Cafe Sen

The only Vietnamese eatery on the Isle of Dogs provides takeaways for local apartment-dwellers as well as plying its trade as a romantic riverside restaurant. The set lunch menu plays it safe with crispy duck & sweet & sour chicken, but the kitchen can also deliver stronger native specialities bursting with zingy flavours & just-made freshness – perhaps a mango salad with prawns or char-grilled pork meatballs on skewers. Elsewhere, stir-fried lemongrass lamb on rice noodles, a handful of pho soup options, shaking beef & salty, spicy frog’s legs also come recommended. Café Sen may lack the buzz of some low-budget counterparts elsewhere in the capital, but it’s still a handy bet in the neighbourhood. The glassy, ground-floor dining room has a touch of style, helped along by smart, accommodating service.