Khoai Café

We went to Khoai Cafe the other night and had great meal at a very reasonable price. We started with summer rolls and paper prawns, then we tried salted squid (which was very good), Hanoi grilled fish and Tilapia with green mango. The restaurant is spacious, clean and bright. Well worth going back.
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Wayne Timoney
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Tuesday, January 29, 2008

I went to Khoai Cafe in Crouch End at the weekend. We started off with some spring rolls, which were pleasant enough. The Nuoc Cham wasn't nearly spicy enough, but more like a sweet chilli sauce which isn't really what it's meant to be.

For mains we had stir-fried beef in chilli and lemongrass (chilli? What chilli?) and we also had minced prawns wrapped around sugar cane, with some stir-fried veg and steamed rice.

That, along with 2 beers and service came to £37.

The food was quite disappointing. The minced prawns and sugar cane was certainly delicious, but the rest of it seemed like it was dumbed down for the western palate. Try the noodle soups though, it seemed to be what a lot of people were ordering.

Service was quite slow too - the restaurant was fully packed out on a Saturday night, but the only time we got any attentive service was when they came to take our money.
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Beff - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 3
Monday, November 12, 2007

Went here late on Sat night and the food was great - especially the spring rolls - still dreaming about them and I understand from my companion that the sweet and sour tofu was pretty good too - I liked the chicken with lemongrass and chilli although the sauce looked a bit unappetising - looked a bit jellyfied but was really good none the less and the Jasmine rice was superb !!!
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Nicci Starr
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Monday, November 05, 2007

You go to this restaurant for the superb food, and I would highly recommend the chef's fish specials, but don't expect too much in the way of atmosphere or service. If you are happy to have a leisurely meal, with little attention paid to you, then this is a great place to be.
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Amanda
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 9
Monday, September 03, 2007

Excellent food. Particularly good is the Bun Hue soup. Their Summer Rolls are always fresh and delicious. Great value at lunchtime. Standards are very consistent - I have been here often since it opened and they never disappoint.
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George C
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 9
Monday, May 28, 2007

The food at Khoai is fabulous! I go back time and time again for the noodle soup (often getting a cheeky take away as it's so reasonable to be able to do this regularly).

The ingredients are always fresh and the portions a decent size.
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Grant
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 10
Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Avoid the appetizers(we had sate and spring rools and they were quite bad) and go for the noodle soups(Pho and Bun Hue)which were quite good. altogether average which in north London means not bad.
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j. Mahdavi
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 6
Tuesday, October 24, 2006

This is a fantastic place, I go back time after time and bring any one I can here. The food is heavenly and there is a huge selection of vegetarian options. The restaurant is family owned and run and you will often be served by one of the family themselves. Try the summer rolls with peanut sauce as a starter – you won’t be disappointed!
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Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Thursday, September 21, 2006

I've been to this restaurant three or four times and it's always been a very pleasant experience! The food is fantastic and I've always found the staff to be friendly and very helpful. It's extremely good value for money and seems to be getting busier and busier which is a good sign! I enjoy supporting this unpretentious place and will continue to do so!
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Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Khoai Café is just what Crouch End has been missing, a decent priced friendly restaurant offering really tasty fresh dishes.

There are other good Vietnamese restaurants in London (Viet Garden in Islington, for one), but there are no longer many decent restaurants of any sort in Crouch End.

Highly recommended vegetarian dishes are the Tofu versions of Pho (noodle soup), Bun Hue (spicy noodle soup), Bun Xa and Goi (salad). The summer rolls are also excellent.

Avoid the peak 7:30 to 9 hours on Saturday, as they have a small staff and there can sometimes be a little trouble handling the rush.
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Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 10
Monday, February 13, 2006