• Home
  • FOOD AND DRINK
    • AFTERNOON TEA
    • RESTAURANTS
    • BARS
    • SPECIAL INGREDIENTS
  • OUTSTANDING HOTELS
    • HISTORY OF HOTELS
    • HOTEL REVIEWS
    • SPAS
  • TRAVEL
  • PHOTO-VIDEO-ART
    • FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY
    • Photo Essays
    • Black And White
    • Fashion
    • ARCHITECTURE PHOTOGRAPHY
  • CONTACT US
  • ABOUT US
  • Tags

    afternoon tea Art Asia Bangkok Bar Buffet cambodia cocktail cocktails confession drink Europe favorite food food photography gallery Hanoi heritage hotel High tea History Hoi An Hotel hotel review Hotels Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Mandarin Oriental Melaka nature Penang photography Restaurant review Romantic getaway Siem Reap Singapore Slovenia Sofitel spirit Thailand the best travel Travel story Vietnam YTL
  • Follow Us

Wild 'n' Free Diary - travel food drink hotel review art photography
  • Home
  • FOOD AND DRINK
    • RESTAURANTS
    • AFTERNOON TEA
    • BARS
    • SPECIAL INGREDIENTS
  • OUTSTANDING HOTELS
    • HOTEL REVIEWS
    • SPAS
    • HISTORY OF HOTELS
  • TRAVEL
  • PHOTO-VIDEO-ART
    • FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY
      • FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY VOL.1: FOOD IN PIXELS
      • FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY VOL.2: PEOPLE PROVIDE FOOD
      • FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY VOL.3: BLACK AND WHITE
      • FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY VOL.4: LET ME HELP
      • Food Photography Vol.5: Sweet
      • Food Photography Vol.6: Stack Up
      • Food Photography Vol.7: Sunday Brunch
      • FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY VOL. 8: STUDIO
      • Cocktail Photography Vol. 1: Get The Party Started
      • Cocktail Photography vol.2: Into The Details
    • Photo Essays
      • Arrogance Is The Real Pandemic Photo Essay
      • Photoreport: Bee Hive Bus
      • Wintertime in Vienna – Photo Essay
      • Photo essay: ROCK SHELLS PICKING IN VIETNAM
      • PHOTOREPORT: Singapore through my lens
      • Photo Essay: I Love Plants
      • Photo Essay: Children of Asia
      • Seaside Photography Vol. 1 – Wave After Wave
      • Seaside Photography Vol. 2 – Salt
      • Walking Through Venice – Photo Essay
      • Photo Essay: Pine Forest Walk
    • Fashion
      • Hoi An Dress Shooting Vol. 1
      • HOI AN FASHION SHOOTING VOL. 2
      • Shipwreck Fashion Photography Gallery
      • WALKING AROUND IMPERIAL CITY OF HUE
    • Black And White
      • Black and white photography Vol.1
      • Black and White Photography Vol.2
      • Black And White Vol. 3: Let’s Get Deep Into Shades
      • Black And White Vol. 4: Uncertain Times
    • ARCHITECTURE PHOTOGRAPHY
      • Architecture Photography Gallery Vol. 1
      • ARCHITECTURE PHOTOGRAPHY GALLERY VOL. 2
      • ARCHITECTURE PHOTOGRAPHY GALLERY VOL. 3
  • ABOUT US
  • CONTACT US

Sofitel Metropole Buffet – Sunday Brunch Review

April 19, 2019

What does your ideal Sunday look like? For us sleeping in works like charm and dreams come true in the form of the Sunday brunch. Sunday brunch is special in all aspects! It lifts the spirit just by thinking of it and once it’s happening, it’s impossible not to have a great time. Looking for the best here in Hanoi? Sofitel Metropole buffet is an answer for you.

