TNH

Superb food and sophisticated plating. Portions are generous. A great dining experience in Hanoi at 40 USD (wine not included of course) for the "gastronomic menu" which includes appetizer tidbits, first course, entree and beautiful desserts.
Small critic: the rooms upstairs are not well designed for conversation and if you are more than one group the decibels shot up annoyingly. Carpets, maybe? Curtains on the wall?

Wonderful.

Every now and then, for special occasions, I look for a 'hang the expense' restaurant - somewhere that is just superb and I simply won't care about the bill. La Badiane fits this purpose perfectly.

Something I have learned in Hanoi is to plan special evenings carefully, including making contact with the proposed restaurant. This I did with La Badiane and I could not be happier with the way the evening panned out.

I made contact with them the day before and requested a good table to celebrate a key milestone in my wife's work here. I also requested a glass of champagne for when we arrived - to celebrate in style. Minh Spielmann was extremely responsive prior to the evening and well prepared for the actual 'event'.

We were greeted warmly and escorted upstairs to one of the dining rooms - with a table by the window overlooking the street. Just what was asked for. Then staff automatically brought in a half bottle of French champagne for us to enjoy. Only later did I discover that they obtained this especially to meet my request - the actual wine is not on their menu. It should be - it was lovely.

Service throughout the evening was warm, friendly and just right. We did not lack for anything - glasses topped up, bread replaced, dishes cleared - all very professional as you would expect. Even when the dining room filled up with other guests, the service did not drop off at all.

The menus at La Badiane are in a really nice large, solid card, easy to read style. Each menu item is well described and simple to understand. The menu is not massive in terms of number of dishes - the chef clearly focuses on what he and the team can do really well and what will reflect the image La Badiane seeks.

We did not come here to eat big, we came here to eat well. So what did we have? As follows:

Pre-dinner wine - Baron Fuente: This was lovely. Light, fresh and good for the palatte. We got four good glasses from a half-bottle!

Starter - Apuises Bouches: this is served in four shot glasses with four different flavour mixes. Really creative, delicious and a good option to share with that special someone.

Mains - Duck Tagine & Beef Tenderloin: both really nice dishes, presented well, interesting flavours and about the right size. The food is allowed to speak for itself whilst including some delicately placed flavours to compliment.

Dessert - Hot Mellow Chocolate: this is one of those divinely decadent desserts that feels wicked going down. Beautifully designed and delicious.

Wine - Chateau Noaillac (Medoc): which proved to be a good accompaniment to both the duck and the beef. Smooth and highly drinkable.

This is really good food. Really good service. Great location, ambiance - the works. Even the overall cost was unexpectedly excellent value. Though I didn't care this night, I was very pleasantly surprised. We blew out on the wine (very happily) and the food bill was only about $70 of the total bill.

I have nothing but praise for La Badiane and will definitely make it among my first choices for special moments that need a quality fine dining celebration in Hanoi. My wife and I agree - this was without doubt the finest meal we have had in Hanoi.

Delicious and gorgeously decorated French dishes. The chef cares about what you have to say, and Tony is there to make sure you are well served.

I have an impression that people there love their work and enjoy what they are doing, which is a plus. They are thoughtful, caring and discreet enough to not bother you.

This is one of the rare restaurants where you are happy when you pay.

I had heard some great things from some French expats so I suppose I arrived with reasonably high expectations....and to be honest, I was not disappointed.

The location was quite convenient and moreover we enjoyed the old colonial house that had been renovated with a modern flair as sitting in the outdoor patio was ideal in May and quite charming.

Both of us ended up ordering a 3 course meal with a bottle of French chardonnay and by the end of the meal we were both impressed by what we received for around $30 each (before the wine of course). Everything was beautifully plated and the recipes were well thought out.

In terms of the culinary pros and cons, the highlight for us was probably the crab risotto which was rich without being overwhelming. Our least favourite dish was probably my red tuna paella as the tuna was expertly cooked but the paella tended to just be overcooked rice without proper flavour.

All with my average paella, we also found out that they change the menu around every 8 months and do offer regular specials, which could make this place a bit repetitive at times, hence the need to deduct one star.

In total however, this place can be both a splurge or a reasonable meal. I will definitely be bringing guests here in the future, but next time I am quite curious to try the 2 course lunch menu that they offer for $12. As the service is also quite attentive, its a nice environment to enjoy a good meal, and the food is good value for the money, I will definitely be recommending this place to friends