Is this the Best Buffet in Vietnam?

Her friends call her “The Food Champion” because Thao always knows the best places to go for delicious food in Hanoi - at the best price. In all the years I have been traveling from Australia to Vietnam, I have never doubted Thao’s amazing food discovery talents… until this one time when she suggested we go to a Vietnamese “Buffet” …

So, when my friend Thao invited me for a traditional Vietnamese buffet I almost declined.  I had visions of one hundred Vietnamese families squeezing into a square hole in a cement wall, sitting at stainless steel tables on red vinyl covered stools.  This is terrible I know, and I’d ask Thao and my forgiving Vietnamese friends to please overlook my judgmental thoughts -  my imagination ran wild in that moment.

I could see it now -  a Vietnamese food frenzy.  Mrs Tam, would be there at the chafing dishes, surrounded by her three children holding plates high above her head, loaded with fried rice and chicken feet.  I could see old Mr Nguyen, back bent over his Pho noodles; a set of chopsticks in one hand, his other occupied with a pinkie nail far up his nostril. 

Then there would be a large round table or three of Vietnamese men, yelling “mot, hi, ba, YO!”. They’d clash their glasses together before sculling beer and throwing their empty cans on the floor.  We wouldn’t be able to enjoy conversation because the noise would be deafening.  

I push these exaggerations to the back of my mind and console myself with knowing that the food would be GREAT!    After all, it was Thao, our Food Champion, who had invited us.   She’s proud of the Vietnamese cuisine, the whole nation is – and so they should be – it’s amazingly delicious -  to me, one of the best in the world!

“Ok Thao, I’ll meet you there at 11am”

I arrive with John, my husband at 11.30am, right on time, according to typical Vietnamese ‘rubber time’.  The foyer reception area was packed with Vietnamese families jostling at the counter where they waited to be assigned their table number.   We are the only foreigners in sight.   John and I take our place in the queue, that wasn’t really a queue.  In Vietnam you don’t queue – you jostle.  Who shoves the best, who calls out the loudest, wins! 

So about now, my earlier imaginations are coming true.  It did feel like the entire population of Hanoi had come down to feast at the famous Sen, Ho Tay Buffet.

One young Vietnamese guy with a pudgy face, shoves me aside with his elbow and leans over the counter.  John jumps in, “Excuse me, we are next”.   The guy’s eyes dart from me to John, baffled, like, “What’s your problem”.  Right before it starts to get too awkward, a young man, wearing a white-shirt and black trousers steps in and says.    “Come with me please Sir, what’s your table number?”

Our white-shirt saviour whisks us past the crowds, through double doors that open-up into an elegant, traditional style banquet room where we are greeted by our gracious waitress.   She seats us at our table, which rather than being the stainless-steel type I’d imagined, was a traditional timber table, beautifully set complete with linen napkins and wine glasses.   I sit down and take a moment to soak up the atmosphere and aromas while we wait for Thao and our friend, Wafa to join our table. 

I stand up and look around, my mouth salivating at all the delicious morsels I’m about to savour. I first spot the fresh seafood bar.  As soon as John sees me eye those oysters, he orders a bottle of white wine – he knows I won’t need much more to have my moment of complete buffet bliss! 

I start on the oysters before Thao and Wafa arrive. 

It’s not long before Thao arrives with two full plates in hand.  There is a massive BBQ selection on the open terrace and on her way in, she’s grabbed a delicious selection for us to share.  We feast together on grilled oysters, squid and baby octopus.   The BBQ prawns are my favourite with their crispy skins that crunch and crackle as you bite through to the sweet white flesh.  

At one point, I recall John saying, “I wish I had a second stomach”.

Seriously, you would need four stomachs to taste all the dishes on offer.  In addition to the salads, vegetables and chao, there were all the traditional Hanoian food specialities – hot and cold, like Nem, Pho Xao, Bun Cha, Banh Cuon, Xoi and more, I’d fill an entire page with all the foods that were on offer.

When we’d had our fill of savoury, we started on desert, or should I say deserts. 

There wasn’t one desert bar, but two desert bars to satisfy every sweet tooth; the traditional Vietnamese Che and then the French favourites like creme Brule and crème caramel.  There were sugar coated donuts, cheesecake, sweet yogurts and exotic fresh fruits. There was a counter dedicated to ice-cream.  The durian flavoured ice-cream was a true taste sensation like cool, caramelised apple mixed with savoury crème.  Just so I wouldn’t forget this unique flavour in my mouth, I finished off this delightful lunch with a second helping,

The Sen Ho Tay, Hanoian Buffet, in my opinion was exceptional. In my eleven years of traveling to Vietnam, it would be my most memorable dining experience. The most surprising of all, was the price. It cost $12US per person, not including the wine.

The food was amazing, the service exceptional - warm and friendly, with a constant supply of fresh plates and cutlery.