Contents

  • The Ambiance of Le Beaulieu Restaurant
  • Make Sure You Make a Reservation
  • Sofitel Metropole Buffet Food Review
  • Seafood
  • Appetizers
  • Classics
  • Vegetables
  • Cheese and Cold Cuts
    • Even More
  • Main Dishes at Sofitel Metropole Sunday Brunch
  • Desserts
    • O-ou we missed one
    • Fruit
  • Outstanding Service
  • Critique
  • Conclusion
  • Metropole Hanoi Buffet Review Card
  • Price and Location
    • Le Beaulieu Restaurant Dress Code

We love the Sofitel Metropole buffet for many reasons. The spirits were so high that, we felt we are on a celebration. Actually, a few people really were, so maybe we caught some of their festive joy. Regardless if that is possible or not we were happy, Sunday brunch happy. So am I only overhyping everything or… Make your opinion and check this review.

room metropole hanoi
Rooms at Metropole Hotel are amazing but getting out for a Brunch like this is easy 😉

The Ambiance of Le Beaulieu Restaurant

The historic charm of the Sofitel Metropole Hotel building is felt throughout the whole hotel. In sync with the purpose, each part differs a little from the other. For example at the Le Beaulieu Restaurant dominates the friendly feel and ageless appeal. The design is contemporary French executed with Indochina touch. Pillars across the whole dining room where sophisticated French effect is topped with marble floors and dark wood interior. Right in the center of the Beaulieu Restaurant is a foodie paradise surrounded by dining tables.

le Beaulieu restaurant at Sofitel Metropole Hanoi Hotel
Metropole Hanoi Hotel buffet at Le Beaulieu restaurant earned the reputation as one of the best brunches in Hanoi.

Make Sure You Make a Reservation

When we are saying full, we literally mean it, note that the Sofitel Metropole buffet is the busiest in town. Needless to say, a reservation in advance is a must to enjoy one of the best buffet brunches in Hanoi with live uplifting music. Basically, the Sunday brunch buffet in Hanoi is popular with locals, expats, and visitors.

Cheers to Sunday brunch

A glass of bubbles doesn’t hurt, right? Plus it goes well with oysters. Cheers, my dear!

Sofitel Metropole Buffet Food Review

For the best breakfast in Hanoi, one has to have some fresh seafood delicacies, crunchy salads, and flavourful vegetables. But also a few dishes that fit into the western breakfast and complement local food. The Legend Hanoi has it all. Even topped with champagne if anyone wants more than just wine. However, even with your standard buffet, you will get one glass of Louis Roederer.

Louis Roederer champagne
Louis Roederer or Moet Rose?

Seafood

Besides the classic shellfish such as clams, tiger prawns, brown crabs, and oysters, there were also sea snails and a huge salmon. At the base were also all the condiments including a tasty sauce that went wonderfully with snails. But you know how it is, snails are snails, the sauce makes the difference. At the Sofitel Metropole buffet, the sauce is heavenly. It is seasoned just right with a nice acidic and fresh citrusy taste.

buffet seafood station
Poor lady, at the seafood station! She was opening the oysters with the speed of light to keep up with the high demand.

Appetizers

For more Sunday brunch menu ideas we didn’t have to look far. A few steps away we found many different dishes including lobster, scallops, vegetables, and fruits. We started our fancy Sunday brunch with a martini glass full of lobster, papaya, and tomato.

oysters buffet
Afrodiziak!

Equally delicious and juicy, but completely different was the scallop salad with kohlrabi and roasted hazelnut. Both were gently seasoned to keep the flavors fresh and vegetables crunchy. To point out, scallops and hazelnuts go great together and who would have thought that kohlrabi is a great company here.

martini glass salad
No wonder the Sofitel Metropole buffet is popular with locals, expats, and visitors.

Then there was a tasty portion of the duck liver with apricot and ginger compote. Here the compote is a huge surprise – I would never guess it is ginger. Amazing appetizer! Another bold combination I liked was the marinated sea bass with almond sable and goat cheese. Very impressive how the strong goat cheese was a supportive seasoning to the gentle sea bass.

sofitel metropole sunday brunch
The Sofitel Metropole buffet has many vegetable dishes, some are clean like baby leeks, artichoke and green salads, while others are more complex.

