Viet Grill

We popped in here on a Friday evening around 6:45pm, just before it got rather busy. We were seated right away and had several different servers, all nice, but one of whom was particularly personable — so that was nice.
I ordered Saigon Saté Phở at £11 (hanger steak poached in a robust chilli broth, Thai basil & smashed nuts) and my girlfriend, the Saigon Phở at £10.5 with steak, brisket, fatty flank, and skirt flank in a beef broth. I was pretty excited about having some spicy phở (I’m not happy unless my nose is running), and the waiter warned me multiple times that «it’s very spicy» and we joked about how I can take it and he seemed dubious.
Look, it totally wasn’t spicy. Not even remotely close to anything called spicy. I laugh in the face of their spicy. Also, it wasn’t topped with smashed nuts, the broth itself seemed to be more of a peanut broth, which I wasn’t really that into, so my girlfriend and I swapped phở. I liked mine alright, it just wasn’t what I was after and she seemed more into it than I, so it all worked out. I also added a metric ton of Sriracha to her phở after the switch.
It was around £40 once we added in the Banh Xeo starter (vietnamese pancake with prawn and chicken) and a couple fancy sodas. The atmosphere was nice and the service decent, so I’d go again, but I think there are better phở spots in town.

Fantastic food, every single time!
PandaPay ran a trial at Viet Grill last night & the entire table was very impressed, person’s comment was: «this food is actually authentic Vietnamese food! I feel like I’m back at home.».
Viet Grill is buzz, fun and energetic. The service was flawless and extremely friendly.
I had the Classic Chicken Phở. The ingredient was fresh and full of flavour.
Not so good for a serious business meeting though it is the perfect place for group of friends, dates and after work dinner.

As of March 2015 visit:
Pros:
Saw Robert Pattinson and FKA Twigs arrive under cloak and hat to get a table.
Went about 9pm. No queue and good friendly service.
Great ambience.
Cons:
The ultimate Phở. I didn’t think much of the meat at all. Not very tender which was really disappointing. The broth was good which I’d expect but not fatty enough If I’m being super critical.
Since the refurb I’m not sure if they’ve changed staff but based on this latest visit I’d come back only to have my usual starters and other mains. Shame as on previous visits I’ve loved it. Phở for me is a tough thing to get right on all accounts.

There are lots of Vietnamese restaurants to choose from on Kingsland Road but I really like Viet Grill. I like the restaurant décor, it’s really colourful and usually always busy so there’s a good atmosphere. I’ve often been able to bring my own bottle of wine as well.
The starters are really tasty, especially the summer rolls and although I’ve had better Phở it’s still authentic, full flavoured and filling. It’s defintiely one of the better Vietnamese restaurants in London. Highly recommended.

Overall I was a bit disappointed with Viet Grill.
As others have said it’s a great looking restaurant with plenty of room for groups. However, our group had dishes arrive at totally different times, and one had to be sent back because it was wrong meaning I had finished by the time she got here. Not impressive or nice when you’re hungry and want to enjoy a meal together — always awkward as to whether to wait and let the food get hold, or be unsociable and eat separately. There was no real apology for this and nothing came off the bill.
I ordered the monkfish noodle signature dish and made the fatal mistake of not squeezing the lemon over it. Once I did this, about 80% of the way through, the flavours all came together. Before that, it was pretty tasteless. The massive piggy aubergine side I got was also pretty bland.
I would be interested to try some else of what is on offer here, as the menu is very appealing with a lot of interesting dishes (although I suspect if they narrowed it down they might improve in quality and service), but I won’t rush back.

I ordered the chicken phở and got mediocre chicken soup. Broth was bad but the management took it off the bill which pleased me very much.

for appetiser we tried spring rolls it was fresh and beautiful looking! and for main dish we tried mekong fish in claypot (i think this is their popular dish) and pork with aubergine, both are very good.

Another night of Vietnamese dinner, and I really liked it.
Phở wasn’t as authentic as Café East, but it was still neatly done. The summer rolls were more fresh, I felt, and better presented. We also ordered the beef with wraps and kimchi where you can grill your own meet (like Korean bbq) and make into summer rolls of sort. I thought this was a really creative and solidly executed idea — I loved every bit of it.
Ambience was semi-​western bar and semi-​Vietnamese. I quite enjoyed it as very few Vietnamese places I had been to had this type of posh ambience.
Service was okay, though a bit disorganised. It got busy, so we had to remind them to top up our water a few times before it was done. Still, it could have been worse, and I’m not complaining. Try to come at a less busy time if you can.

