Okay, the staff are not theatrically rude, as they are in Wong Kei, and this Dalston Vietnamese is much tastier. Nevertheless it is dirt cheap and about as filling as I want my food to be. And it is my first Vietnamese in London that does food like wot I ate in Vietnam (yes, I have been to Vietnam, sorry).
Just up the Kingsland Road, with arcane rules about what door you should push (because they are bust, rather than anything cultural), it is the first place in London I have seen doing soft shelled crabs, deep fried and nicely spiced. Unlike previous London Vietnamese I have tried which err on the side of Thai hot or Chinese, Song Que delivers Hanoi and central Vietnamese food with all the requisite French influences. The Pho with Tripe was fantastically hearty, and the beef salad had the right hints of absolute freshness. Lots and lots of food, and nothing cost more than a fiver. The staff can be a bit absent minded or inattentive if you are trying to order more beer, but this is a minor gripe considering how great the food is, and how long the menu is.
It is one of those cheap and cheerful places that wears it Fay Maschler recommendation on its sleeve (about four copies on he wall). When Fay raves about cheap places she is rarely wrong (Great Nepalese!) and Song Que gave me some of the best cheap food I have eaten in London for quite some time. I was torn, because I had also had an Ethiopean food invite in the afternoon (and you KNOW how much I like Ethiopean food) but the right decision was made. Part of me is tempted to try another of the ten Vietnamese on this part of the Kingsland Road, but why change when you have found a great?