Viet Grill, Shoreditch

 I work in Shoreditch, and part of my job is promoting Shoreditch - but god do they make it easy. It's undoubtedly one of the best places to go for food - everything from pop-up to Michelin starred restaurants. Every price, every cuisines. Viet Grill was no exception.

Viet Grill, located on Kingsland Road, is a Vietnamese restaurant serving authentic food at more than reasonable prices. It's in the heart of Shoreditch - with an abundance of bars and things going on around - and for a Saturday it was thriving. 

The restaurant is laid out in an organised manner with seating for no more than 100 people, I’d say at a guess.  We arrived at around 8pm, and despite not having a reservation were seated within a matter of minutes. 

Viet Grill undoubtedly emulates the hustle and bustle of Vietnamese life; the atmosphere was relaxed yet still vibrant. 

After a busy day we opted for a small starter to share: vegetable spring rolls. These were coated in breadcrumbs and deep-fried - exceptionally unhealthy but being a food blogger means being healthy isn't easy. They were, hands down, the best spring rolls I have tried in London.

Having never propertly dabbled with Vietnamese food beforehand I was excited to get eating.  I’d opted for the Wokked Pho with steak, my friend had the Crispy Seabass with green mango and we ordered a side of rice. Our mains arrived and the portion sizes were more than generous – especially my main – and the presentation of the seabass was lovely. The seabass was cooked in banana leaves which had been left on.

I will admit, I kind of messed up my choice a little and it turned out to be a little too spicy for my liking. I ended up eating more of the seabass - but they were both incredible. The seabass was the winning with it's smokey, yet fishy taste. It was great and the size was perfect.

Another point to bring up is the pricing of the drinks - it's incredibly reasonable for the area. For around £5 for a glass of wine, £4 for a beer - though it's not cheap it's not horrendous given the usual prices in these 'hip' areas.

Viet Grill was a solid winner for me; great food, a nice vibe and exceptionally well priced. Well worth a visit if you're in the area - or even if you're not.

vietnamesekitchen.co.uk