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Hanoi, Vietnam – While in Hanoi, I had the chance to try two of the city’s snazzier restaurants – Bobby Chin’s eponymously named hotspot, a showcase of international flavors, and French-Vietnamese La Vertical helmed by Didier Corlou, formerly of the Sofitel Metropole. Although both restaurants displayed refined settings and nods to global food trends largely absent in Hanoi, neither delivered great food.

Restaurant Bobby Chin, which recently moved from Hoan Kiem lake to city outskirts, has something of a split personality – the ground floor is a red-tinged hookah lounge outfitted with deep lounging couches and contemporary Vietnamese paintings while the dining room feels like an upscale tent with white cloth encasing the walls and billowing down from the ceiling and tables tucked intimately away.

If there was any overarching theme to the menu, I failed to grasp it; the dishes read like a random assortment of international flavors, which would have been fine if they were any good. The amuse bouche was a tiny, underwhelming fresh spring roll sloppily served on an oversized white plate. Both the crab trio (crab cakes, salad and soup) and the scallops with fresh pea puree and braised edamame, which I ordered, sounded interesting, but tasted merely okay.

My companions dinners couldn’t have been any better as an awkward silence fell over the table after everyone had taken fork to plate. I’ve always felt as though good food acts as a social lubricant nearly as well as alcohol does; disappointing food does the opposite, dampening the mood and deadening conversation in its tracks.

If Restaurant Bobby Chin felt young and careless, then La Verticale certainly carried a more adult weightiness. The colonial-styled dining room is cream-toned, soft and intimate with small Vietnamese flourishes – large silvery paintings depicting Vietnamese fields, local spices sparingly arranged on each table. Corlou’s passion for his adopted country is clearly felt throughout the meal, from the obscure spices and herbs to the local pottery and integrated into the courses.  The downstairs is a showroom for Vietnamese flavors with spices, sauces and specialty products hailing from every region, plus Corlou’s own books on regional cuisine.

Plating is exquisite, but unfortunately it only heightens expectations for concepts that often fall flat, substandard ingredients and less-than-perfect cooking.  The ocean escabeche was overpoweringly fishy and my duck filet with confit leg, star anise and  figs was dry and overcooked.  That said, there were a few bright spots on the menu.   I thought the soft passion fruit cake with curry ice cream and seasonal fruits, moist and bright, was delightful.

Certainly, if you’re looking for a pleasant setting to enjoy a glass of wine either spot would suffice, but if you’re used to this kind of cooking, neither meets the global standard.

Restaurant Bobby Chin
77 Xuan Dieu Street
Tay Ho District, Hanoi, Vietnam
Tel: +(84-4) 3719 2460
info@bobbychinn.com
Daily 11am-late
Reservations Recommended

La Verticale
19 Ngo Van So St., Hanoi
Tel: +(84-4) 3944 6317
verticale@didiercorlou.com
Daily 11am – pm, 6pm – 10pm
Reservations Not Required