Thanh Binh

I am very surprised with all those great comments as my boyfriend is vietnamese and they served us one of the worst pho we ever had.

This was a very disapointing experience. The stock was bland, there were no herbs at all in the soup, only spring onions... I had a pho ga and the chicken was dry and tasted like a rosted chicken that they cut into pieces once cooked and threw in the stock, not like a chicken that would have cooked in the stock for hours. My boyfriend had a classic pho and for both of us the noodles were very sticky and too thin, not the usual pho noodles. They didn't have the proper side herbs that go with a pho, and the hoi sin was simply disgusting! It was extremely sweet and didn't even tasted like hoi sin.

Very, very disapointing, we'll clearly never go back.
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Lga
1 Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 2
Sunday, January 22, 2012

The best Vietnamese food I’ve come across so far!

Having been to the pho cafe, I was very disappointed with its’ authenticity it was all very bland and didn’t represent the food I had tasted in Vietnam. Thankfully...

I stumbled across this little gem a few weeks ago and I just keep on having to come back. I actually think I can make do with the kitchen at home. The pho here (traditional Vietnamese noodle soup) is AMAZING and the stock rivals with what I’ve tasted in Hanoi. The portions are big and the accompaniments are very fresh (coriander, mint, bean sprouts, chilli and lemon). And it doesn’t stop there, everything else I’ve had has never failed to impress me: the spring rolls (CHẢ NEM no.2 on the menu if I remember correctly!) are exceptional as well as the salted squid, crispy lamb, clay pot beef, vietnamese salad and sizzling monk fish. And what’s this I hear about a new BBQ grilled menu??...I think I need to pay another visit. :P
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Peter
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Monday, June 27, 2011

Lovely restaurant, i believe it has been open for quite some time however last night was my first time going.this was my first time trying vietnamese food and i love it!

I ordered the spring rolls for starters, I was told to wrap them up with lettuce and dip in a very nice sauce (sorry do not know the name). My friend ordered the crispy salted squid and I had to order another portion because it was that nice! As for mains, I ordered the sizzling prawns and my friend ordered a cold dish I think it was the chargrilled cod with noodles and salad, amazing.

I realise a few reviews on here have picked up on the bad service which confuses me because our food arrived in no time and we were always asked how we were getting on. However, I can see how two waiters would not be enough on a busy night, I guess we were lucky!

I advise anyone who has not yet tried vietnamese food to do so. Believe me it is much better than chinese food which consists of OIL, LOTS OF IT.
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vanessa
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Saturday, June 04, 2011

I've lived in Camden for the past 10 years and this has been my favourite Vietnamese restaurant in all that time, the food was authentic, service fantastic, the owner helpful and chatty and I recommended the place to a lot of my friends who also had a similar experience.

However I'm horrified at how my favourite restaurant has changed beyond all recognition and now it's sadly lost one of its most loyal customers.

I haven't been there for around 6 months but decided to take my in-laws last Friday for a special treat. Straight away we noticed that the menu had changed and that all of our favourite dishes had gone, only to be replaced by generic choices such as "chicken curry with onions", I asked the waiter if the old dishes were still available but he was totally clueless so I tried to get the owner's attention. In stark contrast to every other time I've been there (probably about 120 times over the past 10 years) she refused to come over to the table and eventually blanked me with a wave of her hand as she returned to her counter. A bit shocked and disappointed at this we ordered anyway and waited for the food to arrive. All I can say is that the disappointment didn't end there; the curry looked like it came out of a jar with texture like tomato soup and a few chopped onions, peppers and bits of chicken floating about in it. The spicy Singapore noodles were burnt and the spring rolls were almost empty with thick soggy pastry, my wife’s soup was over salty and was pretty tasteless but spicy. Compared to all the previous times when we've left, congratulating ourselves once again with eating in the best Vietnamese restaurant around, it was very, very sad but nevertheless we decided to finish what we could and have a word with the owner as we left.

That's when they really lost my custom and we encountered the worst Customer Service on record.

