Situated on the 7th floor of the La Siesta Premium Cau Go, the ‘Red Bean Cau Go’ is referred to as one of the nicest boutique hotel’s restaurants in Hanoi. The place is not only appreciated for delivering high quality modern Vietnamese cuisine, but also for a magnificent view over Hoan Kiem Lake.
The restaurant, and its hotel, is just few steps away from the Water Puppet Theatre, the bustling Hang Be Market, and the hustle of the Hanoi’s shoes street. Such a central location makes an ideal place for foreign visitors, who desire to stay right in the heart of the old town.
While fighting up to the last ditch on our Old Quarter walking tour in March – when the high tourist season slowly volumed down for the rise of the coming summer heat, our clients wanted to grab some lunch at ‘somewhere quiet indoors’. Hence, we picked the Red Bean Cau Go restaurant.
Being local foodies, we have been happy diners of its sisters, the Red Bean Ma May and Red Bean Trendy, but that was our first time eating at the ‘Cau Go’. Part of the reason was that Red Bean Cau Go is the newest member of the ‘Red Bean’ family.
As it’s a hotel’s restaurant, we walked into the lobby letting the cool air conditioner hit our faces, and we knew right away we made the right decision. A courtesy staff nicely took us to where we wanted, while the impression was also that the décor of this brand new La Siesta was gorgeous, much superior to other boutique hotels across the city.
The lift then took to us to the restaurant floor, where we were stunned by its magnificent views over the greens around Hoan Kiem Lake, and by the decorations of the restaurant – where classical and modern style coexisted. The blue-grey color theme of the place matched nicely with the treetops outside.
It was a Saturday afternoon, and the restaurant was about half full. But we were lucky to have a table with a great view across the lake and its surrounding areas, which is always a treat for any travelers, especially our clients – first time Hanoi visitors.
Though Red Bean is a local hotel’s restaurant, it had an extensive menu which featured a combination of both local Vietnamese cuisine and French fusions. Since we had tried several street foods such as the traditional Pho, famous banh mi, and the flavorsome bun cha, we decided to go for something different.
Regarding to the drink, though the place is known for tempting cocktails, and its rooftop Twilight Bar (a spiral staircase up from the restaurant) is among the best cocktail bars in the city and its barmen were busy all the time, as united beer lovers, we started our lunch with a cold Hanoi beer for each.
Like the menu suggested, the Red Bean offered traditional Vietnamese food but added its own modern twist to dishes, and international options were also offered. So, we got the chef’s spring roll plater, which was an amazing combination of freshness.
For the main, we got beef and chicken; grilled beef in bamboo sa cha sauce and sauteed chicken with shitake mushrooms. The beef was tender, well seasoned and cooked perfectly. We also had some tasty wok tossed local greens. Our favorite was the chicken accompanied by steamed rice, which we scraped it all.
One of our clients was a vegetarian, but she was happy with the restaurant vegetarian menu’s full of delicious options. Her stewed mushroom and eggplant in clay pot, braised tofu dish, and her choice of braised vegetables looked fabulous.
The food was well cooked and well presented. Portion sizes were just right for lunch and we finished them all. For dessert, we had the durian mousse and longan jelly. It was just wonderful! We paid roughly 20 USD each.
The service was top notch and super friendly. Staffs appreciated guests with their mixture of personal, friendly service, and excellent efficiency. Our waiter explained the different dishes to us, gave us her and the house’s recommendations for dishes, and was very professionally service-minded.
Overall, Red Bean Cau Go Restaurant is an oasis of good taste, away from the hustle and bustle of the outside noisy streets. Its prices were as expected and we totally got full value for the money we put in. Our clients prized its standard of excellence, both in terms of food and customer service. We have no hesitation to recommend it!
- Red Bean Cau Go
- 7th floor, La Siesta Premium Cau Go,
- No.1 Cau Go Street, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi.
- Lunch through to dinner: 11h30 – 22h00
- (During holiday periods such as Christmas, New Year, Tet Lunar New Year there will be selected set special menus and we recommend booking a table in advance.)
Join Flavors of Hanoi’s peronal foodie tour guide on our daily walking Hanoi food tour, and explore the best of what the city has to offer. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook to keep updated on what’s new and what’s interesting in Hanoi.
