On The Bab - Korean street food in Shoreditch, London

The girlfriend and I were strolling along Old Street in Shoreditch, London, looking for a Vietnamese restaurant when all of a sudden we discovered On The Bab - a Korean 'street food' restaurant.

I've been to plenty of Korean restaurants in my time, but this one - as a result of its 'street' theme - looked a bit different, so we decided to give it a go.

The menu is reasonably straightforward, with dishes divided into 'small dishes', 'on the bab' (rice, noodles or buns) and 'traditional'.  There is a fourth group too: 'special/comfort', which is what I opted for...  

With the so-called special dish - baek ban - I got soup (not pictured), rice, salad, kimchi and a choice of bulgogi beef, spicy pork, spicy chicken or vegetable fritters.  I went with the spicy pork, which tasted really good.  What I liked was that it was: soft, not too chewy, thinly sliced and spicy enough without it being overbearingly so.

As a personal preference, I would have preferred a bit more kimchi and the rice to have been a bit stickier, but I can live with that, as the pork was pretty good and there was plenty of it.

The restaurant is quite small and does not take reservations.  So it is very much more suited to couples and perhaps groups of up to four, who are after a quick meal and who don't mind dining in an informal setting.

Mr Men toilet sign...

Pizza East Shoreditch

Pizza East is a small chain of three restaurants located in Portobello, Kentish Town and Shoreditch. It describes itself as a place where you can get "honest food with rustic simplicity" but how does it really fare?

Walking into the Shoreditch branch, I found a relatively large and bustling restaurant - so clearly a popular place.

Bethnal Pale Ale action.

Naturally I ordered a pizza and found it had a good crispy base and crust - just how I like it. The toppings were a bit sparse though - see below.  Nonetheless overall it was a good decent-sized pizza that filled me up.

Anchovies, tomato, mozarella, capers, olives.

As a restaurant with the word 'pizza' in its title, you'd expect there to be a good choice of different pizzas and you're not wrong; there are 11 different pizzas overall ranging from £8 to £14:

Pizza menu at Pizza East, source. 

But despite the name, there are also non-pizza dishes on the menu.  My colleague ordered the mac 'n' cheese.  I can't say I tasted any of it, so I'll have to reserve judgement on its taste, but it certainly looked tasty.

Mac 'n' cheese.

Overall I had a good time at Pizza East and I wouldn't mind giving a few of the other dishes a go.  Maybe that man 'n' cheese...

Mien Tay Shoreditch: tasty, fresh and friendly

Spring rolls (Chả giò).

Vietnamese food is wonderful, and a good place to find this cuisine in the UK is Kingsland Road in Shoreditch, London, where Vietnamese restaurants dominate the street.  (If you're unsure, check out my 'picture special' post from Vietnam for lots of tasty food photos ^_^).

Traditional Crispy Pancake with Tofu, Onions & Beansprout (Bánh xèo chay).

With so much competition, it can be a little overwhelming to pick the right restaurant.  I followed my instinct and went for a busy one - Mien Tay - and busy it certainly was!  With very simple décor, the diners were certainly not there for the views, but clearly the food - always the right way round in my opinion.

Char-grilled minced beef in wild betel leaves (Bò lá lốt).  

The restaurant specialises in food from the south west of Vietnam.  From looking at the menu, they are keen to show their 'home-style' nature by introducing owners Mr Su Tran and Mrs My Le along with a picture (presumably them), as well as proudly displaying their many positive reviews from +Time Out London , +ViewLondon , +Metro , +London Evening Standard , +The Times and The Sunday Times and Cheese and Biscuits Blog.

Rice Vermicelli with Spring Roll & Grilled Pork (Bún chả giò thịt nướng). 

I can certainly see why the restaurant has its fans.  The food felt fresh, my friends and I enjoyed our dishes, staff are courteous with a smile and the atmosphere is busy yet friendly and relaxed.  All in all, it felt like a great place for friends to meet up over a tasty and good-value meal.

Stir-fried rice noodles with beef.

So if you're around Kingsland Road and looking for some Vietnamese food, put Mien Tay on your consideration list.

Nearest Overground: Hoxton