Hanoi Restaurant: Sente – The Flavour of Lotus

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Like its name suggests, this Vietnamese food restaurant features a lotus-based food and drink menu. From the lotus flowers, stems, roots, and leaves are elegantly used in its drinks, salads, main dishes, and desserts. On that background, Sente offers both meat and vegetarian options.

Opened its doors since 2018, the restaurant is now referred to as a hidden gem of Hanoi, it’s nested in a charming French colonial villa with a little courtyard and is tucked away from the hustle and bustle of Hanoi’s Old Quarter.

Sente restaurant

Sente dinning space

For our most recent visit, it took us three attempts to book a table for dinner on Friday. From its humble entrance, we walked down an alley to the opening courtyard, where we were welcomed to a table in a quiet corner of the main dining space. 

The ambiance of the dinning was nice and cozy, highlighted with lotus murals and elegance decorations. The overall setup and its color theme reminded us of some deluxe restaurants in Hoi An – an ancient town on the central coast.

Sente fish salad

The menu looks very interesting. Though it’s not a big menu, it has a bit of everything including pork ribs, beef ribs, beef flank, chicken, duck, fish, vegetarian dishes, and pizza.

The two of us decided to have Hemibagrus fish with lotus root salad, grilled Sa Ba fish with Teriyaki sauce accompanied by brown rice, sous-vide grilled chicken and ambarella leaves sauce, and fried quinoa with crab meat with vegetable.

Sente Chicken Dish

Grilled fish

Regarding to the drink, the restaurant features several traditional Vietnamese drinks made from fruits and rice. We went for a lotus drink and a crystal Tiger beer – which is the only type of beer they had beside wine.

To review the food, we would say it’s natural, fresh, and different in both taste and flavors. The menu would be a great choice for those who have been trying all other street eats that Hanoi is famous for.

Fish and Brown Rice

Sente rice

Every dish was exquisite and fresh. After the meal, we felt like we had just treated our bodies to a healthy meal. The service was very appropriate and the waitresses were friendly hand helpful, but a couple young waiters could be more friendly.

Though it’s one of the most recommended restaurants in the Old Quarter, Sente has only two indoor seating areas accommodating about 30 seats. Hence, a reservation is needed, especially if you’re visiting during the weekend.

Sente: The Flavour of Lotus

  • 20 Nguyen Quang Bich, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi
  • 091 104 8920
  • 10h00 – 14h00, 17h30 – 22h00

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