Buzzy little Hong Kong kitchen Aquila sadly closed their restaurant on Church Lane in August, accompanied by a rather unhappy Instagram post citing “significant mental and financial stress.” They also reported that their kitchen has “recently encountered severe hardware issues that require substantial repair investment.”
So it was a pleasant surprise to see its new incarnation take shape so soon. This week Aquila has transformed into Vela Vietnamese, offering French-Vietnamese cuisine. The same owners took to social media to assure us “that the high-quality service and delicious food you’ve come to expect will remain unchanged.”
Yesterday we spoke to the restaurant’s Clement Kaiser who pinged over a preview copy of the soft opening menu. And, happily, it looks like there are a plethora of tasty dishes to work our way through as the temperature drops this season.
LOCAL ADVERTISING
For starters (£10.80 upwards), there’s sesame prawn toast (of course), spring and summer rolls, deep-fried cuttlefish cakes, clams in white wine and garlicky mussels.
Donate just £2 to Leytonstoner
Pho fans can ponder four options (yippee), including raw beef and Vietnamese sausage (£12), while a handful of noodle and rice dishes are listed alongside a trio of cold vermicelli plates (£11.80).
There’s a more simple lunch menu, while evening mains include winter warmers like crispy-skinned roast pork belly, Vietnamese baked poussin, lemongrass grilled pork chop and stir-fried morning glory with shrimp paste (from £11.80). Oh my: review incoming.
Intrigued? Find Vela Vietnamese at 10 Church Lane, E11
Please support us if you can
We are about to reach our 10th birthday and have a bigger audience and social media following than ever before, but due to advertising revenues in freefall both Leytonstoner and our small network of independent online titles is under threat. As readers we need your support more than ever to keep delivering ‘good-news’ cultural stories that celebrate our wonderful neighbourhoods. Every reader or business contribution, however big or small, is invaluable in helping the costs of running the website and the time invested in the research and writing of the articles published. Support Leytonstoner HERE for less than the price of a coffee and it only takes a minute. Thank you.
