Namo

I have been eating regularly at Namo for about 6 months and have only ever experienced excellent food and relatively good service.

As with many others I have chosen to dine here rather than the sister restaurant in Dalston as the service is much better.

However, this changed on a visit on Saturday night. The restaurant was as busy as usual but not too crowded. We ordered and received our starters fairly promptly and one was nelicious (as usual - the vietnamese hot and spicy soup) but the soft shell crab was a disaster - soggy and tasteless.

After waiting the usual 15 minutes for the waiting staff to clear away the plates we were given one of our main dishes and our steamed greens. We waited for 5 minutes (by which time things were getting cold) and then asked where the rest was. After another 5 minutes our second main course arrived but no rice. When I asked for the rice the waitress ran off again (by which point everything was getting very cold). She came back 2 minutes later and said 'sorry, no more steamed rice'. At first we thought it was some kind of weird joke - a vietnamese restaurant with no steamed rice? We soon realised she wasn't joking and after some more confusion we settled on egg fried rice (which turned out to be sickeningly greasy) and some noodles (also cold)

To make matters worse, 2 minutes later the table next to us received a big bowl of steamed rice. By this point we were both just fed up and ate what we could (all of which was a bit cold and tasteless), got the bill and left.

In all fairness we did receive the rice free but by then it didn't matter - we probably won't go back there for a long time.

We did also notice other orders going very wrong - the people next to us received crispy duck and then had to wait over 5 minutes for pancakes. The most basic level of running a restaurant is sending out food orders at the same time, and if you can't then say so in advance.

Unfortunately it looks like Namo may be heading the same way as Huong Viet - all the valued customers start to turn to take-away to get around the terrible service.
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emmak - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 6
Monday, June 05, 2006

We went on a lovely barmy evening and sat in the courtyard. The service was painfully slow and they seem to have run out of quite a few things. However, the food was delicious and reasonably priced.
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Sarah
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 8
Tuesday, May 16, 2006

19 January 2006

Wow, I was absolutely impressed by the food served. We were there with a group of three people trying to relax after a hard day at work. We had two different starters to begin with – spring rolls and other rolls (cannot remember the name) with duck, which we shared among each other to try a greater variety. I remember having a Vietnamese seafood curry, which was delicious, delicately spiced without being too hot. The other main dishes we had I do not remember by name any more but they were “just fantastic”. We finished our meal with a great dessert consisting of a Vietnamese sweat with vanilla ice crème. To sum up: The food was unbelievably good and fresh!

The restaurant is a little pearl itself. It is a nice and cosy place combined with modern architecture. Warm lights, candles and fresh flowers on every table create a wonderful atmosphere. Unfortunately, the weather was not for dining outside in winter times (moan). However, the restaurant has a little patio created for warmer days outside and it is nicely equipped with timber tables and chairs. So, it will definitely be worth coming back in the summer!

The whole place was extremely clean (including the toilets downstairs), which I always find very important.

Linh, who runs the restaurant, is very kind and helpful to everyone explaining dishes and making nice suggestion for those, who are yet undecided what to choose. The menu is not too long (which I prefer) providing rather quality than quantity. However, it is definitely long enough to invite guests to come more often.
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Nikola Ruge
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Monday, March 13, 2006

Upmarket taste and service at a midmarket price equals fantastic value. The mango salad will inject some tropical colour and zest into any steel grey London evening. Recommended without reservation, which suggests you may wish to reserve a table to avoid dissapointment!
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Jack
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 9
Wednesday, February 22, 2006

My boyfriend and I visited Namo on Valentines evening and I am so pleased I discovered this excellent restaurant on my doorstep. I can’t recommend this restaurant enough. Food was first class; delicious, fresh and left me wanting to try all the dishes on the menu. The staff were very attentive and seemed happy to be working there. I will defiantly be going back, in fact I have been back just to see if it was a one off on valentine’s night and second visit was just as good. So glad that I have found this restaurant and will be recommending to all of my friends and family. Oh and can’t wait until the summer to sit outside in garden.
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Jules
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Tuesday, February 21, 2006

AMAZING! After a stroll around Victoria Park on a Sunday afternoon we were tempted into namo, not feeling guilty for ot looking twice the surrounding gastro pubs. We were greeted and looked after by welcoming ad efficient staff. Enjoyed the most incredible crispy duck we have ever tasted (beleive me it has taken a while to find it!) and spent the rest of our meal oohing and ahhing over every dish.... steamed chicken, beef curry, i could go on- delicious!!

The only problem was that my husband and I had to travel home to Croydon afterwards!!
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Jane Hunter
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Thursday, January 19, 2006

This is a great little local restaurant. Food is up with anything you get in the vietnamese places in Dalston/Hoxton - we had great crab, good spring rolls, and some outstanding spiced bbq pork. can't comment on the pho. very friendly. my only concern is that it always seems to be a bit quiet - we went on a Saturday night and there was only 1 other table in use. I will be most annoyed with my neighbours in Hackney/Vic Park if this place folds through lack of custom.
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Kevin - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 9
Wednesday, January 18, 2006

The food is excellent - really tasty and light. There is a lovely maitre di - couldn't recommend it highly enough, and I'm fussy!
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Simon Newton
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Tuesday, December 13, 2005

2 words, spring rolls - amazing...sorry 3 words, amazing fresh spring rolls, sorry 4 words, I could go on- just go.
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james
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Tuesday, December 13, 2005

This little gem in east London is a wonderful place to eat. The menu is slightly shorter than its sister eating place The Viet Huong in Englefield Road N1.

Lynne the manager has created a wonderful atmosphere which is slightly more upmarket than the Viet Huong, more of a proper restaurant. We went last week for the first time (its been open about 10 months) the food was excellent - especially my favourite the Vegetarian Chilli Tofu pancakes (any Vegetarians reading this you must try them they are AMAZING!) even meat eaters would be swayed! crispy tofu and chilli with pancakes plum sauce and fresh spring onions and cucumber! The food is really fresh and is a sort of cross between Thai and Japanese, very very fresh and not salty and full of MSG like many Chinese places, its fresh! fresh! fresh!!!!

The wine list was very reasonable we had a bottle of crisp Italian white for under £9 which was really nice.

They also have an outside bit to sit under the stars which will be great in Summer and we will definitely be going back, we have known Lynne for about 5 years of wonderful dining when she was at the Viet Huong in N1 (I believe it is her families)and is still also very good. I can recommend this place wholeheartedly - we had 3 course, water and a bottle of wine for two with service for less than £40. It would be nice from a quick dinner on your way home to taking someone special for dinner..this place ticks all the boxes!
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Shaun Hutchinson
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Monday, December 12, 2005