More Clerkenwell: Cafe VN

Hot on the heels of one Clerkenwell post, I thought I would roll out another whilst it is fresh in my mind, strike whilst the iron is hot and all that. Another of my regular lunch companions throughout this period of unemployment is Catty. I talk about the pint sized Aussie a lot but she is cool and deserves the coverage. And she tolerates me which is always a good sign.

Anyway, lunch was at Cafe VN, a little Vietnamese place just off Clerkenwell road housing a small but adequate menu. Serving mainly pho (noodle soup) and bun (cold noodle salad), it was getting a bit of bashing on twitter so I wasn't sure what to expect. I kept my options open and my stomach hungry, braced the Summer showers and headed for Clerkenwell once again.

A simple lunch, Cat went for the pork bun and I went for the beef special pho, really needing something warming after having walked through the pouring rain, not something I expected to say in the first week of June. You know what, I was pretty happy with this. The broth wasn't as intensely flavoured as the pho I recently had at Cafe East but was better than the disappointing Song Que and had a good slow chilli burn. The three types of beef included meatballs (ok), brisket (ok) and strips of sirloin (better than ok) which bulked out the dish and throw in some decent noodles and vegetation in the form of spring onions, what you get is a decent bowl of pho.

I can't say I was blown away by Cafe VN but definitely enjoyed it and it certainly didn't deserve some of the derision dished out on twitter (well, a few tweets anyway). Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and everybody has different tastes, but I enjoyed my meal and if I was ever in the area again needing a cheap and quick meal, I would be more than happy to pull up a chair at Cafe VN.

Cafe VN - 144 Clerkenwell Road London,London EC1R 5DP

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Clerkenwells finest: The Eagle

Before 2010, I could have counted the number of times I have eaten in Clerkenwell on one hand. And on one of those occasions, KFC was involved, enough said really. I never really had any impulse to go and visit it, nor had any reason. If someone came up to me and said that Clerkenwell was the heartland of some great food, I would have guffawed in their face.

And then I started going there, and the diversity of amazing places to eat left my mouth open wide and my tummy rumbling. First came the markets, with Exmouth, Leather Lane and Whitecross street all brimming with excellent spots to feed your appetite. Then there are fantastic pubs such as the Coach & Horses and The Gunmakers and another Clerkenwell favourite in the Clerkenwell Kitchen. Oh, and Moro, can't forget Moro...

But in my eyes, one establishment rises above all others, The Eagle. Revered by many as the original gastropub, and part of the group which runs the Anchor and Hope down in Waterloo and Great Queen Street in Holborn, it changes it's menu every day depending on what produce they can get, as well as a few staples that are on the big chalkboard daily such as their steak sandwich.

I've visited on multiple occasions now and every time I go, something draws me away from that elusive steak sandwich. The menu chalked up behind the bar and over stoves features about seven or eight choices, all as mouthwatering as the next whilst having a small selection of "tapas" which are essentially small sharing plates. I remember the simply cooked chorizo in wine fondly and always look out for it if it's on the menu.

On my last visit, the steak sandwich was once again overlooked as myself and Naomi from the Ginger Gourmand opted for salmon, mackerel and pork. The little smoked salmon "tapas" was a generous portion of excellent smoked salmon with a dollop of creme fraiche and a squeeze of lemon. No airs and graces, just great food. Served with a little basket of bread and olive oil, the preparation got a bit messy as we doused the bits of bread in oil. Messy but worthwhile.

For mains, I had opted for a basque inspired stew using clams and pork. The stew arrived wafting it's deep aroma of paprika and pork in a light red stew. Each chunk of slow cooked pork broke apart with a touch from the fork, and combined with the gelatinous clams which had escaped it's shells, formed a delicious mouthful, full of different flavours and textures. Naomi opted for the mackerel with rhubarb and chill jam. Served whole, the meat had to be carefully prised away from the bones, but the freshness evident as soon as you put it into your mouth. The jam was an interesting addition, but the tartness from the rhubarb and the subtle burn from the chilli complemented the fish well.

The Eagle is a great restaurant. It serves excellent fresh food and it is unsurprising that it is so popular. Inside, it still maintains an aspect of rusticity with mismatched wooden tables and chairs, trying hard to maintain a semblance of being a pub. Although it is an enjoyable place for a drink, there is no real doubt that this is a place to eat, and a very good place at that. One day I will get round to getting my chops round that steak sandwich!

The Eagle - 159 Farringdon Road, London

The Old China Hand, Clerkenwell

A pub which serves Dim Sum? Surely these two concepts should be mutually exclusive. Dim Sum for me has always been a big sit down occasion, where plates of fried and steamed loveliness are transported on platters and towers of bamboo steamers, only to be wolfed down, whilst still succulent and warm. My image of pubs is somewhat different. Beer dominates, and civility is often no more than an afterthought. Fruit machines, pool if you're lucky and more often than not, a few nuts and a tin of pringles to stave off the munchies.

The Old China Hand has an interesting history. It's been an Irish pub, then hired a Dim Sum chef who consequently retired, became a Mexican restaurant (called El Gringo, no less) and finally reverted back to serving Dim Sum. Modern and clean in appearance with a really nice bar area, this was the location of choice for my friend's engagement party.

Arriving slightly early, I decided to give the Dim Sum menu the once over with the happy couple. It looked like a decent selection and it served in fours, which is always far more acceptable than in threes, I find. Here's what we had:

Gai Choi Gau - Mushroom, mustard cabbage, celery, garlic dumplings

Jap Choy Gau - Asparagus, mushroom and water chestnut dumplings


Chicken Satay


Jai Chuen Guen and Gee Mar Gai - Chicken Sesame toasts and Cabbage, water chestnut and mushroom spring rolls.


Char Siu So


Teen Sze Gau - Prawn and Celery balls


On the whole, everything was very good. The dumplings were succulent and very tasty, the fried goods relatively grease free. One of the things they pride themselves is on using natural flavours and ignoring MSG, certainly a world away from many Chinese restaurants. My main criticisms would be cost (each dish was over £4) and portion size, which frankly, were tiny.

The bar itself had a wide variety of lagers and ales from all around the world. The main bar area was spacious and the barmen were friendly and accommodating. It's a good fun venue and I believe that Dan and Emily had a great time (all the best guys). I think the fact that I ended the night drinking some strange strawberry beer and setting sambuca on fire indicated that it must have been a successful night.

The Old China Hand - 8 Tysoe Street, Clerkenwell, EC1R 4RQ