Tem Tep Vietnamese Kitchen

Deliciously authentic and a great change of pace from falling into the touristy fish-​and-​chips-​all-​the-​time trap, Tem Tep provides fantastic selection and a large portion sizes.
I’ll be the first to admit my girlfriend and I had not anticipated coming here, but after finding out just how popular Churchill Arms is in the late evening during a weekday (re: they were so full I was told by the hostess to try again tomorrow), we wandered into Tem Tep Vietnamese Kitchen. We were warmly welcomed and immediately seated in a brand new and modern dining area. Our waitress walked us through the menu and provided recommendations on what to try from the copious menu.
We finally decided on the Traditional Chicken Phở (£9.50) and the Chicken with Mushrooms and Vegetables (£11.50). If the prices seem a bit stiff it’s because you’re getting a massive portion size (you could order one entrée and an appetizer for two people and be satiated) and delicious fresh ingredients. Upon first tasting the phở, I though it was a bit bland, but I quickly realized it was because there is significantly less salt than phở places in the U.S. Once I gave it a good stir and captured some more of the ingredients, the dish really came alive, with the flavors only enhanced by the various herbs they serve on the side for you to add. The chicken with mushrooms and vegetables was also packed with traditional flavors, especially the mushrooms which were perfectly cooked between tender and just a little chewy.
Overall, the fresh ingredients, generous portion sizes, and a level of authenticity really won me over at Tem Tap. It’s a welcome change-​up for tourists and locals alike.

Welcoming interior. The radiator was on high for a tropical environment. Hahah. Clean and new interior. Quick service but the food didnt meet the expectation for the Chinese tongues. We ordered phở. My chicken was those which has been frozen in freezer for million years ans the beef was just weird… like the kind you find as cold cut from Tesco. The soup was not hot enough when served. Set in this area in London，mosy of the customers are westerners. I guess the traditional recipes they promise have been modified to suit the needs of customers. And the price reflected the rent and service of the place，but not at all the food.

Was around the area and searched for a Vietnamese restaurant. Situated in a nice area. The decorations in the restaurant was tasteful and the food was good on an moderately empty stomach as portions were average. Service was good also.

Really great and traditional Vietnamese food, fast service and resonance pricing. Definitely the best Vietnamese in the Kensington area. Look forward to going again.
The duck curry was great as was the soft shell crab.

The food was good, not great. The service was excellent. My problem is that the food was not nearly worth the money. First, rice is an additional cost. Second, gratuity is included regardless of the number of diners. For one person with a drink and very small appetizer, it was 32 pounds ($ 50 American dollars.)

Very glad there’s a good Vietnamese restaurant near the northern end of Kensington Church Street, though it’s not cheap: I had the beef phở soup, which was nice and large, but not extraordinary for £11.50. Excellent service and décor. I hope they will do ‘special lunch deals’ in the future.

Worst. Meal. Ever!!!
No taste, pricey, not interesting at all.
Though the staff was nice and helpful, the food was just bad. To say least. No, seriously, never in my life have I felt the need to write a bad review (I only write good ones!).

A dime to the neighbourhood.

Bhui

In and out for a quick dinner in 30mins — start up teething problems well on way to be solved thanks to the amazing manager Trinnie –sadly I think when they nail this which will be soon — it’s going to be impossible to get in — so hurry

Tem Tep is a very new modern Vietnamese restaurant over 2 floors half way down Kensington Church Street. A warm atmosphere and a full house on a Monday night is where I begin my 2-​sided review. I am going to start with the good.
And boy was the food good!
The best salt and pepper squid I have ever had, mixed with fried spring onions, garlic etc. absolutely lovely. The lime-​cured beef starter was great too, good portion size, flavourful, medium-​cooked beef slices were tender and tasty. Chicken wings only came in a portion of 3 large wings. Mango salad was excellent, almost all mango, slightly small for the price though.
Main course of whole mackeral was tasty but tricky with so many bones! Fried dry beef phở noodles was slightly oily but generous and as good as you can get, with tender, soft soft beef.
The home-​made lime juice had a touch too much sugar but enjoyable nevertheless. The restaurant itself is cosy and the upstairs is almost like a living room!
So what was the negative part? The service. The waitresses were calm, almost disinterested staff with little or no catering experience or sense to notice what was happening before their eyes.
As an extremely new restaurant, they had major major teething problems. The service, we were kindly warned by the manager, would be slow and we would need to be patient. The speed of the food coming out was almost unbearable but as we had been warned, it wasn’t the issue. The staff had no idea what was going on, people left without having their mains, or one person had eaten, yet no waitress noticed enough to chase this other meal.
So why have I given this place 4 stars? The manager. Her name began with T and she was Filipino. She is THE saving grace of the restaurant. From the very beginning, she was charming, personable, polite, lovely, remembered my name, kind, understanding and just a joy.
She was the one who told us the problems with the speed of food being served, but she did it with such grace and loveliness, we didn’t mind. Nor did we mind when our starters and mains got lost in the system and only random parts of our meals came out. The whole meal took 2 hours in total and unhappy patrons all around us upped and left.
After my first taste of squid, I didn’t want to leave. I believed in the food and in the manager. I LOVED my meal, I left the restaurant happy, joy and yummy food filled my heart and tummy and I cannot wait to go back. Slow service be damned!
Give this place a go in a few weeks when they have sorted things out. The fresh food and honest desire to create a delicious plate will win you over. As it did me.