The ‘Le Beaulieu’ is a renowned French cuisine restaurant of the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi Hotel, which is referred to as the first-ever French restaurant in the city. The venue has been business people, politicians, diplomats, and affluent travelers’ favorite dinning place since 1901.
Located in the southeast corner of the famous Hoan Kiem Lake, the Sofitel Metropole is just a stone’s throw from the splendid Hanoi Opera House, while the Old Quarter, with its skillful artisans and boutique shopping, is within 10-minute walk away.
With 120 years of history, the hotel is truly a legacy of the country’s colonial past, whilst its modern management ensures luxurious comfort and attentive personal service. Though we did not stay here (we could only wish we were staying here), we were fortunate to have our clients’ treat at the hotel’s restaurants, including the Spices Garden and this Le Beaulieu.
Our most recent meal at the Le Beaulieu was a late lunch with our clients, who wanted to try some French cuisine in Hanoi after the street food tour with us. Though the restaurant was serving amazing lunch buffet, they chose to order off the menu rather than to have the buffet.
We took a table on the charming terrace by the sidewalk overlooking the State Guest House, Dien Hong flower garden, and the busy traffic on Ngo Quyen Street. Our meal started with a potato and leek soup, these two were a perfect pair; the potato lent the soup a comforting starchiness, as the leek provided a mild and sweet tang.
Followed by two shared Caesar salads (huge portions), and then Foie gras for everyone. The Caesars featured freshly made anchovies and the French butter, absolutely done right with all the tastes on the mouthfeel. We scraped it all.
For the mains, three of us had the veal and extra lam chops, while the other two had a lobster bisque and the in-house smoke salmon. The bisque had generous bits of lobster in it, in addition to be delicious. The veal was tasty, elegantly prepared and presented, but we wished it had some kind of special seasoning aside from the meat. The salmon was really stunning.
The wine list was excellent and extensive, from which our clients got a wonderful Gérard Bertrand’s Chardonnay. We skipped desert to walk to Café Giang, who worked at the Metropole in 1946, to try his legendary ‘Egg Coffee’.
Our whole meal was very well-prepared French style cuisine, with excellent service. The food is really good and we can’t imagine a better overall experience for a high-end meal. We could not have been more delighted at the welcoming service, the attention to detail, and the variety of options on the menu.
If you deserve the best, Le Beaulieu restaurant will be more than satisfying you. We’d recommend it for both good food and a sense of French colonial history in Vietnam. If you are a lover of French food then this is definitely the place in Hanoi to get the best, a classy venue with all of the feeling of an up-market Paris style French restaurant.
Beside serving amazing lunch and dinner, Le Beaulieu is also considered the best restaurant in town to have a great combination of both international and traditional Vietnamese breakfast. Its breads, croissants, and baguettes are better than what we had during our last trip to Paris. Diners from outside are welcome!
Prices on the expensive side. Bring your credit card if you’re not staying at the hotel to charge to your room. Bon Appétit!
- Le Beaulieu Restaurant
- 15 Ngo Quyen Street, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi
- 024 3826 6919, ext: 8200
- 6h00 – 22h00
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