Fans of Au Lac Cafe may be interested to know that the same owners have opened a new restaurant, Au Lac House, on Tran Hung Dao Street, on the leafy boulevards of Hanoi's French Quarter. Au Lac House contributes to a further north-south divide a growing rank of up-scale Vietnamese restaurants in Hanoi housed in lovely old French villas, tapping into the Indochine vein and those in Ho Chi Minh City, which seem to be more glitzy, cosmopolitan and forward thinking.

Au Lac House is the sort of place which affirms my love of Hanoi, a huge rambling old white villa, with a sense of time standing still. The villa was built in the 1930's, and this house is lovingly restored to that era, with brass whirring fans, big marble ceiling lights, 1930's-style understated furniture, old photos lining the walls, plus the original well-worn floor tiles, open fireplaces and wooden stairs. The open-plan ground floor offers an air of spaciousness with period-style lobby, highlighted with huge vases of gladioli and an outdoor patio area where you can dine amongst palms. This shaded, continental-style terrace will soon be serving morning pho and com specialties (7-11a.m) - a good start to the day.

You won't find cutting edge cuisine nor fabulous presentation here, but nice food in lovely surroundings. Au Lac Cafe serves a mix of international food which comes across well; Au Lac House serves numerous Vietnamese dishes from across the country. Grilled shrimp paste on sugar cane (VND69,000), followed by fresh, tasty stir-fried prawns in tamarind sauce (VND89,000). Prices range from VND29,000 for soup, to the more indulgent, pan-fried lobster dishes (in tamarind, pine-nut, or fruit sauce) at VND790,000 per kg, or sea cucumber and abalone dishes (VND450,000). There are also a variety of Set Menus (minimum two), ranging from VND150,000 to VND250,000

    Au Lac House
        Add: 13 Tran Hung Dao St, Hanoi
        Tel (84-4) 933 3533