TUNG Dining in Hanoi offers an excellent dining experience, close to that of a Michelin-starred restaurant. But a huge bug at the end of the service practically ruined my evening.
For my last dinner in Hanoi, after a Michelin-starred restaurant (Gia), I decided on a more Western-style restaurant, inspired by Northern European cuisine and adapted by the chef to local produce: TUNG Dining.
You’ll find at the bottom of the page a summary of the articles about this vacation in Vietnam.
The concept of TUNG Dining
The restaurant’s presentation speaks for itself.
Inspired by Nordic gastronomy, T.U.N.G is a small, cozy restaurant that focuses on a complex culinary experience featuring excellent flavors. Our restaurant is named after Hang Tung, our head chef, who has years of experience in Michelin-starred restaurants in Finland and Denmark. The letters T-U-N-G also represent our four philosophies: Twisted, Unique, Natural and Gastronomic.
The setting
The upstairs dining room has a warm, contemporary decor. And, for once, a nice luminosity without being aggressive.
The menu
The restaurant offers a single 20-course tasting menu.
The dinner
I arrive on time for my reservation.
The ground floor houses the restaurant’s reception and open kitchen. A very warm welcome awaits you, with the brigade welcoming you at attention.
After a glass of champagne (Moet brut impérial) as an aperitif, it’s time to get down to business.
The first four starters are brought in simultaneously.
Oyster – Guava
These are oysters from France. The limoncello sauce is a little surprising for those used to the traditional shallot sauce, but the result is very good, with a surprising balance between iodine and sweetness.
Snow crab – Chorizo
A revisited surf & turf that blends smoky, iodized flavors. Very good.
Amaebi (shrimp)- Pomelo
Another sweet, iodized blend. Fresh and balanced, but a little less pep than the other two dishes.
Carabineros – Tom yum
Very tasty and spicy. The spicy sauce is excellent.
At this stage, compared with my dinner yesterday, it’s taking off much faster.
A nice touch: with each dish I’m given a descriptive card.
The same applies to all dishes.
Foie Gras – Lime leaves
Airy, light. Cloud-light foam, slightly salty.
Mussels – Coconut
The coconut masks the taste of the mussel a little at first, but it balances out in the end. Very tasty.
Sweetbreads – Coriander
The sweetbread is so firm and consistent that it almost looks like minced meat, like a kebab, but it’s very good. I love sweetbreads and coriander, so with both together I’m delighted!
This concludes the starters.
Tamarind – Cinnamon(photo forgotten)
It’s a fresh, explosive palate cleanser.
Pho – Herbs
A highly unusual version of this traditional Vietnamese dish. You roll up the thin, jellied slice and dip it in the broth to eat.
All the pho flavor is found in the meat and jelly, and the rest in the liquid.
Excellent and creative!
Scallops – Shallots
The scallops are perfectly cooked and melt under the tongue, and are perfectly accompanied by a fresh, lively sauce.
Toothfish – Lemongrass
The fish is perfectly cooked, firm under the fork and melting in the mouth. The sauce is once again full of pep.
Compared with yesterday’s meal at Gia’s, it’s like night and day: I have the impression that the flavors are freeing themselves and having fun.
Black tiger shrimp – sawtooth
I’ve long wondered about the meaning of “saw teeth”. It’s actually a reference to the pumpkin and its Halloween decoration.
A somewhat disappointing dish: the shrimp are rubbery and the pumpkin dominates the dish far too much.
Yogurt – balsamic
It’s a second palate cleanser.
Once again, very fresh and full of pep.
Iberian pork – Pineapple (photo forgotten)
First you have to eat a cracker, then the pork, then the pineapple sorbet that sublimates everything. Excellent.
Black Ant – Garlic
The butter and garlic on the brioche are excellent, but I’ll skip the ants.
Beef – Sunflower
Two nights in a row I’ve had a wagyu dish and for the second time the meat has disappointed me. In the end, the dish is good but not exceptional.
Sweet potato – Brown butter
Very surprising, like a crème brulée. A real delight, very tasty.
Miso – Basil
Very light, tasty and fine at the same time.
Rice – Passion fruit
A very fresh and delicious dessert.
Litchi – soursop
A delight of lightness and freshness. The lychee is present but not overpowering.
I’ll round off this excellent meal with tea and cognac.
At this stage I’m delighted, especially after my mixed experience the day before. I’m not saying that Gia doesn’t deserve its star, but TUNG Dining certainly doesn’t fall far short of it.
It’s at this point that things suddenly get complicated.
I ask for the bill, which is brought to me, I pay and… the payment doesn’t work.
“Ah we can’t accept American Express”.
“But it’s said on your site that you take it.”
“Yes, but tonight it doesn’t work”.
“Never mind, I’ll pay with my Visa” (Never mind, but I’m a bit upset here).
And it doesn’t work.
“Ah sir we seem to have a problem with foreign cards today”.
“Yes, and what do we do?”
“Let me think about it”.
The server disappears. I’m waiting, waiting. Nothing happens. I love Asia, but if there’s one thing that exasperates me about the local culture, it’s this mania for continuing to tell you with a big smile that everything’s fine and there’s no problem, when it’s obvious that there is one.
After an endless wait I decide to pay in cash and ask them to show me the nearest ATM. Yes, but we’re in Vietnam and some ATMs seem to have a withdrawal limit, regardless of your card’s limit. We’re talking about just over 100 euros, but here it’s a lot of money!
I will therefore have to draw on two different cards to get the desired amount.
The problem was finally solved, but the whole thing took almost an hour of failures, procrastination and indecision, and in the end I was pretty annoyed.
The staff will make a gesture and give me a 10% discount. Really nice of them, but in the end the impression left is rather negative. Too bad because the meal was perfect.
The staff
In a word: adorable. The service was of a very high standard, and the staff were very kind and friendly. The discussions were also very cordial.
On the other hand, if I can’t blame them for the card problems, the time it took to find a solution without anyone coming to see me to tell me anything other than “everything’s fine” is their fault.
I’m well aware that in the local culture it’s not done to admit that there’s a problem, that something isn’t working, and to worry the customer. But when you see that things aren’t going well, it’s annoying, especially when the situation lasts.
The atmosphere
Pleasant and friendly.
Bottom line
Objectively speaking, along with Anan Saigon, this was my best meal in Vietnam, and even one of my best of the year. A table which, in my opinion, is not far from deserving a star.
On the other hand, the experience was marred by the payment episode, and while the property had nothing to do with it, the way it was handled wasn’t very reassuring and, since it was the last stage of the meal, it was the last impression one had of the restaurant.
But with hindsight and objectivity, it really was an excellent experience. There’s creativity, quality, and above all, you can sense that the flavors are having fun. A real treat.
The Twisted, Unique, Natural and Gastronomic promise is well delivered.