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Previous Review The lakeside place to be seen, Bobby Chinn is swank and trendy, channeling a hip New York or LA lounge vibe. Adorned with edgy modern Vietnamese art on the walls, with the space divided and decorated with swaths of silk and long strands of rose buds, this is both a luxe and laid back place to enjoy a drink, buffered from the traffic and noise outside. Bobby’s also delivers on beautiful visual presentation of food, and sticks to a small menu that the kitchen does pretty well (and the filet, extremely well) though you often have to beg to be waited on by the somewhat aloof servers dressed in black and wearing ear pieces to communicate with the kitchen (and perhaps to block out customers’ appeals). Sophisticated yes, but also self-consciously so. At Bobby's, for $2, the menu claims, "We tell you that 'you are beautiful' all night long."
Coordinates: no. 1 Ba Trieu, across the street from the south west corner of Hoan Kiem Lake. Tel: (04) 3934-8577 Website: http://www.bobbychinn.com/ |
UPDATE 3 September, 2009: Unfortunately one of the restaurant icons of Hanoi has closed - apparently due to a rapid increase in the rent. However, Bobby has re-opened at #77 Xuan Dieu Street near West Lake (Tel: [+84] 43719-2460). This is a good 15 to 25 minutes from the center of town, so you have to make a decision if it's worth the trek as the new location is more residential and far from most tourist sites. Though we haven't been tempted enough to go yet, comments from friends are that the food is basically the same - some excellent dishes but you also pay for the celebrity connection and atmosphere, which while still extravagant is not as impressive as before simply because the new location is a typical Vietnamese home, i.e. tall and narrow. (FYI, the other rumor is that his prime location on Hoan Kiem Lake will become the first McDonalds in Hanoi..oh let it be a false rumor!) 