The restaurant has a modest area, only nearly 40 m2 in a small house at the end of the alley, with a terrace and old trees, and is a familiar meeting place for many domestic and foreign diners.
On nice days, diners like to sit outside in the yard, under the trees, enjoying Vietnamese dishes. This street is also often called ‘Western street’ in Hanoi when it gathers many restaurants and cafes serving foreign customers.
The restaurant has only 32 seats, serving exactly 32 dishes, since opening 5 years ago. Therefore, customers often book tables in advance. Despite its modest area and not too many food options, the restaurant still receives many compliments for its stable food quality and no price increase over the years.
Chef Andre Bosia – designer Helene Hoai’s husband – worked for many years as head chef of the Metropole Hotel. He and chef Pham Thi Thu Hang, who also has many years of experience working at this hotel, worked together to come up with ideas and create a menu for the restaurant.
‘We have researched and drawn from our own experiences, choosing the most typical Vietnamese dishes to put on the menu. Foreigners have a lighter taste than Vietnamese people, so when I increase the seasoning, I adjust accordingly. The menu has some 100% pure Vietnamese dishes, and also some ‘hybrid’ dishes with French cuisine,” said chef Hang.
Shrimp and meat spring rolls are a combination of sour shrimp, a characteristic of Hue cuisine, with vermicelli noodles, boiled pork, and added water spinach, sweet potatoes and cilantro. This dish has Vietnamese characteristics but is combined in a unique fusion style, receiving positive feedback from diners.
One of Chef Hang’s most passionate dishes is ribs stewed with honey and soy sauce. Braised ribs is a ‘foreign’ dish, modified with Asian spices. ‘The ribs are marinated for 30 minutes, then stewed for 45 minutes over low heat to absorb the spices. The ribs are soft and absorb the spices evenly from the inside out. This is the most popular dish among diners at the restaurant,’ the chef said.
The rustic grilled pork dish with mac mat leaves is grilled directly on the restaurant’s outdoor grill and charcoal stove.
Grilled sea bass in banana leaves is a combination of Asia and Europe, blending with the familiar banana leaf scent of rural dishes. ‘I’ve been in charge of the kitchen for 5 years, and I rarely take time off because I’m worried about the taste and quality of the food being uneven,’ said chef Hang.
Grapefruit shrimp and meat salad is one of the restaurant’s best-selling dishes, loved by both Vietnamese and foreign customers in the summer.
In addition to 32 fixed dishes, the restaurant also sells seasonal menus. Currently, the summer menu includes dishes such as Hanoi grilled fish cakes, Hanoi vermicelli noodles, fresh spring rolls with Hue pork and sour shrimp, stir-fried water spinach with garlic, and red apple lotus seed sweet soup. Besides, there are some special dishes such as Chef Hang’s special grilled shrimp.
The restaurant opened in 2020, after only three years of operation, it was honored by Michelin in the Bib Gourmand category for delicious, affordable restaurants and maintained this position in the following years.
‘The first year, the restaurant received this title but due to surprise, we were not prepared to receive the award. After that, the organizers brought the signs to the place to hand out. Two years later, I accepted this title on behalf of the restaurant. For me, this is a pride in nearly 30 years of working,” chef Hang shared.
Designer Helene Hoai named the restaurant ‘Hello’ as a greeting to visitors from far away when coming here. The restaurant serves lunch and dinner, prices range from 60,000 VND to 295,000 VND per dish.
