Four 'best' new restaurants in Hanoi

A Ban Mountain Dew, Chapter Dining & Grill Hanoi, Koki House Of Senses and The Hudson Rooms are the four best new restaurants in Hanoi, according to U.S. travel magazine Conde Nast Traveler.

The list was compiled based on the votes of travelers around the world and experts of the magazine.

A Ban Mountain Dew

Located at 76 Tran Phu street, Ba Dinh district, A Ban Mountain Dew recreates not only delicious village dishes, but also the atmosphere of mountains.

"In ethnic homes in the mountainous north like the ones the team visited in the research phase, families often cook around a hearth. So, lots of A Ban’s dishes are wonderfully smoky," Conde Nast Traveler wrote.

According to the magazine, chef Viet is a native of Son La, a mountainous northwestern province, so as a child he was immersed in the ethnic flavors of the highlands.

"Expect Viet to serve up tangy and textural dishes, and some fun, outré servings like fried bugs amidst atmospheric decor that references paddy fields and ethnic ‘upside down’ architecture," it added.

Chapter Dining & Grill Hanoi

Chapter Dining & Grill Hanoi is a restaurant on hip Chan Cam street, Hoan Kiem district, that opened earlier this year.

The cuisine plays around with street food as fine dining like the spreadeagled chicken foot stuffed with homemade chorizo as the menu, divided into chapters, ascends from earthly delights to heavenly desserts.

"It’s a place where technically accomplished cuisine comes with a lick of flame and a twist of smoke. You enter through the open kitchen, typical of chef Quang Dung’s previous projects like T.U.N.G Dining and Habakuk Fine Coffee & Bistro," the magazine commented.

"He does that, he says, to stimulate the diners’ expectations, and so you get to meet and trust the people about to make your food," it wrote.

Koki House Of Senses and The Hudson Rooms

The Koki House Of Senses and The Hudson Rooms of Capella Hanoi are becoming two new "stars" on the capital's high-end culinary scene.

"The Hudson Rooms is an art deco ode to New York’s Grand Central Station, with a cocktail menu inspired by the train lines leaving the station: across to Chicago, and beyond to LA, north to Canada, and south to Miami," Conde Nast Traveler wrote.

"There are bountiful platters of fresh seafood too, and freshly shucked oysters, before a whistle blows and the head bartender, William, hands out espresso martinis as if you’re pulling out Grand Central on the 20th Century Limited Streamliner–in its day one of the world’s most expensive passenger trains.

"Meanwhile, Koki is a chic and understated underground space in thrall of everything Japanese."

"At Koki’s Akio Lounge, the bar team takes a road trip through Japan with cocktails themed after stops along the way: Nikko and its cherry blossom, Oita and its bubbling hot springs. Each one comes with a snack, approved by Juinichi Yoshida, the chef who turned teppanyaki into Michelin-star cuisine at his restaurant, Ishigaki Yoshida, just outside Roppongi," it noted.

"Here, at Koki’s Hibana chef Yoshida and his team serve the same cuts of premium Yaeyama Kyori beef, sourced exclusively from Okinawa’s Yaeyama Island, as they do in Tokyo, once they’ve shown you a certificate of authenticity with the cow’s genealogy and its nose print," the magazine added.

In August, cable news channel CNN selected Hanoi as one of the 12 best places to go for fall, calling the capital a "bright spot".

"Asia tourism in general has been the slowest to bounce back (Japan, for instance). But Vietnam is the real bright spot right now," CNN quoted Scott Keyes, the founder of flight deals and travel advice site Scott's Cheap Flights as saying.

"And autumn in the capital is drier and cooler with monsoon season ending," Forrest Brown, author of the CNN article, added.

In July, the capital city was selected as one of the six best destinations to explore by bike by Booking.com, a global online travel website.

"The capital cof Hanoi is one of Asia’s most popular cycling destinations, known for its centuries-old architecture, lakes, parks and over 600 temples and pagodas, the city offers a network of fantastic cycling paths that allow travelers to explore amongst locals on bicycles and scooters," Booking.com wrote.