Best on Mare Street
07 Aug 07, 09:12
As expected
There are a smattering of vietnamese restaurants on Mare Street, as well as a lot of vietnamese supermarkets. The quality of the restaurants though isn't as good as on Kingsland Road. Green Papaya is a happy exception to the rule, it's a great local.
The starters in particular are worth the visit. Of particular note are the squid rings in salt and chilli, and the rare beef salad. I'm not alone there either - the last time we visitied, the guy at the table next to us ordered them for his main course too! Staples such as spring rolls are also good, or the huge "Banh Xeo" pancake.
The main courses are more of a mixed bag, with some of the stir-fry type food being a little underwhelming. The bbq dishes such as the lamb on skewers or the chicken with satay are very good though, as is the "pho", or noodle soup.
Amanda J.
Dalston
40 reviews
Reliable Vietnamese
21 Jul 07, 14:57
As expected
I've been to the Green Papaya on a number of occasions now and generally found it to be quite reliable in terms of both service and quality. Not to mention, quite friendly on the finances.
My most recent visit last night was with some friends from Australia. We started with some entrees - mini spring rolls and fried slices of sweet potato with king prawns. Spring rolls were as expected but the sweet potato and prawn were an unusual discovery and definitely worth a try - kind of like a strange rosti with a prawn in the middle!
Mains took quite awhile although given that I ordered "slow-cooked lamb" it wasn't a suprise. I thought the other dishes may have been left to cool but they were all warm when they arrived together. I felt the slow cooked lamb was the strongest of the three - the galangal, lemongrass and coconut milk combining to form a wonderful flavour without being overpowering. The prawns with spicy basil dipping sauce appeared as an appetizer on the menu as well and I felt they were stronger in that incarnation than as a full main course. The satay sauce with crispy chicken received praise from my dining companion but I felt the chicken was a little burnt for my liking. Portion sizes were decent enough that a late joining dinner companion also got a full meal!
