(Photo: The Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi hotel )

Chi: Welcome to VOV24/7’s Food Delight. I’m Kim Chi, your host.

Life is returning to normal in Vietnam following a remarkable success in containing the COVID-19 pandemic. The Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi hotel has rolled out some exciting new menus that cater to Vietnamese tastes. Today, we’re talking with Executive Sous Chef Raphael Kinimo about the new post-Covid-19 menu at Metropole’s Le Club Bar.

Hi Raphael, please introduce yourself!

Chef: I’m Rafael. I’m French, from Lyon. Lyon is the gastronomy capital of food and wine, we have a lot of Michelin star chefs and restaurants.

Chi: What do you have on your new menu?

Chef: The new menu has been specially created to bring a part of France to our guests in Hanoi. We have a lot of things, including seafood, we have the Plat du Jour, which is specially created for the people who come every day, so they can have a different food every day. We have light dishes like Salade Moderne for those who want to enjoy the restaurant’s atmosphere but want to eat light.

Chi: The Metropole’s Le Club Bar draws inspiration from relaxed, traditional French brasseries. Could you further elaborate this concept?

Chef:  A brasserie is a convenient restaurant in France where we like to eat food and enjoy our time in a place, so we bring this atmosphere to Hanoi. We deliver the brasserie experience in Hanoi with personalized service and food specially crafted for foodies. We bring an elevated experience of the French brasserie to Hanoi.

(Photo: The Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi hotel )

Chi: At this time foreign travel is still limited. We’re not ready yet to welcome foreign tourists. So do you have adjustments in the menu to suit the tastes of domestic customers?

Chef: Yes, we focus a lot on seafood. We have fresh seafood, coming from local and Europe. We have the Plat du Jour for guests who can try a different food on a daily basis. We have light food because I know that Hanoi people also love seafood, so we put a lot of fresh seafood in our menu, and oyster.

Chi: Can you tell us the details of each day’s dish?

Chef: On Monday, we have Boeuf Bourguignon, which is a stew of beef marinated in a Burgundy wine. It’s slowly cooked. It’s very, very soft and tender meat, accompanied with vegetables and mashed potatoes. 

On Tuesday, we have coquillettes with Paris ham and béchamel sauce. The coquillettes is a very traditional dish we used to eat a lot when we were young in France. A lot of guests ask me for this dish. We have duck confit which is a classic, but we serve it with potato Sarladaise. The duck leg is very soft and tender meat and juicy with a crispy skin.

On Thursday, we have chicken which is marinated with herbs, wine, and lemon juice. It brings more tenderness to the meat and more juicy. On Friday, we have skate wing, which we call Aile de raie in France. It’s a white fish that we serve in a caper butter sauce and a great salad on the side.

Chi: Do you have anything special for the weekend?

Chef: On Saturday, we have one of my favorites, which is Bavette a l’echalote. It’s a very classic dish, also. It’s made with a red wine sauce served with a tender Wagyu bavette. It’s very, very nice.

And on Sunday, for the connoisseur, we have hachis parmentier which is mashed potatoes, with a confit duck and sun-dried tomatoes.

Chi: If you’re a dedicated foodie, come visit the Metropole’s Le Club Bar for some authentic French cuisine and enjoy the elegant, tranquil ambiance of a delightful garden courtyard in the heart of Hanoi.

We’ll return next week with VOV24/7’s Food Delight to give you more culinary suggestions and recipes. Good bye until then!