy doused over the Coconut braised pork was a prime example. The slight sharpness of the lemongrass worked brilliantly with the pork and who would have thought that mushrooms would be such an excellent partner too. Another winner was the chilli and lemongrass mayonnaise which was a perfectly balanced backdrop to the crispy breadcrumbed prawn starter. I love aubergine any time, especially when steeped in their superbly rich and glossy sweet onion soya sauce. As if that wasn’t enough, another stratum of mushroom and herb topping added to its complexity.
Frying a whole fish isn’t easy. Our seabream had a wonderful crispy coating, though was slightly overcooked. All was forgiven with a mouthful of the fish with another masterly sweet and tangy tomato and herb sauce. The confit chicken had lemongrass permeated into its core, bedazzled by a ginger and herb sauce. It was mesmerizingly scrumptious.
The place was humming with customers seemingly enjoying themselves, even on our second visit. It felt like the old times, the pre-Covid-19 days, happy sociable days, chattering sound, sharing food, sharing stories.
September 2020
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