ETĒSIA || Wagyu Carpaccio on a Salt Block and Decadent Lobster Risotto on a Rainy Evening
It was a humid, dark, and rainy evening in Hanoi, Vietnam.
That doesn’t sound like the best start to a tasty food adventure, does it? Yet, it was. It had been two days since I had arrived in Hanoi earlier in May, just at the start of the country’s rainy season. It feels like I picked just the right time because it set the tone for me to enjoy the scrumptious comfort food at Etēsia.
Guests are seated at the counter that runs the length of the cocktail bar and open kitchen so they can observe the culinary and mixology process.
I had been out and about exploring the whole day and was ready to satiate my hunger with a meal fit for 1.5 people. As I flipped through the menu, I noticed all the premium ingredients available and decided to treat myself for walking the five minutes in the pouring rain.
Wagyu beef carpaccio served on a salt block seemed like the ideal appetizer for a carnivore like me, and the saltiness really got my appetite going. There are other options for those who enjoy a taste of the ocean, like the Octopus carpaccio with red miso and citrus dressing, and the soft shell crab with tomato confit, brunoise, and cornichon mayonnaise.
Wagyu served on a salt block—melt in your mouth texture and topped with spices and sauces that serve up a burst of flavour.
A generous serving of lobster sits atop the buttery, creamy truffle risotto.
As if that wasn’t enough to make my cholesterol surge to record levels, I decided that the decadent Lobster Risotto with arborio & parmesan rice, truffle madeira sauce and lobster emulsion would make for the perfect main dish. Etēsia presents a cozy dining space, which means guests are seated at the counter running the length of the open kitchen and get to observe the making-of of each dish. The rich scent of the creamy risotto cooking in the pan and the scrumptious lobster and herbs definitely made me feel hungrier than I actually was.
To pair with these elevated dishes, I sipped on a luxurious Whittard Strawberry & Watermelon iced tea. The sweet yet tarty flavours of the iced tea helped to balance the rich notes of the appetizer and main. After savouring both the wagyu and lobster risotto, my server politely asked whether I wanted to have dessert. In my opinion, no meal is ever complete until you’ve had dessert, so I soon found a Mascarpone Basil Semi-freddo placed in front of me. It’s basil, so the rationale is that it must be a healthy dessert. Right?
No meal is complete without dessert, so the Mascarpone Basil Semifreddo was the perfect sweet note to wrap up the dining experience.
The service was attentive and the food was stellar. I reasoned to myself that maybe I could even extend my stay in Hanoi so I could come back to try their lunch menu as well. Alas, I had to pack my bags and hop on the flight to Ho Chi Minh, so I will add their lunch menu to my bucket list of food adventures on my next escapade to Southeast Asia! For those who are planning a vacation to Vietnam, I highly recommend adding Hanoi to your itinerary and booking a memorable dineout at Etēsia.
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+84 986 868 042
14B P. Lò Sũ, Lý Thái Tổ, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội 11007, Vietnam
Photography by Florence Leung