Van Hing

Having spotted queues outside the beckoning green of the Van Hing shop front on Camberwell Church Street two Friday nights in a row, it seemed like it was time to succumb. This may not be the Pho Mile but surely queues paint it at as a South London outlier of the cuisine, no? Perhaps, but sliding into a window table and noting the half and half menu of Chinese and Vietnamese food, we were wary.

The simple space pushes no boundaries, running the width of a regular high street shop, the pine floor, bamboo-like chairs and white washed upper walls let the food do the talking. A long menu covers a range of classic dishes whose prices are the best things about them (pre-sampling). We try the beef pho (which could have done with adding some depth to its stock) along with the crispy aromatic duck, pork dumplings and cold chicken noodle salad. While the food at Van Hing probably isn’t worth travelling for, the prices are enough to make loyal customers of locals. The likes of the £5 main dishes and £6 pho offer incredible value that almost makes it cheaper to eat out here than at home.

Service was a little lapse but the respectable food makes that an unimportant side note – that and the fact that this has to be one of the best value Chinese/Vietnamese restaurants in South London.