Classics

We didn’t miss out on the classic brunch dish served in a shot glass – the scrambled eggs with asparagus and mushrooms. At the buffet we always go all in, so don’t be alarmed if you see me eating the scrambled eggs with paté. It is a delicious combination anyone should try.

cooked brown crab
Matching colors

Besides that, the liver pate at the Sofitel Metropole buffet was really creamy with a hint of vanilla. It also complimented the beautiful Parma ham wrapped around Da Lat asparagus. Nowadays the sushi is almost a staple in a world food chain and here they offer three different sushi types. Sushi had a company of the tuna and salmon sashimi with condiments.

Sofitel Metropole buffet
Besides the classic shellfish such as clams, tiger prawns, brown crabs, and oysters, there were also sea snails and a huge salmon.

A flavorful tribute to the country we were in, was the famous Vietnamese spring rolls; traditional with a shrimp and vegetable as well.


Vegetables

The Sofitel Metropole buffet also includes many vegetable dishes. Some are clean like baby leeks, artichoke and green salads, while others are more complex. Those are ratatouille stuffed eggplant, gourmand salad with mushrooms, tomato, and greens. Mixed vegetable with a name tag the Macedoine is appropriately diced into perfect square cubes as the term Macedoine applies. By the way, the term Macedoine is in use when one wants perfectly cut ¼ inch cubes.


Cheese and Cold Cuts

Ok, here we must be honest and admit that at Intercontinental Landmark72 Sunday brunch, you will get a much richer selection of imported goods. Actually, that big offer is a rarity even in Europe! But, don’t worry cheese selection at Sofitel Metropole buffet is more than decent.

orange cheese wheel
Cheese offer of Brie, Four’d’Ambert, Cheddar, soft goat cheese, Comte, Gouda, and Emmental kept us well content.

French classics, terrines, rillettes, and pate are exquisite. The homemade meaty terrines at the Sofitel Legend were moderately seasoned and presented in a cut that showed nice meaty chunks. Next to them was a rillette that warmed up my belly and urged me for a glass of red wine.

terrine
Homemade French classics, terrines, rillettes, and pate were exquisite, but there were more cold cuts such as prosciutto, salami, ham, chorizo and mortadella to name a few.

While I cherished the cheese plate with rillette, Ian went for the duck foie gras terrine with confit leg and chorizo stuffed pork cutlet. By all means, I didn’t keep him from my cheese plate consisting of Brie, Four’d embert, Cheddar, soft goat cheese, Comte, Gouda, and Emmental. Apart from that he especially likes the Comte with beef carpaccio and black olive tapenade.

buffet Sunday brunch
For the best brunch in Hanoi, one has to have some fresh seafood delicacies, crunchy salads, and premium cold cuts.

Even More

It goes without saying that there are more cold cuts such as prosciutto, salami, ham, chorizo and mortadella to name a few. Besides the meaty cold cuts, there is also salmon gravlax (Nordic salmon cured in salt and dill) and smoked fish like seabass or tuna and salmon.


You Might Also Like

Metropole Hotel Hanoi Review
Metropole Hotel Hanoi Review
Metropole Hanoi Afternoon Tea Review
Metropole Hanoi Afternoon Tea Review
Metropole Hanoi Heritage Walk
Metropole Hanoi Heritage Walk

Main Dishes at Sofitel Metropole Sunday Brunch

Already the food list is extensive and warm dishes are yet to be listed. So many options make it one of the best places to have brunch in Hanoi. I must admit that I was already pretty full of ambrosial entrees, so I almost skipped the mains. To put it differently, I was saving some room for desserts.

Sofitel Metropole buffet
It takes a lot of effort to present the buffet Sunday brunch in such an eye-catching way.

Despite that, I couldn’t skip the Nicoise ratatouille. On the table, we had the perfect base for this slow-cooked vegetables – the fresh house bread and premium butter. However, it was also a nice side dish to the crispy rissole potatoes and grilled spring chicken with four spices.

fresh oysters
Oysters fans, you’ll love this Sunday brunch!

Ian enjoyed a tidbit of the pan-fried foie gras with mango chutney and pan-fried beef tenderloin in pepper sauce. Although, he also liked the roasted lamb leg with fresh herbs sauce.


