Cay Tre is a Shoreditch institution, having been doing its thing since 2001. It’s one of the top authentic and traditional Vietnamese restaurants in east London and it’s a cheap eat that rocks. We love the charm of the place, which is a polite way to say it’s a little rough around the edges, but that doesn’t seem to affect its popularity at all.
We started off with a Chicken and Prawn Saigon Xeo pancake that you wrap in lettuce leaves, dip into the sauce and crunch away at. It’s a brilliant dish to get sweet, salty, spicy and sour all going on at the same time – don’t be shy at getting your hands dirty either. The Green Papaya salad with Vietnamese balm, roasted peanuts, house vinaigrette and prawn crackers is refreshing, zesty and comes with a kick.
[easy-image-collage id=104709]For mains we went for the Hanoi BBQ Pork, a super popular traditional dish, which you can find everywhere in Vietnam from street stalls to restaurants. It’s grilled lemongrass pork shoulder and belly, pork patties in a warm meat broth and a crispy spring roll, which is best when you mix it all together and dive in. The Saigon Hawker rice with charcoal pork chop, lemongrass, five spice honey glaze, daikon and a fried egg is another very traditional dish and it was super satisfying.
With ample sized portions at Cay Tre you can’t go wrong. It’s no fuss and no hipster Shoreditch-ness, just a good old Vietnamese restaurant. Book your table here.
Cay Tre, 301 Old St, EC1V 9LA
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