Viet Garden

Big dissapointment.

We went to the Viet Garden last Saturday night. The place was very busy, hence service was non-existent. Not all the food we ordered actually arrived. What did arrive took way too long. At other tables we saw people watching their food go cold while waiting for some of their party to be served. The staff were totally unhelpful and unapologetic even when we complained. Service charge was automatically added to the bill. We requested it be removed, which the manager did, but without apology or any sign of concern. The food was good quality but this place is running the risk of annoying a lot of people if it doesn't hire enough good staff and bring people what they order. We won't be going back!
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Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 7
Tuesday, January 09, 2007

I went there as part of a group of 12 people on Saturday night. The place was full. The decor is nothing to speak of, but the food was good. Vietnamese food in general is not as visually exciting as Chinese or Thai, but it is pleasurable nonetheless.

My only moan is about the service. We were a big group on a busy night, but the service was extremely slow, orders were forgotten, and a generally slipshod impression was made. Maybe if I went back in a smaller group things would be fine.
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Pete
Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 7
Monday, January 08, 2007

Just super. It doesn't look much from the outside but what an interesting menu and lovely fresh tastes.

I had marinated beef, wrapped in leaves which tasty, piquant and tender. I followed that with beautifully sizzling monkfish with tons of fresh green herbs. Great, clean tastes for summer.

Which brigns me to the one down-side. It's called Viet Garden and it has a lovely garden.... which isn't open for dining. I was told that they were applying for permission. Let's hope they get it.
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Gemstone
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 9
Monday, June 05, 2006

This is an Islington gem and there are not many of those, believe me.

Lovely food, charming service, good prices.

What more could anyone want!
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Jules
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 9
Tuesday, April 18, 2006

The food here is really very good indeed. We had a mixture of dishes, sizzling mushrooms with spring onions, Bun Xa (noodles), tofu, chicken, beef... you name it. It was all delicious and served by very attentive staff.

However, our waiter was only interested in the man at our table. He insisted on continually topping up the wine glasses, even after we'd asked him to stop. This meant that our male companion got three full glasses of wine, and us two gals only got one each before the bottle ran out! At the end of the meal 'we' were asked "Anything else for you, sir?" and when sir didn't want anything the waiter walked away, as it was apparently not worth asking if the ladies wanted anything else. It left me wondering whether we'd have been served at all if we'd gone without a man with us!

Our irritation aside, we'd probably go back here because the food is so good, but the staff need to hear this feedback!
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Helen - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 7
Wednesday, April 12, 2006

An absolute gem of a find, the Viet Garden doesn't look like much from outside. But the food is fantastic, healthy and very good value for money. I can't recommend it enough.

As a starter i recommend one of the Bun Hue which are spicy soups with lots of bite and with rice noodles in. The n for mains try the Fried Catfish in chilli & ginger with some noodles, superb washed down with a chilled Tsingtao beer. Chicken in blackbean sauce is also delicious.

There is a very relaxing atmosphere and the staff are very charming. The decor is plain but the food is the main attraction here, as it should be. A pleasure to spend money here..there's a great pub next door for a pint after called The Barnsbury...
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Pablo Escabar
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 10
Friday, March 31, 2006

I have had dinner at Viet Garden 3 times and I was never disappointed.

The atmosphere is quite standard level and the tables are fairly close to each other. HOWEVER, the food is AMAZING! The paper wrapped prawns and the drunken fish are excellent. This restaurant has exceeded all my expectetions for the quality of food. Noodles are also great!

I was also very happy with the level of service. Quick and friendly and did not hesitate to suggest that the order we had made did not quite match and therefore suggested a different dish.

The best part is that for 2 starters, 2 main dishes and 2 desserts the bill came to £30.
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Timos - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 10
Sunday, March 05, 2006

Fantastic food and great chinese and vietnamese beers. Great value for money, I would recommend it to anyone, especially the 'summer rolls' and the 'fish in tamarind sauce'
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Alan Wylie
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Monday, February 27, 2006