QYPE*

This place never disappoints - except that it doesn't open on Mondays so you can't get your full 7 day v'mese food quota in should you wish to, which you might. I have been a regular since moving to Camden a year ago. Cheap, big portions and actually better than a lot of food I ate in Vietnam. Binh, the owner, is always happy to recommend a good combination of dishes for the newcomer. And although she doesn't work in the kitchen, the food is usually even better when she is around (she normally has Sundays off). Having tried most of the menu, I have to confess I usually stick to the pho - big bowls of noodle soup stuffed with meat and/or seafood, accompanied by a plate of mint and coriander, beansprouts and chillis, which you add to the soup yourself. But the real treat at Thanh Binh are the pork and prawn spring rolls, which you wrap in mint and lettuce, then dip in fish sauce and eat! Binh's is easy to find, situated opposite the Stables market on the high street.