HANOI, Vietnam — Nearly 20 years after its Hanoi debut, and five years since its most recent makeover, the landmark Vietnamese restaurant at the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi, Spices Garden, has re-emerged from a three-month renovation with a live cooking station, a redesigned floor plan, more seating and a new menu.
The refurbished restaurant can now seat 100 diners in more comfortable and brighter environs, complete with sofa seatings that make for a more intimate dining experience. Also new with the renovation is a regular Saturday evening garden barbeque buffet.
“If you’ve never experienced the glories of Vietnamese cuisine, the garden barbeque is an education in and of itself, with a roll call of dishes as exquisitely prepared as any you’ll find elsewhere in the world,” said Franck Lafourcade, the hotel’s general manager.
Boasting an overall menu that features more than 50 different dishes of traditional Hanoian cuisine, Spices Garden also features a live cooking station for grilled meats, various soups and slow cooked meals.
Its bar features an extensive cocktail and juice listing, including local favorites such as the Avocado Sinh To (avocado smoothie with yogurt) and other fruit smoothies flavored by mango, pineapple and papaya.
Spices Garden, which opened in 1996 and underwent its last renovation in 2009, is one of three principal dining venues at the 113-year-old hotel.