The food is good. The atmosphere is nice compared to other Vietnamese places. A nice buzzy vibe and pleasant surroundings. The food is loaded with msg so be warned. I love the salt and pepper squid and you can see those big splinter-​like crystals glistening all over the surface. Portions seem to have become smaller. There are better choices for value. This place is a crowd pleaser so I usually take friends here.

Out of all the Vietnamese spots on Kingsland Road, Viet Grill is my number one (at the moment anyways). The broth in their beef phở is perfectly full flavoured, and their spicy crab curry always leaves me wanting more. And let me tell you about their summer rolls — best summer rolls I’ve ever had. And I’ve had a ton.
The restaurant itself also has more of an ambiance than the others on this stretch, with a bit of mood lighting and leafy wallpaper.
Viet Grill isn’t BYO, however their punches to share definitely make up for it — especially the one listed on the menu as having «a lot of alcohol». And it’s taste is certainly superior to that bottle of wine you would find at the offie down the road — am I right?

Allow me to begin by saying I’m not a Vietnamese food expert. In fact, this was my very first time eating it to my knowledge, and I am now hopelessly hooked.
Having grown up in Asia (China), I am a huge fan of noodle soups of all kinds. Phở was something I’d always wanted to try, but since I don’t eat meat, I’d already been told it wasn’t something I could try. But wait, Viet Grill has a vegetable-​based broth! And a wonderful one it is.
My Seafood Phở was absolutely delicious and there was plenty of it to be had. I also tried the food my companions were eating, one tofu dish and one with aubergines, and theirs was amazing as well.
The service was fast and courteous. I ordered some tea, expecting it to be hot, but got a sweet, icy concoction. I tried it and it was very good, so I stuck with it. However, after a few sips, it turned out to be just too sweet for me. I asked a waitress if I could have a bit more water in it to dilute the sweetness, and they just went ahead and replaced the whole thing with a less sweet version (which was, this time, perfect!)
Dessert was chocolate fudge with ice cream, not very Vietnamese I suppose, but still really good. The cocktails we had were also very tasty and well prepared.
All in all, I was extremely impressed. I don’t know if I’ll have the same great experience I had the first time, but I can’t wait to go back and find out.

Summary:
+Great food
+Nice and modern ambience
+Best among other competitors in the area
+Shrimp summer roll: Fresh
+Beef phở: Yummy
Overall:
I paid a visit to one of my favourite establishments in East London. Viet Grill is an unassuming gem of Vietnamese restaurant on Hackney Street. Surrounded by five or so other Vietnamese restaurants on the same side of the street, Viet Grill stands out in both food and ambience.
I went in at 11:30 for an early lunch before a meeting in that area of London to catch them just opening the restaurant.
I was shown into a window seat in the well-​lit roomy dining space that is decorated with modern wooden floor. From a quick glance, this place could be easily mistaken to a nice French café apart from the large paintings of bamboo in warm pastel colours that decorates the walls and lively discussions in what sounds like Vietnamese from the kitchen.
The staffs were all amiable and helpful.
Since it was my first Vietnamese meal in a long time, I decided to go with the classics. Beef phở for the main and prawn summer rolls as a side.
The waitress pointed out that those dishes happen to be included in the lunch combo, so I could have them for only £10. Nice.
The service was very quick. The summer rolls were served within five minutes.
In another 5 minutes or so, I had my bowl of phở noodle. This suggests they had a stack of summer rolls ready before the busy lunchtime war. They clearly know what they are doing. I like that.
Food:
The summer roll was packed with fresh salad, rice vermicelli and thin slices of shrimps all wrapped tightly in a soft rice paper.
As I bite into one of the rolls, the flavour of mint and coriander filled my mouth. I liked the way they sliced the shrimps into smaller pieces so they don’t make big lumps inside the wrap. The peanut sauce on the side has a typical South East Asian mix of rich sweetness and spiciness.
The beef phở was a true delight. The beef-​based broth was rich and yet not too fatty. The sweetness from roasted onion and subtle flavour of coriander adds another dimension to the taste of broth.
As in any Vietnamese restaurant, the phở was served with a set of herbs that enhances the taste of broth. There are variations to this flavour booster kit but it usually consists of thai basil, bean sprouts, a slice of lemon or lime and sometimes chopped red chilli peppers. I like to have first couple of sips without the boosters and appreciate the richness of naked broth. As usual, I threw in the herbs and lemon juice half way into the meal. The change in the broth is both pleasant and dramatic. The once sweet broth now has edgy sourness and bitterness to it.
I always find the flat rice noodle hard to eat without making a mess. But I think it’s more about my clumsy chopstick skills than the dish itself.

