Being a tea lover, I was immediately impressed by the more than ten kinds of Chinese tea that greeted me as I entered the Silk Road, a Chinese restaurant at Hanoi Daewoo Hotel.
They made a beautiful sight, all presented in their transparent glass jars. The first lovely surprise came when I was informed by the friendly manager that the restaurant always serves its daisy and jasmine tea for free.
The second surprise is that Silk Road offers Chinese flavors in a very comfortable dinning room with a high ceiling and soft, comfortable chairs. I felt so relaxed in this gracious restaurant with its soft colors, ceiling lights, walls, and wooden furniture so different from the usual colorful Chinese decorative style. There are also wooden screens which create private venues within the dining rooms.
Silk Road has something special for everyone with a wide selection of the most delicious dishes from famous places in China such as Tu Xuyen, Shanghai. The A La Carte menu features more than 100 Chinese dishes. At the suggestion of Chef Nguyen Thanh Tung we opted for sea cucumber braised with chicken ($28), royal style sauteed eels ($15), and steamed prawns with garlic ($12): all highly recommended for their freshness and uniquely flavours. Despite leaving the royal style sauteed eels for a while, the dish remained as sweet and crispy as if it had been cooked just one minute ago. Chef Tung shared his secrets for preparing the sea cucumber braised with chicken with us. However, as it takes around 15 hours to prepare one dish, we may just come and enjoy it here! We were so fond of Tung's cooking that he promised to organize a cooking class for us.
Silk Road is famous for the dishes which used to be specially prepared for royal family using rare and exotic ingredients such as pearls, To Yen (swallow's nest) and Vay Ca Map (shark's fin). Don't miss the two special promotions: all you can eat for lunch (95 dishes, $13++ per person) and dinner (77 dishes, $16++ per person), with a free draught beer or soft drink. If you come to Silk Road with a group of at least 8 people, the set menu (starts from $20 with 9 dishes) is a good way to try a number of delicious dishes.
And don't forget their wide selection of Chinese wines including Mao-tai (53 degrees sold at $98, 38 degrees sold at $68), Wu Lang Ye ($130), Bek-Se-Ju ($17), Me Chi Sun ($25).
Silk Road Restaurant
Add: Hanoi Deawoo Hotel, 360 Kim Ma, Hanoi
Tel: (84-4) 831 5000
