Tangerine Dream?

We strolled in from the craziness of the old quarter across the cobblestone courtyard and into the ambience of soft lighting, thoughtful staff and soothing music. We are looking for a special night. The menu appears before us and is a Francophile's dream, the air thick with French accent. The attention to detail is what it's all about at Green Tangerine. The artwork, the furniture, the menus, table settings and food presentation are superb. This place is a visual feast!

We relax for a while over a glass of champagne. Unfortunately,the half bottle of champagne does not match the atmosphere but I suspect that it is not French and we are never shown the label.

We are given a complimentary starter, a nice touch. It's served in an Asian soup spoon on a bamboo plate, two little cubes of potato nestled in with a garnish of herbs and chilli for a splash of colour. Tasty and tasteful, all in a spoonful. The crab roumelade comes next, silky smooth and bursting with flavour, with the asparagus giving a nice contrasting texture. The sesame snap laid on top is lip smackingly good with a brilliant roasted flavour and the four scallops, one on each corner, are grilled to perfection. Unfortunately, this is the best we are going to get for the evening. The main course, scallops and watercress on mashed potato, is surprisingly bland - no punch and lacking the deep, rich flavours you would expect from French food. The scallops on the entree were delicious. What happened here? The duck in mushroom is uninspiring and the sauce lacks authenticity.

Thank god for the vegetable pastry that we ordered after one of our entrees was unavailable. This pastie-like creation is flavoursome and satisfying. Maybe there is something to be said for the first bite with the eye. I am smitten when I see the sauce served in a shot glass ready for us to spoon over, a nice touch. Maybe it was the love heart decorating the plate?

I do have to say that the staff here are excellent, attentive but not smothering, smooth and efficient. Perhaps you should drop in for a coffee because I really love this restaurant. I just can't help wondering why the food can't match the environment. Ridiculously more expensive than Vietnamese food, nowhere near as good.

The Ouch Factor
1 small bottled water, 1 bottle (mini) champagne, 1 crab roumellade, 1 serve scallops in watercress, 1 duck breast with mushroom, 1 pastilla, 2 glasses of house white. 860,000VND (USD$54.20, AUD$71.95)

Green Tangerine
48 Hang Be
The Old Quarter, Hanoi

Comments

[Benn]

I have to disagree with some of the comments. Yes, it is much more expensive than Vietnamese food, but the world over there are restaurants that cater for different tastes, styles and budgets.

You can go to a cafe in Melbourne and have a duck risotto for $14 and for dinner have the same dish at an upmarket Italian restaurant and pay $30.

I thought Green Tangerine was good, no better than good - excellent. Our half bottle of champagne was Piper-Heidisieck, as ordered and opened at the table - so no issues there.

Something familiar? :)

[Benn]

Something familiar was a photo of the food.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/royaltech/35333264/in/set-781911

[mark]

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