Ben's reviews
Review of Tre Viet
09 Aug 07, 22:37
BYO + noodles 
Well this would be a 2 star review, but it's a BYO, which puts it up a notch. It's not that Tre Viet is bad, it's not, it's ok, just there's better eating to be had just down the road from this place. However, you can't sniff at somewhere that lets you bring your own booze. Although confusingly there are currently two places pretty much next to each other that call themselves "Tre Viet", so in the interests of clarity, I'm talking about the place next to the turkish joint. Oh, and coincidentally the one that says "Bring your own wine" in the window.
The beef in betel leaf is excellent. After that it's a bit of a blur. I think the noodle soup was good. Did I mention it was a BYO?
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Review of The Dolphin
07 Aug 07, 09:17
A great dive 
The Dolphin is not somewhere to take someone on a first date. It's low down and dirty as pubs go. To be fair, whilst the gentrification of Hackney has it's effect on places like the Cat and Mutton, turning them into gastro pubs with djs, the Dolphin hasn't been completely unaffected. They haven't decorated or anything drastic like that - it's still a fairly grotty pub with some interesting decor. But now it firmly has its place in the London Fields circuit. All roads lead to the Dolphin, come chucking out time at all the other pubs. Whilst this leads to a fairly interesting mix of people, especially late on, it does also mean that they've started charging on the door.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Review of Green Papaya
07 Aug 07, 09:12
Best on Mare Street
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.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.