Café East Formerly: Aqua Bar & Grill

Family-run southern Vietnamese restaurant — Chinese-born mother in the kitchen with Chinese/Korean son (Chris Nim) also cooking her recipes and running the operation, plus many staff — serving what must be London's most seriously and consistently tasty Vietnamese soup, curries, and noodle/rice dishes. Strong recommendations include starters such as banh cuon (rice-flour noodle packets filled with mushroom and pork), spring rolls (especially the vegetarian), summer rolls, and the very filling sweet drink che (visually intriguing, good for sharing)...followed by rare beef pho (signature noodle soup dish, pronounced fuh, cooked for eight hours minimum and only by either the brothers or the mother) or its dry but yummy sibling pho kho (similar ingredients, small bowl of soup served on the side) or the rich and delicious chicken curry (made with free range chicken) or the pork belly or the Vietnamese-flavoured beef stew. The restaurant started in a hole-in-the-wall corner spot in downbeat Deptford, then moved a mile away to a tastefully simple, far larger room in a stand-alone brick structure in Surrey Quays Leisure Park. in September 2022 Chris's brother/partner Vu opted out of the business and moved to Manchester, then in September 2023 the business shifted to Blackheath Village. Cafe East is a rare thing indeed: ethnic food marked by subtle and rich flavours served in a buzzy/happy atmosphere, and relatively affordable (prices went up markedly post-pandemic, but it's still great value). Located a two-minute walk from Blackheath Overground station.