Colette French Bistro & Wine Bar — Restaurant in Hà Nội

I’ve been living outside of France for 15 years, and this has been the worst French food I have eaten during that time. I would rate all three dishes a 0. We had escargots, which were cooked outside their shells and tasteless. The foie gras was also tasteless, with a hint of bitterness. The duck Parmentier was flavorless and even had a sharp bone inside.

The service was subpar; when the server first asked how things were going, I replied, “not great,” and then there was silence. Later, when they asked for a second time, I pointed out the bones in the Parmentier, and they just took the dish to show the kitchen without any further response.

We were served bread that was so hot we had to wait five minutes to eat it, and unfortunately, it was also tasteless. The wine prices were the most expensive I’ve seen in Asia, and the bill was excessively high with a 10% service surcharge. There was no discount for the bones, and no apologies were offered for the poor experience. This was the most expensive meal I’ve had in a while, and it was also the worst experience I’ve encountered in two decades. At this level of mediocrity, this is very close to being a tourist trap and would probably close doors in France.

Edit: Upon closer review of the comments, I regret not noticing earlier that many others had mentioned the overpriced and flavourless food.

Edit to the response: we don’t finish the foie gras but yes we finished the other food, at that price and for feeding purpose we finished the 8 snails and the parmentier and we did not accept the tea or dessert the waitress proposed to “make us feel better” why would we after such a disastrous food experience. When most of restaurants have 99% satisfaction, the difference is in the other notes, and this restaurant stand below with 4.7 average and a few 1-3 stars confirm the exact...

The meal was fine although really not worth the price. The real problem was that they insisted on being paid 2 million dong as a deposit because we were a group of 7. I made the transfer from my bank account on the 28th December and heard nothing more until the day of our dinner the 10th January when we reconfirmed. When we asked for the bill they claimed that they hadn’t received the deposit and demanded that we pay the full amount of the dinner. We refused and offered them proof of the deposit from our bank’s website. It took ages and eventually with very ill grace they accepted our offer to pay the bill less the deposit. We were treated as if we were criminals. They were still messaging me at 11.30pm that night about when they could charge me the deposit again. They told me that the original deposit would be refunded by the bank but that it might take 30 days even though I had found further details about the deposit from my bank and sent them a copy. In the morning my hotel told me that they had even called the hotel and complained that we hadn’t paid for the dinner. I had also reassured them that I would of course pay them the deposit again if it was refunded to me by the bank. They have now gone and checked with their bank and of course the deposit has been received by them. Colette restaurant’s behaviour was appalling and rude. My advice would be to not go there if you’re a group as you cannot trust them with a deposit and it will certainly ruin your experience if you have to put up with their...

I had the pleasure of having lunch at this establishment on my final day in Hanoi before concluding my trip, and it was truly a memorable experience. The restaurant's decoration was stunning, creating an inviting and pleasant atmosphere. The staff were friendly and accommodating, and I found it convenient to communicate with them via email when making reservations.

I was seated on the first floor, and I was immediately impressed by the menu, which featured a wide selection of signature dishes, along with options for wine pairings. Although it was a bit too early for me to indulge in a drink, I appreciated the variety available. The snail dish and the beef bouillon were particularly outstanding, showcasing authentic flavors that delighted my taste buds.

I would like to give a special shoutout to my server, Linh, who did an exceptional job. She was incredibly caring, friendly, and attentive, and her recommendations enhanced my dining experience even further.

One thing to note is that the lunch combo is only available from Tuesday to Friday. Therefore, if you visit during the weekend for lunch, it's important to be aware that you will need to order from the à la carte menu instead.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my lunch at this establishment, and I'm already looking forward to returning in the near future. The remarkable ambiance, friendly staff, delectable dishes, and Linh's exceptional service all contributed to a truly memorable...