L'essence De Cuisine — Restaurant in Hà Nội

This is one of the most difficult reviews I’ve had to write as I found myself conflicted on how I feel about the experience. Let me first start by saying that the service was excellent. The staff were well trained and the front manager was truly exceptional. All staff were kind, attentive, and knowledgeable. Our waiter even recommended us ordering fewer dishes as he believed there may be too much food for our group of 6. The atmosphere was excellent with a musician at the front, leaving a lasting impression. Music was great, with beautiful decor and lighting. However, the food was a 2. And that was the most confusing part of this experience. Seeing thousands of 5 star reviews prior, I was truly excited to visit this restaurant. But as the dishes started being served, I was in disbelief that the food was not meeting expectations. The beef dishes were overcooked well-beyond well done. They were chewy, firm, and flavorless. To compensate for this, the chef added absurd amounts of pepper, further making the meat unlikable. My group has visited many small street shops and restaurants during our stay in Hanoi, with very delicious savory Asian style sauces. This meat was cooked in a much more western style. And while this may be acceptable to tourists coming from western countries, the resultant is Vietnamese and this meat did not have those local flavors. The shrimp was breaded too much, the pho broth was bland, and the rice was hard. It was truly surprising why the food was not acceptable that night. After we gave feedback to the front staff, they discounted our meal with profuse apologies. I want to reiterate, our waiter staff was lovely and kind. It was the kitchen that did not perform well. Overall, if you are coming to Hanoi for more traditional flavors, I encourage you to explore the many delicious small shops in the area. I cannot in good conscience not recommend this restaurant, as the staff were very exceptional to us. But if you desire fair Vietnamese food, but appreciate atmosphere, drinks, food presentation, and service more, you will very likely be satisfied with this...

We were extremely conflicted about reviewing this restaurant, but we believe it’s important to leave an honest opinion for those who may want to dine there.

This is a tourist-oriented, Instagram-friendly restaurant that doesn’t feel Vietnamese-owned. The service is excellent, which makes it even harder to be critical, as a poor review could feel unfair to the staff, who are genuinely kind and attentive.

We ordered the lotus salad, which arrived as a regular salad surrounded by onion peels meant to resemble lotus petals. It was as disappointing as it was hilarious. The staff explained that it wasn’t lotus season, so they had to find a substitute. While we appreciated the creativity, we mentioned that we would’ve liked to be informed about this when ordering.

Unfortunately, the rest of the food also fell short of our expectations. It wasn’t as good as what you’d find at a small, street-side Vietnamese restaurant and it was significantly more expensive.

At the end of the meal, you're asked to fill out a survey about your experience. We shared our disappointment, and the staff immediately apologized and removed the lotus salad from our bill. They were so sorry and apologetic that it makes it really difficult to then say something negative about the place.

However, after some thought, we felt it was important to be honest about our experience with the food. Had we known, we might have chosen a different restaurant. We feel like it is definitely not the staff's fault but that it's more about the goal of the place: being a trendy, Instagramable and touristy restaurant in order to have lower quality for higher prices. The in-house survey system likely helps the restaurant avoid negative online feedback.

We truly hope this review does not negatively affect the wonderful staff, and that it serves to inform...

This is a great Vietnamese restaurant, it’s clearly a modern/fushion twist to local delicacies seen at street food or local food stall. The tastes are familiar yet slightly different in a good way. The restaurant serve various Vietnamese cuisines all in one place unlike other small or specialised dishes - a good place to try all in one place in large groups or couple and even saw a single person enjoying 1 meal that they liked. Does feel like semi-fine dining and so calming spa for a restaurant 😁

What I ate and would recommend trying it or repeat! Royal Fried Spring Rolls - crispy good and served with fish sauce and additionally vermicelli was good! Cha Ca Thang Long (aka Cha Ca Va Long/ Tumeric Grill fish speciality in Hanoi) Always wanted to try and so glad to find it there and it’s a nice experience to eat the grill fish while it’s sizzling in front of me and their special twist to eat it like a spring roll wrap or do the usual mixed with vermicelli. Grilled beef on fire bamboo. This is a uniquely good dish, not too salty and not too peppery actually. (This ain’t like other local version and not to be mistaken as a black pepper sauce on steak) it’s a nice flavour combination with sticky rice. Colour rainbow vermicelli It has good seasoning combined with variety of vege and tiny bits of eggs. It’s actually more like a dish itself than a salad.

Overall each food itself is cooked well and visually served beautifully to enjoy. Service is very friendly and courteous, explaining each dish and how to enjoy the dish. They even provided a special spa voucher for me for next visit. It’s a good service, and worth...