– COMPLIMENTARY MEALS –
I don’t often get to review restaurants but when I do, they tend to come in waves. I love the opportunity to try new independently owned eateries especially when they’re in London. What I love about the city is that you get an incredible scope of delicacies from all over the globe that are littered in between all of the chain restaurants and cafes. Viet Eat invited me along to try their special menu and my lucky fiance got to be my plus one.
We arrived at Viet Eat after work and we walked over instead of taking the tube because it’s only a stone’s throw away from Holborn which is around a 10 minute walk from where I currently work. The venue is quite small and as it was still beautifully sunny, we decided to take a table outside and watch the world go by.
Presented with the special menu, we perused over it whilst sipping on our red wine. It didn’t take us long to pick our food – #standard. The special menu is £23.95 which includes FOUR courses and a glass of wine/beer or soft drink. Now as any Londoner would tell you, that is an absolute steal of a price for four courses including a drink. Typically you’d be looking at double that at most restaurants in and around the capital.
So as our first course came out, I mentally prepared myself for four courses because on a weekday, I only normally have one. First up was the Fresh Summer Roll with Tiger Prawns and Sticky Honey Chicken Wings.
The Fresh Summer Roll with Tiger Prawns was packed in a super thin rice paper wrap and had fresh tiger prawns which were succulent and perfectly prepared. Along with the salad inside, it was accompanied by a thick peanut sauce which was heavenly. It was the perfect sauce to compliment the fish and we scraped the bowl to get every last bit of it.
The Sticky Honey Chicken Wings were picked out by me and were a must to try. The glazing was sweet and sticky and the wings weren’t overcooked so retained moisture that made the chicken so tender.
Onto our second round of courses, we ordered the Chilli Salt & Pepper Squid and we also ordered the Prawns too. Chilli Salt & Pepper Squid is definitely a favourite of mine and Sam’s. We’ll always have it if it’s on the menu.
The batter on these ones was a little heavy but it didn’t take away from the overall taste. I actually preferred the prawns as the batter around the outside of the prawn, sealed in the moisture as it was being cooked, and therefore melted in my mouth.
With our wine nearly finished, I made sure to save some for our main courses. Sam went with the Crispy Mango Sea Bass and I went for the Double Cooked Caramelised Pork Belly. We shared a side of egg fried rice with our mains which I think accompanied both dishes really well. Again, Sam didn’t really like the heaviness of the batter. I think if it was a little thinner, it would have been more enjoyable.
The Double Cooked Caramelised Pork Belly was just mind blowing. I mean pork belly is tasty anyway but it needs cooking just enough so it breaks away easily and melts like butter in your mouth. OMG did it do just that. I didn’t want the dish to end but it sadly did. It had the right amount of flavour and pork belly fat. The broth it was in was delicious and the rice was the right decision as it soaked it all up.
And finally, we had our desserts. At this point we were full to bursting so perhaps that contributed to our poor attempt at finishing the final course. But to be honest, we weren’t really bowled over by the desserts. Sam got the Pandan & Coconut Panna Cotta and I got the Vietnamese Flan Caramel. Both had the consistency of a panna cotta which was a little disappointing as I thought mine would have a little pastry in it.
Overall, I was very impressed by the food, all of it was delicious and for the price, it’s the perfect date night meal.
What do you think of Viet Eat? Let me know in the comments below.
*Disclaimer – We were given a complimentary meal by Viet Eat in exchange for an honest review. All words are my own.