I was brought here by a friend who lives in the area, and who mistakenly made a booking for a neighbouring Vietnamese place on Kingsland Road. He had the prawn bun xa, which looked great. I had the mushroom photo, which was also very good. I added an egg yolk, because I am a big egg-​in-​soup fan, but £1.50 is a bit much of a markup, in my opinion. Nevertheless, everything was delicious, and I might even go out of my way to come here again. Service was friendly and quick, and we got out before the Friday night rush of diners.

There at lots of Vietnamese restaurants on Kingsland Road, and I am in no doubt (after having eaten in all of them several times) that the Viet Grill is the best. I mostly go there at lunch time and their special lunch menu is excellent value. I normally go for the two courses for £10 deal, and have sampled most of the combinations.
Strangely, the one thing I don’t totally rate Viet Grill for is the Phở. I sometimes find the meat has too much stringy fat and the stock is better in places like Song Que. My favourite dishes are probably the grilled piggy aubergine, the BBQ pork with vermicelli, the saigon stewed pork and the various curries (esp the soft shall crab).
Services can be a little sketchy at times, but this is the same with many of the other restaurants in the area.
Viet Grill is owned by The Vietnamese Kitchen, who also own Cay Tre on Old Street, which is almost as good but lacks some of the atmosphere, and Keu! on Old Street, which serves excellent Banh Mi.

Well this was a case of hunger and an exciting vegan noodle soup won out over going up the road to the well reviewed Vietnamese restaurants I made a list of from Unilocal.NEVER AGAIN.
We didn’t have staff problems like others (although they forgot our drinks and one side dish never even turned up).
While grateful for a couple of interesting veggie options, everything was just kind of flavourless. The soup was barebones, no fresh herbs or veggies to mix in. Just noodles and tofu in a spicy broth that had no sort if umami flavour. Even our spring rolls were blah. How can fried food not be delicious? I don’t know, my friends.
Sorry Viet Grill.

Staff on the door were difficult even though I had rung fifteen minutes earlier.
I had two starters, a crab roll, and a soft shell crab, both were let down by less than fresh oil in the fryer. Shame.
Went for the spicier phở as main, and it was fine, fresh vegetables and herbs, the phở itself was a little insipid, relying on chilli oil for the heat, a little disappointing.
Staff brought two wrong orders to my table, it might be very trendy, but it is a case of style over substance.

This surely isn’t the most authentic vietnamese restaurant in London. We first went there to try the Phở, this was quite a disappointment, it was small and the favors were just not there; My friends kept pushing and praising the Viet Grill so we decided to give it another try. This time we didn’t go for the classic, but we went for some more «fusion» like dishes. And I have to say it was excellent. We had some monkfish and some barbecued pork and both dishes as well as the starters were very good. I only give it three stars for it’s vietnamese cuisine, but for the fusion aspects it would rather deserve four…

Fast, friendly, and efficient with generous portions of fresh and tasty food.
Although nothing like Vietnamese food in California, this is the closest thing to it I have found in London. The spring rolls were interesting as they did not have a traditional wrapper but were similar to like a rice cracker wrapper which gave it a really nice crunch. The bun bo hue was good but lacked the traditional bun bo hue veggies. Instead it came with the veggies they give you for phở. The broth was rich, flavorful, and spicy!
All in all it was a good meal and we will be back.
Pork and Mushroom Crispy Vietnamese Spring Rolls
BBQ Pork Loin with Rice Vermicelli Bún Ch Hà ni grilled lemongrass marinated
pork tenderloin & crispy pork spring rolls
Bun Bo Hue Bún Bò Hu The spicy version of Phở from Hue, the old imperial city. Flavoured with lemongrass, whole chilies, served with Beef and Pork Hock

I quite like Viet Grill… the food was pretty decent (at least better than some of the previous reviews seem to think)
Here’s my food ratings in order of how much I thought Mmmmmm:
**** Cognac ‘luc lac’ beef (at least I think that’s what it was called!!) was succulent and gorgeous
**** The grilled beef was delish’. They cook it at your table (so you can choose how rare you’d like it) then you add daikon, noodles, salad herbs and kimchi before wrapping it in rice paper.
**** Crab nem rolls were really nice too… mushroom crabby goodness.
*** The catfish was okay… it was a little gelatinous at the edges, but yummy in the middle
*** Goi con: The same as anywhere really…
** Phở: Not bad… but I’ve had better at Café East
Sooo…It was good, but not amazing (once you count the fact that it can be hard to flag down a waitress.)

My friends and I used to come here all the time, and so I thought it was worth a re-​visit on my trip. I usually order the chicken royale, which has well-​cooked, tender, and juicy chicken. This time though I went with the pork belly, and it was delicious. The meat tasted good, and the fat just melts in your mouth. Having a plate all to yourself can get a bit much, although two friends and I all managed a plate each in the end. I also got the choy greens dish, cooked with garlic, and it was crunchy and flavorful.