Mien Tay

Yes, ANOTHER Asian restaurant but London is just full of really great Asian food. I came to Mien Tay for Sunday lunch with some school friends. It is a little Vietnamese restaurant in Battersea. The closest station is Clapham Junction so it was a bit of a mission getting here by public transport from Barons Court, but it was well worth it. The food on the menu consists of mainly traditional dishes from the area of Mien Tay. Actually, despite having been to Vietnam, I don’t know much about the food and never thought I was that keen on it. However, my visit to Mien Tay has changed that!

The restaurant was very busy, I arrived earlier than my friends and the staff were all very nice and welcoming and made me feel comfortable! As I was there alone, I heard a few of the other customers talking about their food, and within five minutes I heard two sets of people say how good their meals were and that they wanted to send their compliments to the chef. The restaurant was small and well lit. We sat in the upstairs bit. The tables were very close together but it didn’t matter - it just added to the general atmosphere and felt more authentic as it was like sitting in some sort of hawker centre.

The tables all had large holes in them with little models of Vietnamese villages made out of sticks of wood. Glass covered the tops of the holes so we were able to eat whilst admiring the little models. It made a fun addition to the restaurant.

We began the meal by sharing a couple of starters. We had pawn crackers and fried tofu which were delicious.

As I wasn’t sure what to have for my main meal, I took my friend’s recommendation and had Pho. It was a soup-based bowl of noodles. My Pho had sliced beef in it with bean sprouts, chilies and green veggies. The dish was only £5.50! The prices were extremely reasonable and I’m glad I took his recommendation, as it was very tasty. 

I haven’t had much Vietnamese food in London but I would definitely say this was the best place so far and it has great reviews so I’m not the only one who thinks so. I will go back again.

Pasca x