Bobby Chinn, Hanoi, Vietnam

77 Xuan Dieu St, Tay Ho District, Hanoi, Vietnam.
http://www.bobbychinn.com/

Owned by celebrity chef, Bobby Chinn, the restaurant is housed in an old colonial multi-storey building near Hanoi’s West Lake. Although I had never heard of Bobby Chinn before I went to this restaurant, apparently he is on Discovery channel Asia where he hosts a food and travel show.

The interior décor is stylish with lots of interesting art work and a sheer curtain to break up the spaces and create a more intimate dining experience. The ground floor houses a fashionable lounge bar with dining on the 1st and 2nd floors.

The menu offered a good range of Vietnamese and Western cuisines and some fusion dishes. The mood lighting was so low that the waiter bought out a magnifying glass with a light for reading the menu! The quirkiness of the menu made for interesting reading, including a dessert called ‘I am on a diet= $00’ and a side of ‘The waiter will say ‘You are beautiful’ on a regular basis’. It really is true, the girls behind us had this and we were wondering why the waiter kept hitting on them until we saw this item- very weird!

The dish I had was really delicious, Vietnamese style chicken and ginger claypot with rice for my main dish and an eggplant salad to start. Our group also were given a complimentary small starter and dessert, which was a nice touch.
Other menu options chosen by my fellow dinners included Steak fillet mignon; Red curry with prawns and sticky rice and Salmon claypot- all deemed to be very good.

The waiters and staff were very friendly and personable. The price tag was hefty at Dong 500,000+ each (about NZ$50 at the time), expensive for Vietnam, although to be expected as this is quite a famous restaurant. However in my experience there are just as good if not better restaurants in Hanoi for half the price!

So come to Bobby Chinn if you are feeling flush and want good food and service made by a semi-celebrity! Definitely not for the backpacker crowd!

Wild Lotus, Hanoi, Vietnam

55 Nguyen Du, Hai Ba Trung, Hanoi
http://wildlotus.com.vn/en/index.asp

Wild Lotus is located in a charming colonial townhouse in Hanoi. Enter through a small unassuming gate to a garden courtyard, cross over the beautifully lit lotus pond and ascend the steps to the huge front door of the house. Inside, the décor is a modern take on classic Vietnamese style with a Buddha and lotus flowers over a small indoor pond and low-lighting. On the night we dined it was very quiet but this didn’t affect the quality of the food or service.

The menu is Vietnamese traditional style with some modern twists. To start was the banana flower salad which was light, fragrant and fresh. Followed by Pork loin with cashew nuts, vegetables and rice and Stir-fried Chicken and mango. All dishes complemented each other well and show-cased the best of Vietnamese food with their flavoursome and fresh essence.

The dessert was one to be missed as my mango sorbet was pure ice in the middle and had obviously been in the bottom of a freezer for too long!!

Strangely at 9.15pm we were the last customers in the restaurant and the staff were packing up and leaving! I was told by my fellow diner that Vietnamese people like to eat early and so restaurants close up by 9pm.I thought this odd seeing as a lot of foreigners frequent the restaurant.
The cost was very reasonable at approximately NZ$50 for two including drinks. Half price of Bobby Chinn restaurant, but better food in my opinion!!

All in all, Wild Lotus is a real treat of excellent food in beautiful surroundings. Treat yourself to a top class restaurant in Hanoi, without breaking the bank.