Mandarine - Finest Vietnamese Cuisine — Restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City

We were recommended to have dinner at the Mandarine Restaurant as it was supposed to serve the "best" Vietnamese cuisine in town. Boy, was the hotel concierge wrong. The restaurant was beautifully decorated, and service on point. Those were the only saving grace for the night. We ordered Menu 3, which seemed to be the popular choice that night. The 7 dishes were served very rapidly and other than the appetiser and soup, the rest of the food could hardly be labeled as authentic Vietnamese. It appeared more like the chef could not quite decide between Chinese takeout and old school French style food. The level and quality of food did not do justice to the price of the meal. Visit only if you want to admire the fancy decoration at the restaurant, else don't...

Honestly my worst experience in Saïgon, the food is not good, and I'm not even talking about the ridiculous presentation.

I took the duck, it was overcooked. The spring rolls were useless.

Plus, I ordered red wine and they served it to me cold and full of tannin. When I complained because the taste was obviously bad the waiter didn't even apologize. I got another glass and when I tried it I was so shocked by the difference of taste between the two glasses that I asked if it was a different wine, the waiter then confessed (still without any apology) that the first glass he served me was from the end of the bottle which was stored in the fridge.

In the end, there is nothing good about this place.

The food and the service is awful. And it's...

Traditionally styled restaurant, with two (?) levels. Rather low ceiling, which can make for noisy ambience. Cuisine seems to be more Chinese with Vietnamese influence. Presentation of the food was lovely, a treat for the eyes, slightly less so for the palate. Crispy VN spring rolls were lovely. Papaya mango salad more ordinary, lacking the sweet sour contrasts, while cinnamon roast chicken was nicely done, moist and aromatic. Portions not large. Service was pleasant, but a touch less sophisticated than the surroundings would suggest. Final bill was equivalent to neighbouring restaurants, but...