Duong's Restaurant — Restaurant in Hà Nội

Full Update: We were so excited for the promise of a delightful culinary exploration with Duong tonight but unfortunately we were beyond disappointed with the entire experience instead. Overall, poor service, stale quality of food, and lack of care left all of us with regret, loss of time and empty stomachs.

Made reservations 3 weeks in advance and a received acknowledgement of our booking including dietary restrictions so it was shocking to realize that none of that mattered.

Service 1/5 - Abysmal, there was no attention or care after we were seated by the hostess. Food was dropped off with as much charisma and light as the watered down margaritas that were served. Our table was not cleared before the next plates was shoved onto an already full table. When I suggested that the young male server remove the empty plates before setting down our mains, it was like he saw a 3 headed monster. No serving utensils were offered - I suppose we were to use a butter knife for the duck breast? It took a few rounds before we had cutlery to serve our food.

Food 2/5 - We ordered 4 starters and 2 mains to start. The fried Hanoi rolls, the Mango Seafood salad, salmon carpaccio and shrimp tarter. Saving grace was the inventiveness and flavor profile of the shrimp tarter. Hanoi rolls had a great presentation but nothing to call home about and the fading star of the mango salad was the nicely cooked squid. The salmon carpaccio was inedible - it was neither flavorful nor fresh. Definitely tasted like defrosted frozen salmon sliced incorrectly. We all had a small bite and left the remaining order. Had the attention of the servers been more astute, they would have noticed it was barely touched and we could have had a conversation. Again, not a big deal - let's wait for the main show, hopefully that'll get better!?

NOPE.

For our mains we ordered the duck breast and salmon both cooked medium. As you can see from the pictures, medium perhaps translates to overcooked at Duong? The duck breast were mediocre at best. The salmon as you can see from the photos had zero flakiness or redeeming quality. Tasted like defrosted frozen salmon that was thrown onto a baking sheet.

I'm glad we didn't waste our time or money on ordering more mains. Highly disappointed that the chef would allow some of these dishes to come out of the kitchen.

Ambiance 2/5 - We sat upstairs and while the air was cool, the aura was devoid of character. There was hardly any energy or life in the restaurant, maybe that's why the staff appeared quite somber. Perhaps something happened tonight that we're not aware of but we were able to hear a pin drop.

Drinks 1/5 - Margaritas were bland and watered down, was hoping they resembled more like a cocktail and less like lime flavored water with a salted rim. They had sold out of their house white by 7pm tonight. I was told that I can order a bottle of white wine if I wanted but there were no glass options. Poor planning on the bartender's part but also inexcusable to not have an easy remedy on hand.

I really wanted to love this restaurant and regret this experience when Tung (another elevated epicurean experience in Hanoi) was just down the road. I wanted to share my feedback with the staff but I don't think they cared - though I tried at the end to explain to our server that the salmon was inedible.

We had to find another dinner after tonight. For over 1.8MM VND across 3 people, I would have liked to have a more favorable memory but alas, sometimes we don't get what we want.

Someone please tell me I went to the wrong restaurant as there is no way this could have been Michelin rated/admitted.

PS. They accept credit cards which is a bonus. They also charge a 10% VAT on top of their pricing, not sure why they don't just fold it in as with standard practice...

My wife and I visited Duong’s Restaurant at the recommendation of our hotel, the Oriental Jade. We had a delicious dinner and noticed a sign for their cooking class. On impulse, we inquired and did the four hour class the next day. What an extraordinary experience. Chef Duong is one of the top chefs in Vietnam and a top flight showman, with a warm, generous personality.

First, we prepare the Pho both, a delectable fun journey in itself. The broth has to boil a minimum of 3 hours, so then it is off to the local market to pick up ingredients for the main meal. Riding in the cyclos, the bicycle taxis, to the food market is a wonderful experience alone. Then Chef Duong takes you through market explaining the various options and why he makes the choices he makes. Only the freshest ingredients will do. As a famous chef, Duong is well known and well liked by all the vendors.

At the rice noodle vendor, a thirty something woman, sits over massive bags of rice noodles, doling them out to customers. Chef Duong feels the bag. Still warm, he says. He tells us her family makes the noodles and she is there at 6 AM in the morning until 8 PM at night. He shakes his head and says she works so hard for her family.

Live large shrimp, herbs, and other ingredients are purchased, with Chef Duong’s assistant, ever at his shoulder, putting the purchased goods into a basket.

Then we're off on a leisurely stroll various stalls and into the street, where he buys small portions of street food for us to sample. He points out old buildings and gives a bit of history.

Would you like to try some local beer? Yes, perfect for this moment. He teaches us the common Vietnamese toast. The beer is cold and quenching.

Now, we go cook, he says, and miraculously, we're around the corner from his restaurant!

The rest of the afternoon is a blur of fun, with Chef Duong demonstrating how to make spring rolls, and then turns the duties over to us, with his assistant offering gentle guidance. Then we prepare the pork on lemon grass, add the ingredients to the boiling Pho, we each have a turn rapidly chopping the raw tenderloin and pressing it into a flat small pancake and puts into the Pho bowls. The hot Pho broth will cook it, he explains.

At the end, Chef Duong brings some restaurant made rice wine for a final toast and we sit down with our fellow students for a sumptuous feast.

An experience not to be missed! We may forget many things but this experience will linger in our hearts and memories for a...

I've updated my review as it initially appeared to have come across as disrespectful, which was not my intention.

One star dropped immediately because of lack of transparency with pricing. Prices you see on the menu are not what you pay, they add tax on the bill. I've been eating out twice a day for weeks at different types of establishments in Hanoi, I can say that this is not normal practice. If I see a price on the menu, that's how much I expect to pay.

Also regarding misrepresentation, Douong's is NOT listed as a Bib Gourmand restaurant on Michelin, its a standard listing. Why show a sign outside the restaurant when it is wrong and misleading? Bib Gourmand is an achievement for good quality and value; charging 190,000 (then also add tax and add service) for a normal Bún chả cannot be considered as value.

Drink, looked fancy but with no substance, and mine was mainly ice.

Service: Unnecessary wait at the door to be seated whilst staff are aimlessly walking past. Only one table was full when I arrived.

Also, when your table is being cleared, you're treated by a "have you finished" when I clearly have, rather than a "how was your meal".

The Banh Xeo pancake, not bad but expensive for what you get; I think maybe my standard is set unfairly by Mr Bảy Miền Tây (a sit in restaurant that's also on Michelin website, and they don't add tax when you're about to pay for the bill) and where they have the most amazing Banh Xeo with good portions and great ingredients.

The base for Bun Cha was good, but I don't think my belly got on with the meat that came with it.

Overall, if you're looking for a local experience then this is not a typical of Hanoi establishment, but if you're a tourist and happy to pay extra for well presented dishes and classical piano in the background and don't mind about service, and used to getting tax added to your bill, then go for it, this place is definitely worth a try.

For me, paying close to 400k for a pancake, a main course and a drink isn't worth what I had in return in terms of portions, taste, value and service.

I hope that...