Desserts

At the buffet, I try to stick to the one-bite-of everything rule, but it never goes through. We eat with the eyes, right? I must admit that my eyes are greedy, especially when it comes to desserts. At Sofitel Metropole buffet is no way I could hold back. Especially when I saw the beautiful Fraisier cake.

sofitel sunday brunch desserts
Apart from cakes, there were also different varieties of fruit jelly and mixed tarts.

Those delicious strawberries with fluffy vanilla creme are top notch. Other fruity sweets were also a gentle mulberry cake with raspberries on top, a fruit cake, and berry tart. Apart from cakes, there were also different varieties of fruit jelly and mixed tarts.

fruit cake and Fraiser cake
One-bite-of-everything sounds like a good idea up until the greedy eyes take over the command.

Out of the chocolate sweets, the chocolate mousse bomb took me straight to the chocolate heaven. With this one every chocoholic hits the jackpot, I sure did. Additional chocolate cakes are the white chocolate cake and a dark chocolate cake. Another outstanding treat is the opera cake, with luscious chocolate ganache and coffee butter creme

Sofitel Metropole handmade chocolate
We feel a special joy already by looking at these handmade chocolate treats, which we first tasted during our afternoon tea.

O-ou we missed one

On our last legs, we realized that we hadn’t tried the French petits fours. At that time it was also near the end of the brunch and my beloved macarons were gone. That was slightly disappointing because the one we had for the afternoon tea impressed me. Still, drowning sorrow in hand made chocolate bonbon also isn’t awful. Have I mentioned the homemade ice cream? OMG, it is delicious!

easy romantic cake designs
Win-win combination: lovely & tasty

Fruit

Sincerely, I glanced to the fruit baskets full of passion fruit, grape, and mangosteen at the beginning of this Sunday brunch buffet. But as it turned out, there was no room for fruit in my appetite.

jelly in a glass
Among the sweets were also many varieties of fruit jelly, but I swear, there was a lot of real fruit as well.

Outstanding Service

Very professional staff kept tables and brunch offer in place. Their care resulted in a clean look for the duration of the buffet brunch. Not an easy task with a full restaurant. When you will be at the Sofitel Metropole buffet brunch your table will be tidy all the time.

Tiger prawn
This is a nice example of how organized the Sofitel Metropole Sunday brunch was.

Critique

Sofitel Metropole buffet is a must do in Hanoi, period. The Sofitel hotel by itself is an icon, not only in Hanoi but in whole Southeast Asia. However, our sharp eyes always find some bits which are meant for constructive critique. The first flaw is Pho Bo.

desserts at sofitel buffet
Desserts vary from local to international with the chocolate mousse bomb being my favorite.

This iconic noodle soup is far cry from a decent one. Especially when you have only a few blocks away from one of the best in this world. They should employ one aunty from the street with her family recipe or simply take it out of the menu. It’s really not good.

sofitel metropole hanoi at night
After this extensive buffet, you will sleep like a baby…

The other fault is a supply. I absolutely agree and support the idea to minimize waste in hospitality. We all know buffets aren’t the best practices here. I am totally happy when I see that I missed on a baked duck. But when you don’t get something, which stays good for a week is another thing. Here we didn’t have a chance to try out macarons and also mangosteen ran out in the middle of the buffet.


Conclusion

Frankly, if you are thinking about Hanoi hotels and are tempted for some memorable brunch make a reservation at Sofitel Metropole hotel. Their famous Le Beaulieu Restaurant has a praised reputation, by maintaining the classic French and local dishes at the scrumptious level. Sofitel Metropole buffet is legendary and we can see why. Food is delicious, an offer is big, all ingredients are of high quality and service is impeccable.

hanoi hotel metropole
Goodbye Metropole Hanoi, but not for long. We will be back!

What I liked besides the very tasty food, was the neat display of buffet dishes. Especially the wooden boxes, which formed a relaxed base for food display. Way to keep the cold platters cold was done by the shredded ice, which also looked very nice. All in all, it was classy, tasty and entertaining. We highly recommend this Hanoi Sunday brunch.


