If you don't get a chance to make it to Hué (some 300 miles away), go instead to this shrine to the imperial city's cuisine. Emperor may just be Hanoi's most beautiful restaurant, set in a villa with a two-story pagoda-style outdoor pavilion strung with twinkling lights. Hué specialties served here include a rice pancake stuffed with toothsome morsels of pork. Other main courses include savory eggplant with garlic served in a clay pot, and a delicious tangle of rice vermicelli with crabmeat, peppers, seaweed, and egg.
Emperor recently stormed into Hanoi to the delight of food lovers. Set back from the street, the classy restaurant fills an airy two-story space. On the ground floor, loungers sipping cocktails fill comfortable sofas. Upstairs, a sophisticated menu, the attentive service and the candle-lit, wood-carved tables beckon serious eaters, business parties and romantic diners. The kitchen prepares refined Vietnamese food. Appetizers include Fresh Spring Rolls and a tangy green Papaya Salad. The menu boasts offerings from the sea, such as steamed, flaky White Fish in a banana leaf, oniony Soft-shelled Crab and Tender Grilled Squid. |
