We came across this little eatery one day after a meeting in the City. Feeling a bit peckish we were on the hunt for a run-of –the-mill sandwich bar but were intrigued by the queue of people spilling out of City Càphê’s door. Peering inside we discovered a cafe serving Vietnamese food.
Having queued past the drinks fridges displaying cans of exotic delights like Grass Jelly, Pink Guava, Passionfruit and Pomegranate juices, we placed our order at the counter and took our seats at one of the basic tables. Looking around we noticed quite a few South-East Asian customers and if it hadn’t been for the freezing temperatures outside you could almost imagine that you were in a cafe in the backstreets of Hanoi or Bangkok. Pictures of Vietnam adorned the walls and pretty plate-shaped mobiles hung from the ceiling.
We opted for a classic pork bánh mì (Vietnamese baguette) and beef pho (classic noodle soup). The combination of crusty bread with the fresh flavours of chilli, coriander and grated carrot in the pork baguette was a real winner and we felt inspired to go home and experiment on other similar sandwich fillings. The Pho, while not as spicy as we’d hoped, was tasty and warming on such a cold day. It came with a little bag filled with extra chilli, lime, beansprouts and basil to stir in to the soup according to your taste.
Also on offer were fresh spring rolls and other variations of noodle and rice soups. If I worked nearby I’d be a regular visitor for a little taste of Asia.