We waited for the waiter to clear the table for 25 mins but nothing happened so we left the dirty plates and ventured up to the counter to pay there instead. The owner was clearly flustered but worked out our bill, pushing it towards us together, for some unknown reason, with a calculator. We duly paid and this is EXACTLY how the conversation afterwards went: -

"We were wondering, have you changed chef and the menu in the last 6 months? We've been coming here for about 10 years and we noticed that it's really changed" "no, same chef, same menu...always been same menu[sic]" "You used to have a mixed starter, with crab salad, spring rolls, squid cakes, £5 per person, minimum of 2 people?" "no, nothing changed, you get all that separate, same menu"

As she was saying this she was turning round, wiping surfaces, sticking her head into the fridge under the bar and frantically looking round at other tables and the dumb waiter so my wife asked:- "Excuse me, would you mind at least looking at me and giving me some attention whilst I'm trying to give you some feedback?" She carried on wiping, fussing and cleaning her hands but said with a pained expression "You tell me what's wrong and I'll pass it onto the chef?". We listed our issues but before we finished she suddenly stepped back with a pitiful look, pointed to her forehead, shook her head and shouted "very bad headache, very bad, please, please just go away!" before gesturing to the door.

This was the final nail in the coffin; we walked out and informed her that we wouldn't be coming back and also that we were very disappointed because of the fantastic times we'd had previously. Our words fell on deaf ears by the looks of things as she was already pulling more dishes of chicken curry from the dumb waiter.

So all-in-all we're incredibly disappointed, we're definitely not going back and will also be telling all our friends to stay away. We'll now be making another trip back to Viet-Anh on Parkway ASAP (which we haven't been to for such a long time) and will be hoping for a much better experience.
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Buzzcut
2 Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 2
Tuesday, May 03, 2011

Thanh Binh is the outstanding place to eat in Chalk Farm. I've lived in the area for 8 years and have yet to find a place as good. Furthermore, I've yet to taste a finer Vietnamese noodle soup (pho) in London.

I would (and often do) recommend this place to anyone visiting Camden Market.

The spicy lamb with rice is also really excellent.
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10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Friday, April 22, 2011

My friend and I were looking for somewhere to eat and we came across this vietnamese restaurant which looked busy (always a good sign) so we managed to get ourselves a table for 2 :) we are very lucky we did because I have to say it is the best restaurant I have ever been to. Vietnamese food is now my favourite food I have been to other vietnamese restaurants where the restaurant looks lovely, the service is great but the food is never the same. I am now a regular customer, I recommend the squid, the chargrilled dishes, the sizzling cod is my favourite and of course the vietnamese spring rolls are delicious!
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Lucy Barnes
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Friday, April 22, 2011

Of the many North Vietnamese cuisines dotted around London (mainly in the Camden, Hackney, South East London areas) Thanh Binh comes into it's own.

Food - Authentic, tasty (a slight bit on the salty side, but not too bad at all), fresh, good portion size!

Service - Friendly waiter, despite the busy dinner period he still managed to provide service with a smile :) The boss of the place (her name is Thanh Binh!) was a fantastic host, friendly, warm genunine.

Atmosphere - It's a small restaurant with very modest deco, but it gave a genuine authentic small Vietnamese restaurant feeling to the experience.

Value for Money - 2 heads, 3 starters, 2 main courses, 2 drinks around £35. Can't ask for more!

Overall a fantastic experience, comparable to my all time favourite Viet restaurant Cay Tre on Old Street.
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delmontebanana
10 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Tuesday, June 01, 2010

Thanh Binh is an independent Vietnamese gem of a restaurant in the heart of Camden. It is unassuming in its decor yet presents a raw, warm and lively experience which is sure to tantalise your tastebuds and not hurt your purse!

It is a family run restaurant and it is obvious that they really care that you have a positive experience. The service reflects this.

My husband loves the lamb wrap and the sizzling beef with noodles and I (being vegetarian) favour the mouthwatering chilli and garlic fried aubergine. I'm slowly working my way through the dishes.

Go there once and you'll be sure to return!
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Katie Hart
9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Monday, February 15, 2010

Been here a few times before but it was our most recent visit that was the best. I think the trick is to stick with the typically vietnamese dishes (with rice noodles/pancakes, fresh herbs, peanuts, dipping sauces etc) as opposed to the more chinese-y sounding dishes. the owner has been very friendly to us in the past but this time she seemed slightly disinterested. Also think they may try and go for the double service trick! The final figure presented on our bill already included service charge although it was made to look like it didn't. The menu does very clearly state that service will be added to your bill though.

We will be back. If you want a more casual setting, Viet Anh cafe around the corner is also good.
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8 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 8
Thursday, September 17, 2009

Enjoyed it. I have to admit that usually I go to Viet-Anh round the corner for my Vietnamese fix but this is a more restaurant-like atmosphere. Didn't have a bad dish between the two of us. Aubergine starter absolutely fantastic. Mid-range on price but a decent bottle of wine costs a little more than you'd hope.

Very good service. One small thing - front of the restaurant a little draughty and the back a little dark
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Rex - View all reviews by this user
7 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 7
Friday, September 04, 2009