Cay Tre

The original branch of Cây Tre gave many Hoxtonites their first taste of pho and helped to crank up London’s Vietnamese bandwagon, while its younger Soho sibling offers just about everything you might expect – from chic, minimalist decor and impeccably smart staff to beautifully served food. The freshened-up interiors blend cool white tables with bamboo wall art, while the menu is big on carefully sourced ingredients of impeccable provenance – witness grilled oysters with shallot oil and peanut topping, lemon-cured beef salad with knotweed or wok-fried lamb with chilli and sweet onions. Singletons can bag stools at the front and slurp bowls of pho while listening to the throbbing soundtrack – perhaps with a cocktail on the side. The owners also run Kêu (a bánh mì pitstop in Soho) and the Viet Grill on Kingsland Road.