Chapter Dining — Restaurant in Hà Nội

Great food! Great service! Pretty restaurant! Great temperature! Tables nicely spaced apart! Lighting was perfect!

Just one cowardly middle aged, extremely inappropriately dressed, single, sad (older?) lady. Just looking for something to complain about I guess ???

We dined at Chapter last night, I had no time to do makeup/skincare (I have eczema and need to use moisturizer, if not skin cracks and bleeds around my eyes and nose), the car ride was bumpy and I was in a video meeting. I really had no time.

However, we were really wanted to try your restaurant! I’m so sorry! I did not have time to do skincare prior! I’m a germaphobe and did not want to do my skin in the restroom (even tho it was very very very clean). Even at home I do my make up on bed or on the vanity, that’s how bad of a germaphobe I am, I scared of my own germs!!! I had sanitized my hands prior and just wanted to get my moisturizer on asap.

I did not realize the single sad lady on the next table about 6 feet away, was speaking about me “ruining the ambiance”, I was busily, quietly putting on moisturizer! I was wondering why she was speaking SO LOUDLY to the waitstaff, it was rude and uncalled for, much like her manner of handling the “situation”. She could’ve spoken to me about it (I was right next to her) directly instead of putting the lovely waiters in an awkward position. Tell me, I’d have gone downstairs and moisturized in the waiting area, I just didn’t want to miss waitstaff’s story and explanation of the restaurant and food!

Furthermore, I was PURPOSELY being quiet and as fast as possible (2-5mins?), all you could hear were a couple zips from skincare bag and a few clicks from the moisturizer opening and closing.

Anyway! Thank you Chapter Dining & Grill for handling the situation so graciously.

Thank you to all the waitstaff that did not make me feel more self conscious than already was, I was just very busy that evening! Thank you for not giving me grief for taking care of my skin. I’m sorry for causing tension.

The sad single lady was dressed like she just came from the market. I noticed her immediately! As I thought to myself “whut…. I could’ve just not showered and come straight to dinner -.-“. I mean, the woman was in shorts and sandals or slippers or something. She looked like she just rolled out of bed and got dressed in the dark. Very very inappropriately dressed. Ruined the ambiance with her presence and her passive aggressive, unbecoming clucking. Thank goodness she left after leaving a long complaint about me 😂😂😂 as restaurant feedback.

I’ve added a photo of the restaurant, it was the second seating, so it was quiet. Just us, two other tables and the loud lady. Thanks again for a pleasant experience! Come come! Try the amazing food and meet the...

I had to think a bit about which criteria to use for the evaluation: On one hand, my dinner here was the best fine dining experience I’ve ever had in Vietnam, second only to Anan in HCMC. On the other hand, the price for a menu with wine pairing is so high that I could dine at a Michelin-starred restaurant in Italy or France for the same amount. Given that, the price-performance ratio at Chapter isn't quite right; it's simply too expensive. They serve a 10-course tasting menu with a wine pairing, and together with a bottle of water, the cost was just over 4 million Dong for one person.

The menu started promisingly with a great oyster, lamb sausage, and a cone with duck liver – all perfect. The second course of amberjack with an excellent granita was also very good. Unfortunately, the next courses, venison and a Banh mi baguette, were not convincing – the venison was rather tough and flavorless, and the baguette was so hot that the foie gras melted. The rock snail with abalone in the following course was good again and attractively served. The cod in the next course was perfectly cooked, and the dish "lived" from the excellent mussel sauce.

Next came an interlude with a tea broth and a kumquat sphere. Unfortunately, the sphere's shell was too thick; you had to bite through it, and even then, the shell remained in your mouth. It wasn’t a highlight and was poorly executed. The next dish, "Campfire," made up for it, being the best course of the menu. The "LAM Nho" - consisting of braised Wagyu cheek, was divine, and the duck breast was very good as well.

The dessert of salted plums was disappointing in flavor, and the two petit fours were also not exciting. The service was good and attentive. Unfortunately, I found the wine pairing really disappointing: first a very flat Riesling, followed by an overly intense Chenin Blanc from Argentina. The next Sake paired much better with the food than the very flat and "cheap and perfumed" red wine from a Grenache-Syrah blend from the Rhone Valley.

I generally find it incredibly difficult to pair the flavors of Vietnamese cuisine with wine - yet almost all fine-dining restaurants in Vietnam (and also in Thailand or China) feel the need to do so. There are such wonderful local drinks, spirits, and fruits – why doesn’t anyone dare to create a drink pairing from these marvelous local flavors?

In sum, it feels like the restaurant has everything it needs - great chefs who master modern techniques, a well-equipped kitchen, very good ingredients - but the potential is not yet fully realized, and the price level for the current performance is...

Update: It’s interesting that instead of addressing our feedback, the restaurant chose to publicly call me out by name and suggest bad intentions behind our reviews. For the record, we were two guests, paying customers, and each of us shared an honest impression of the experience — which is exactly what Google Reviews is for. Turning a guest’s opinion into something “malicious” says more about the service attitude here than any review could.

The prices at this restaurant are considered very expensive by Vietnamese standards, yet the environment is crowded and noisy, with none of the atmosphere of a “fine dining” establishment. What shocked me most was that there was no host or staff to greet me upon arrival.

The food was equally disappointing: most dishes were poorly balanced, and despite finishing most of them out of environmental consideration, I, as a woman, still left feeling unsatisfied. I specifically chose this place for its “cicada” element, but could hardly taste it at all. The scallops were unbearably salty, the fried onions completely overpowered the cicada, and the dessert felt cheap—worse than street desserts. The matcha powder added only visual appeal, the large cookie on top was soggy rather than crisp. While the ingredients were fresh, the seasoning was bland and uninspired, far less interesting than what I had at seafood stalls in Da Nang.

The service was no better: when the restaurant was noisy with chatting guests, the staff introduced the dishes in an even lower voice, as if to rush through the task. Dishes were served without trays, with fingers touching the utensils—very unhygienic. Some staff also had poor oral hygiene. Even the complimentary gift after paying the bill was disappointing—two diners received only one gift, something I’ve never experienced at any other restaurant.

In conclusion, aside from fresh ingredients, there is absolutely no reason to pay such a high price here. Vietnam has no shortage of fresh ingredients, yet the flavors here are inferior to street food, and the environment is just as noisy. I honestly cannot understand how this restaurant justifies its...