La Badiane

Background La Badiane stands as a well-regarded French-inspired restaurant in Hanoi's Old Quarter, housed in a charming colonial villa. It was funny yet enjoyable to read a review stating that everyone should experience this restaurant to understand the writer’s bane. Ambience The interior exudes rustic charm, with old photographs adorning the walls and classic tables and chairs that evoke nostalgia. Service The saving grace of the evening was the very hospitable hostess, who proved to be both friendly and refreshingly frank. She demonstrated genuine care by recommending the standard degustation menu rather than the vegetarian option, honestly warning that it was very cream-heavy and may not suit my palate. This level of candid, personalised guidance is rare and appreciated, elevating what was otherwise a mediocre culinary experience. Food/Drink The food was unexpectedly meh, a disappointment given the restaurant's reputation. The courses lacked inspiration and failed to deliver the bold, vibrant flavours one anticipates from French Vietnamese fusion. Even the dessert, which should be a highlight of any French meal, fell short of expectations, lacking finesse and memorable quality. Overall I would give this a pass if you are seeking non-Vietnamese food in Hanoi. The meal I had did not reflect the reverence often accorded to its name, for a French restaurant in a city. The food here felt safe and familiar rather than inspiring or transcendent.

Our lunch at this restaurant was absolutely delightful! We made a reservation via Facebook, which was smooth and convenient. The food arrived surprisingly quickly, and each dish was exquisite and delicious—you could really taste the chef's dedication. The portions were also very generous, leaving us fully satisfied. The service was warm and professional, and the ambiance was beautifully decorated, creating a cozy yet elegant atmosphere perfect for a leisurely meal or a special celebration. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys French cuisine

For the starters, I ordered the sesame-crusted prawns and I wouldn’t say it’s nice but just okay overall. Although the 2 small-medium size prawns coated with full of black sesame but the sesame taste is very fade, and as for the quail eggs and others, they don’t complement each other well. As for the main course, I’d the lamb shank -I am a lamb lover- and this is one of the least flavorful lamb shank I have ever had. The lamb shank is also overcooked as the meat itself isn’t that tender and soft as it should be. The star of my dinner is the dessert - Chocolate Fondant. It is nicely done - the chocolate texture is smooth, and has a good balance of sweetness and the cocoa bitterness. The pistachio ice cream complement well with the chocolate fondant. All the servers can speak and understand English. However, many of them aren’t attentive enough. Perhaps all their attention goes to bigger group of guests as I was dinning alone. They even forgotten to serve the butter when serving the short baguette. When asked for the butter, it was served cold and hard which made it impossible to spread on the bread. It is important to have the warm and welcoming personality in the hospitality industry but I am not feeling it from none of them, unfortunately.

Great experience, delicious food, good atmosphere. I was impressed by the top restaurant in Hanoi, especially the waitress Diep. She can speak English, also speak Chinese. She introduced each dish in detail to each table and took the initiative to ask guests if they needed to take photos. The service attitude is excellent.

I came across this Michelin-recommended French restaurant during a business trip to Hanoi, and it was truly impressive. The dishes were beautifully executed and exceeded my expectations. What I really appreciate is that the restaurant isn’t only friendly to meat eaters, also offers great options for vegetarians, making it an excellent choice for gatherings with friends who have different dietary preferences.

I really enjoyed our 5 course meal! I chose the Degustation Signature menu and just swapped my dessert for the Degustation Fusion Fusion, and I loved almost everything. I wasn’t really a fan of the foie gras, but other than that every course was so good. I was so full afterward that I couldn’t even finish my steak. Our server Binh was so kind and the service was excellent!

We’ve got wonderful lunch via facebook reservation. The staff were so considerate and service was quite nice. The cuisine was eye catching. Lunch set was valuable with tasting menu.

Located in a quiet street, we found oursleves walking into a charming colonial "villa" through a lush courtyard that opens into a casual and elegant fine dining space. The 3-course lunch set has every dish artistically plated. Starters - Le Tzatziki is a beetroot ravioli with cucumber tzatziki, pink berry biscuit and kumquat vinaigrette. A uniquely beautiful dish. Flavours were light, vibrant and fresh. - Le Veloute is a cauliflower veloute that was creamy, rich and comforting. The snail butter mushroom parmentier added texture and earthiness to it. Mains - La-Gambas features breaded sesame prawns served with herb salad, sweet potato mousseline, green asparagus and a tomato-smoked parika coconut milk cream. An interplay of flavours and texture. Not bad but not mind-blowing. - La Paëlla is a scallops and mussels risotto with grilled chorizo, piperade and cognac bisque emulsion. It's rich with flavour of the sea with some tang and spicy-smokiness. A little more heat could help to cut through the richness. Desserts - La Banane tasted familiar like pisang goreng (fried banana). It's decadent with some crunch though a tad sweet. The taste of rum was quite muted but love the creamy coconut ice cream. - Le Tiramisu, La Badiane's version, has the layers and taste of my favourite dessert. Just that it was overly sweet and could do more of the liquor, coffee and chocolate to balance the sweetness. Service was exceptional and thoughtful. They asked if we would like to take a break before serving the desserts. Even giving us a complimentary dessert (love the sorbet!) as my friend indicated "Celebrating friendship" as the occasion. Definitely caught us by surprise and brought a smile to our faces. No wonder there were rose petals on our table.