Rebecca Seal's top three Vietnamese summer rolls in London
Best for street food
Hanoi Kitchen
This Vietnamese stall is part of the Kerb food collective. As well as plump summer rolls — soft rice paper rolled around zingy fillings such as mint or Thai basil, lettuce, cucumber, carrot, pork, chicken or prawns, plus noodles — (£5 for two), it serves bún noodle dishes, bánh mì and fried spring rolls.
Broadway Market, E8, and Chatsworth Road Market, E5 (hanoikitchen.co.uk)
Best for a budget supper
Pho
Pho is a small chain of casual Vietnamese restaurants and although it specialises in pho (pronounced ‘fuh’), a rich noodle soup to which you add herbs and chillies to taste, there are lots of other things to try. The summer rolls are hearty, packed with fillings (£3.95 for vegetarian, £4.45 for chicken, £4.75 for prawn) and served with intensely flavoured sauces.
Best for pre-theatre
The House of Ho
At this Soho newcomer, choose from summer rolls with pickled vegetables or coconut and lemongrass steamed prawns (£5). The lunchtime ‘one-dish wonders’ are good value (from £6.50 for a bánh mì baguette with pork, chicken pâté and daikon). Chef Bobby Chinn is quite a celebrity in Vietnam and looks set to become one here, too.
55-59 Old Compton Street, W1 (020 7287 0770; houseofho.co.uk)
