posted about 6 months ago by Roos
about the venue: Pizza Hut (Big C)

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Wow. There appears to be a lot of homesick people in Hanoi. I can't imagine any other reason to frequent the place. At its best, it's a three star spot. I went with a group of Vietnamese friends who wanted to know what this American chain was all about, and it was a fair representation of what you'd get back home. The service was far better and the interior didn't have the rundown look of most I've been in stateside, but it's still the same old mass-produced stuff you could find anywhere. There are far better options here and in most cities.

posted about 15 months ago by Roos
about the venue: Hoa Vien Brauhaus

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Wow.

The latest beer hall to hit Hanoi deserves five just for the wow factor. This is quite an impressive new place.

To begin, it's HUGE. There are some other big beer halls in town that just seem to feel empty (they're usually just one big room), but this one can probably hold seven or eight hundred people, and it still has some character. Quite nice character, in fact. Each time I've been there, it's had a big after work crowd spill over into it's many different spaces. The whole interior is full of hardwood tables, bars, and wall paneling. Very inviting. There is also balcony and patio seating, so the space is five stars all the way.

The food all seems to be solid, but a bit on the pricey side. A friend of mine who works there says that their main patrons are local companies who come in and put it all on the expense account. Must be nice. For a special occasion with a big group, it'd be worth dropping the 200,000~300,000 VND per person you're likely to spend, but it doesn't seem like a quiet dinner for two kind of place. On the restaurant side, it's probably not worthy of a five, but...

...the BEER. This is the reason for heading this way, isn't it? I've tried a lot of the beers around Hanoi, and this place gets the five rating just for its take on the increasingly popular bia den. Black beer in Hanoi is a nice aside when you're looking for something a little more rich, but it's frequently so sweet and almost syrupy that you can't have too many. The black beer here, however, is about the driest I've had in the city. It has the strong coffee aftertaste that others have, but that sugary warning of digestive trouble in the morn' never appears. It's certainly not a dry Irish stout by any means, but in the context of Hanoi's syrupy sweet dark alternatives, it is a revelation. It'll run you 60,000 a liter, but until there's a cheaper one around that rivals its drinkability, it'll always be five stars in my book. To top it off, they have refillable jugs on hand for taking some back for a nightcap.

Any beer lovers in town should give this place a look.

posted about 26 months ago by Roos
about the venue: Bia Hoi 68 Hang Quat

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Now this...THIS is Hanoi. It may only be Bia Hoi, but it sure tastes better than most. Some locals have told me that this is because, unlike other spots in the city, they don't water their beer down at all. I can't say for sure. I think beer would just taste better in a setting like this. How could it not taste better? Tucked back in that alley, Hanoi could fast forward another twenty years like the last twenty years that left this place behind and you'd never be the wiser. Food is good and cheap. Best Bia Hoi in town for my money.