Metropole Hanoi Buffet Review Card

  • 9.5/10
    ATMOSPHERE – 9.5/10
  • 9.5/10
    FOOD OFFER – 9.5/10
  • 9.5/10
    PRESENTATION – 9.5/10
  • 9.5/10
    SERVICE – 9.5/10
  • 9.6/10
    FOOD TASTE – 9.6/10
  • 9.2/10
    VALUE – 9.2/10
9.5/10

Price and Location

The Sunday Brunch here at Metropole Hanoi Hotel will cost you about 80 USD per person, if you add a free flow of wine it’s 115 USD and 145 USD with free flow of Champagne. For simple navigation, here is a link to the Metropole Hotel location.

Le Beaulieu Restaurant Dress Code

Before joining the Sunday brunch obey the smart-casual dress code. Honestly, think about what to wear is the least you can do. If you do it wisely, you will benefit greatly and feel awesome avoiding super tight dress.


AsiaBuffetHanoiRestaurantreviewRonnefeldt teaSofitelVietnam
Share

RESTAURANTS

Vivi
A culinary enthusiast who is prone to writing. She loves discovering new flavors, spiced with cultural differences. The fear of the unknown does not stop her exploring and learning new things.

You might also like

Tea in Vietnam
February 25, 2023
My Mai Chau Trip
January 21, 2023
Majestic Saigon Hotel Review
December 7, 2022
  • Categories

    • AFTERNOON TEA
    • ARCHITECTURE PHOTOGRAPHY
    • BARS
    • BLACK AND WHITE
    • FASHION
    • FOOD AND DRINKS
    • FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY
    • HISTORY OF HOTELS
    • HOTEL REVIEWS
    • OUTSTANDING HOTELS
    • PHOTO ESSAY
    • PHOTO-VIDEO-ART
    • RESTAURANTS
    • SPAS
    • SPECIAL INGREDIENTS
    • TRAVEL
    • XYZ
  • FOLLOW US

  • Tags

    afternoon tea Art Asia Bangkok Bar Buffet cambodia cocktail cocktails confession drink Europe favorite food food photography gallery Hanoi heritage hotel High tea History Hoi An Hotel hotel review Hotels Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Mandarin Oriental Melaka nature Penang photography Restaurant review Romantic getaway Siem Reap Singapore Slovenia Sofitel spirit Thailand the best travel Travel story Vietnam YTL
  • Archives

    • March 2023
    • February 2023
    • January 2023
    • December 2022
    • November 2022
    • October 2022
    • September 2022
    • August 2022
    • July 2022
    • May 2022
    • April 2022
    • March 2022
    • February 2022
    • January 2022
    • December 2021
    • November 2021
    • October 2021
    • September 2021
    • August 2021
    • July 2021
    • June 2021
    • May 2021
    • April 2021
    • March 2021
    • February 2021
    • January 2021
    • December 2020
    • November 2020
    • October 2020
    • September 2020
    • August 2020
    • July 2020
    • June 2020
    • May 2020
    • April 2020
    • March 2020
    • February 2020
    • January 2020
    • December 2019
    • November 2019
    • October 2019
    • September 2019
    • August 2019
    • July 2019
    • June 2019
    • May 2019
    • April 2019
    • March 2019
    • February 2019
    • January 2019
    • December 2018
    • November 2018
    • October 2018
    • September 2018
    • August 2018
    • July 2018
    • June 2018
    • May 2018
    • April 2018
    • March 2018
    • February 2018
    • January 2018
    • December 2017


  • Recent Posts

    • Kurentovanje Carnival
      March 13, 2023
    • KURENT IN BLACK AND WHITE
      March 6, 2023
    • Tea in Vietnam
      February 25, 2023
  • Popular Posts

    • Mandarin Oriental Bangkok Hotel
      February 15, 2019
    • Four Seasons KL Review
      March 30, 2019
    • Majestic Hotel KL
      October 12, 2018

© Copyright Wild 'n' Free Diary Cookie settings Policy Page

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. The button is on the bottom of the page. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
SAVE & ACCEPT