Recommended Hanoi Restaurants: An Update
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I spent Christmas 2007 in Hanoi, Vietnam, doing very little besides eat. Here are my updates on the Hanoi restaurants I still recommend, the new ones I found and the old favourites that have turned into turkeys
This post is a follow up to my Don't Miss: Hanoi, Vietnam story, which gives a general introduction to Hanoi and why I like it so much, and more specifically to my Favourite Hanoi Restaurants post
Green Tangerine on Hang Be is still fantastic. Ate there twice in 5 days and loved it both times. I think the trick might be getting there at odd times, like 3.30 just after lunch or 6pm just before the dinner rush. Others have said that GT gets overwhelmed by its own popularity sometimes, so going there when quiet can be fun.
Tandoor, the Indian restaurant just up the road from Green Tangerine, is also still cranking out excellent mix-and-match Indian dishes that lets you sample several different tastes without fear of exploding.
One of my previously favourite restaurants, Cyclo at 38 Duong Thanh St, has sadly wobbled off-course. A French restaurant serving up garlic bread on the white, processed, sugar filled shit you buy in 7-11 has definitely got a problem. They also gave us the same plastic rubbish to go with our soup, claiming the French bread was finished. Yeah. Cos it's not like you can't buy French bread on every street corner of Hanoi day and night. Anyway, after some bitching the said French bread duly arrived, but as soon as you have to complain during a meal it ruins all the fun of bothering to go out to eat in the first place. The rest of the meal was pretty mediocre, infused with the same "will-this-do?" apathy from the cook. Avoid.
The new super posh restaurant in Hanoi is Verticale, run by Didier Corlou, which we tried to get into one Thursday night but found it was full. Two nights previous when we'd first spotted it, it was empty and the staff had even given us a quick tour. Reservations are probably best then. It was unreservedly recommended to us by the gentleman who runs Bookworm bookshop on the same street as Verticale - Ngo Van So - easily Hanoi's best second hand bookshop. Most of the other foreigner bookshops in Hanoi are hideously overpriced - Bookworm by contrast has some real bargains and is also a little oasis of calm. There's a good write up about The Bookworm here at ThingsAsian.
If you don't want superposh nosh, you can still combine a visit to Bookworm with dinner at Hua Soa on Ha Hoi street, which is only a few minutes walk further on. This is a Koto-style charity restaurant that trains street kids in the hospitality business. We had a Christmas dinner there which, while not gourmet, was very tasty, filling and also cheap - around $15 each for a five course meal, including a glass of wine. (More info at Hoa Sua School's official site).
We went to Koto itself (near the Temple of Literature) for lunch on Christmas Day, which was sadly overpriced ($25) and pretty mediocre. Having the CD player endlessly repeating the same ear-grating Christmas tune every 3 minutes made us flee before pudding was even served. Koto's revamp has also given it a peculiar cafeteria atmosphere, although the slinky red velvet lounge on the 1st floor looked fun. I'd love to see the new Koto on a normal day - I'm guessing it's still a great place to visit when it's business as usual.
Bobby Chinn's (1 Ba Trieu Street, right by Hoan Kiem Lake) for Christmas Dinner was good fun - very chichi with lots of dimmed lights, crimson curtains and staff whispering FBI style into their cuffs. A read of the pseudo-jocular menu which does its best to insult every customer it can lets you know you can shove it if you don't like it. I was hoping such arrogance meant the food would be spectacular, but it's pretty hit and miss. My duck confit was excellent, one of the few times I've tasted duck done as well as my mother can do it, but the crab starter drowned in a shot glass was a frou frou mess. The wine list was good, but the dessert list so dull we didn't even bother. Good fun but clearly loved by those who prefer atmosphere over eating.
Au Trieu by the cathedral did a great breakfast omelette in their dinky boutique cafe with a great view of the church from the top floor. There is a French boulangerie style cafe on the street running towards the cathedral whose name I forget, but they have a large balcony overlooking the road - I heartily recommend sitting up there with a bottle of wine on Christmas Eve, as that's when the Hanoians come out to celebrate, and you get to people watch from above while ensconsed with plonk. Thanks to Steve, formerly Our Man In Hanoi, for the tip.
Other Travelhappy stories of interest:
- Hanoi Restaurants: Some Personal Recommendations
- Domokun Says: Happy Christmas From Hanoi!
- Koto Restaurant Reopens In Hanoi
- Hanoi Cooking Classes
- Christmas in Thailand: Booking A Hotel Isn’t Easy Anymore
