Cay Tre

Went to Cay Tre last night to celebrate a birthday, and to also have a Beer Lao which we are big fans of. There are hardly any stockists of Beer Lao in the UK so we were amazed to find a restaurant on our doorstep that sold it!

Overall I wasn't very impressed with Cay Tre. I thought the service was pretty shoddy, the staff all seemed quite rushed and complacent. When they brought the food over they didnt even place it down on the table in front of me, merely reached over my boyfriends head and gave me my own plate! I'm not a restaurant connoisseur but surely the waiter placing your plate down is pretty basic stuff, it's not as if I was in a fast food restaurant or anything.

The staff all stood at the back of the restaurant chatting and laughing, on a few occasions a couple of the girls let out high pitched screams in amusement at something one of the guys had said, not very professional in my opinion.

The food was just ok. The meat was pretty cheap to be honest, the chicken I had for a starter had loads of gristly bits in it, quite a few times I had to spit the meat out as it was just too fatty/gristly to eat.

Our mains were the mango seabass, and "Heaven and Earth pork". Again, my pork was fatty and stringy, although the prawns were quite nice. It wasn't very flavoursome, I'm not sure what exactly was supposed to make it heavenly but it was basically cheap pork, a few prawns and some vegetables stir-fried in oil. Basically tasteless.

The seabass was a bit better, had more taste but lots of bones in. I've had this dish in other local Vietnamese restaurants and it's been a lot better.

The bill came to £60 for two people, including a 12.5% service charge, which I did not think was justified. Quite expensive for what it was.

There are much better Vietnamese restaurants a short walk away on Kingsland Road. Do yourself a favour and walk round there for tastier, better food and much more value for money.
Comment on this reader review

Becki
6 Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 5
Monday, November 22, 2010

i love Vietnamese Food. Living in London for a long time, i realised that Cay Tre is my Number One Restaurant in London ^.^

I absolutely have a big love towards their food, especially mango seabass fillets as a main, not mentioning the brilliant Crab Nem, Duck Curry and Feudal Beef ☕☕☕

They inspired me to cook similar dishes and curries, too!

Thanks for giving customers like us chances to enjoy the heady scents and tastes of traditional Vietnamese food, Cay Tre.
Comment on this reader review

Hanabi Nguyen
10 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Monday, August 16, 2010

Brilliant Service , atmosphere and food this is certainly THE best vietnamese restaurant i have been to.

A* quality. Would Defo recommend eating here!!
Comment on this reader review

Erica
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 8
Sunday, August 15, 2010

this is definately the best vietnamese restaurant in shoreditch
Comment on this reader review

8 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Monday, June 07, 2010

Brilliant Vietnamese restaurant that never fails to impress. It is near work so I am there at least once a week! All the ingredients are incredibly fresh and the varied menu is a credit to them. My favourite dish is the Spring Bowl, which is a selection of spring rolls on vermicilli noodles. Cannot recommend it enough.
Comment on this reader review

Rob
9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 10
Friday, April 30, 2010

Can not recommend this highly enough. Great service, good value, fresh, varied and delicious food, can't fault it. GO NOW
Comment on this reader review

Bob Felner
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 10
Thursday, April 15, 2010

We had a wonderful meal last night. The service was outstanding, and the dishes bursting with flavour. As novices to Vietnamese food we appreciated the starter of a platter to share so we could test a few dishes. The appetizers on the platter were fresh spicy and flavoursome- not like anything we had ever eaten before. Esecially interesting was the lotus root salad. The Pho was light and delicate with an aromatic nutty flavour. We felt really privileged that our first foray into Vietnamese cuisine was so wonderful. The constant queues out the door of expectant diners are testament to a great restaurant experience.
Comment on this reader review

Karen
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Saturday, April 03, 2010

I've lived in the area for 18 months or so now, and after having dined at almost all of the Vietnamese restaurants in the area, I can honestly say that Cay Tre is my favourite by far.

The staff are friendly - the food DELICIOUS.

Dining upstairs is much nicer, so if you can get a seat up top, I think you'll have a better experience. Always book first! They can get quite busy.
Comment on this reader review

Yumi
9 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Saturday, February 20, 2010

I am a Hoxtonite for 17 years, a we all think Cay Tre is a gift for us. Delicious, cheerful, authentic, moderate price, and fun.

I always find something new at Cay Tre, beside with all the classic like Pho, Bun Bo Hue which they are specialist. Dishes have a very strong unique flavour of Vietnamese Pho, which is hardly find, or just a touch at the other Vietnamese in Kingsland Road.

I think the previous review is not fair at all. Being living at Hoxton for that long, and had many trips to Vietnam, I found you can judge a restaurant as their food not nice or pre-made just because you see the shutter closes at 11am and they open for business at midday. In the end of the day, it is the quality you buy, and how delicious the food is to keep you coming back.

Busaba Eathai, in the other hand, is a chain and more than that, you will find all the pre-made food you mentioned there.
Comment on this reader review

Nhankfor2
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Tuesday, January 26, 2010

How can this restaurant have the shutters down at 11 in the morning (I know this as I live in Hoxton) and yet be open by midday serving a huge menu? The answer I'm afraid lies in the quality of some of the obviously pre-made / frozen food which just doesn't compare to other restaurants in the area. The food I had yesterday was extremely disappointing, especially the pho which was like sweet water.

Busaba Eathai are opening in the area soon and restaurants such as this are going to have to up their game to compete.
Comment on this reader review

Hoxton Matt
5 Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 4
Tuesday, January 19, 2010