A local Michelin star experience doesn’t pair with international standards: Restaurant Nhà hàng Tầm Vị (25. December 2023)
The starting point at the Nhà hàng Tầm Vị wasn’t a great one. I’m not sure if my hotel messed up by not properly changing the reservation, or if the restaurant messed up by not taking note. In any case, since my initial reservation was for noon, and I then had it changed to 12:30pm, I ended up coming at 12:30pm, and my table was gone. So, someone definitely messed this up big time! Hence, it was ‘waiting time’. Luckily, the announced waiting time of 15–30 minutes finally turned out to be 5 minutes, but still, it kind of ruins the mood when they mess things like this up. And that in a restaurant, which – apparently – holds 1 Michelin Star!
In any case, one seated, it was time to discuss what to order, which is a challenge as you get a menu with about 30-40 different dishes (if not more), and you are kind of overwhelmed, especially, since you don’t know a lot of it! So, it was time to go for the “Trung Bac Set (Mam Com Trung Bac)” (739’000 VND), which serves the whole table (i.e., the price is not per person, which we had initially assumed).
The menu started with “salted roasted peanuts; pickles and salted aubergine; fresh spring rolls with shrimp and pork belly” and while I enjoyed the spring rolls and the salted peanuts, I found the pickled vegetables somewhat interesting, i.e., not really to my gusto.
Secondly, there were “Vietnamese caramelized pork and eggs” plus “steamed rice” and I must admit, the pork was absolutely delicious. It was smooth and tender, and the sauce, in which it was braised, was just so delicious that I would empty the bowl with a bit of rice to soak up the sauce and enjoy it.
The “crispy Ttofu dipped in green onion sauce” was quite fine. You didn’t taste much of the tofu, as it basically was overpowered by the crust, which was – surprisingly – not as crispy as I had expected.
The “steamed vegetables (with sweet shrimp sauce)” were uneventful, but the sweet shrimp sauce was actually quite nice. And it went well with other foods too – not just the veggies.
The “crabs soup with malabar spinach” sounded so promising, but I do admit, I was somehow lacking the spiciness of the Thai dishes I had enjoyed the week earlier in Chiang Mai and Bangkok. And the whole thing mainly tasted like spinach, plus the broth was rather bland. So, this was a bit of a disappointment, to say the least.
When I had asked for the bill, we were served a cut of fruit instead – without comment, nor explanation. So, in all honesty, I’m not sure where the Michelin star come from. On top of everything, the staff barely spoke English. This is obviously not a must, but in comparison to the Chapter, where we had been the evening before, I really do wonder why the Chapter doesn’t have a Michelin star, and the Restaurant Nhà hàng Tầm Vị has one.
The “corn juice with sugarcane” (30’000 VND) (in front, in the picture) was interesting. I mean, I love corn, but this somehow didn’t really work for me. What would have been important to let the customer know is to stir it before you drink it. Once I’ve figured that, it tasted better, still not my favourite, though. The “lemon juice with lemongrass” (30’000 VND) was as described, lemon juice with lemongrass and as such enjoyable.
The place celebrates that it has its Michelin star on a little table, which is placed right in front of you when you enter, so you can’t miss it. I find it a bit ‘too showy’, though, …
What I liked was the fun interior decoration like hte different masks when you walk up to the second floor …
… or the banana tree thing.
The place looks lovely from the outside, and is rather inviting. However, personally, I didn’t feel that when being inside, which is a bit of a disappointment.
All in all, you for sure can have lunch or dinner at the Nhà hàng Tầm Vị, however, it does not belong to the places I would necessarily recommend you to visit as a must-visit when you’re in Hanoi.
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Contact Details:
Restaurant Nhà hàng Tầm Vị
4b P. Yên Thế
Văn Miếu
Đống Đa
Hà Nội (VN)
Tel.: +84 966 323 131
E-Mail: nhahang.tamvi4b@gmail.com
Homepage: https://www.facebook.com/nhahangtamvi/
About the Author: Sven
I started the blog in October 2009, while living in Milan which I definitely consider to be one of the food capitals of the world. I was in touch with food since my early childhood (as my father is a former chef). Whenever I can, I travel the world to discover new places, to meet people but mostly to try local dishes and to find hidden gems! If you know a place worth going, please drop a line to: info@thediningexperience.org.
Currently, I am a member of the following food-related associations: Chevalier @Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Zurich-Ville; Membre Gourmet Dégustateur @Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs [OMGD]; Gesellschafter @Goldener Fisch and Member @Slowfood Convivium Zurich City. 
