As we go around Hanoi, saying au revoir to our friends around the city, we have been dining at our favorite places. We are not actually saying "au revoir" but "goodbye" is rather final, while the French farewell means "until we meet again." In Vietnamese we are saying "hẹn gặp lại" Regardless, it is a bit emotional and we find ourselves getting more than a bit choked up.
We have written often about Le Beaulieu, the finest French restaurant in Hanoi. Located in the Hotel Metropole, it serves amazing food in an elegant setting with the best service you will find.
We first experienced Le Beaulieu back in 1994. We were amazed to find French food and wine and especially CHEESE in what was once North Vietnam. The dining scene in Hanoi has improved a hundred fold since then, but Le Beaulieu still tops the list. Chef Didier Corlou set the standard here and Chef Boris Cuzon has kept it up and in many ways enhanced it.
Although quality comes at a price, we feel that we get value as the food is exquisite and beautifully presented, the portions are ample and there is always lagniappe, little extras that enhance the experience. We have become regulars and are known by name by the entire staff.
When we booked our Saturday night table, we put ourselves in Boris' hands. He knows we love foie gras and oysters and that Carol is not the biggest fan of lobster. When we arrived, we were greeted by 
Tuan, the personable manager/sommelier. Before dinner, we had to purchase a cake for Carol to bring in to school and Tuan said he would order it for us and have it ready at the end of the evening. He then ushered us into the wine room where Boris met us for a glass of champagne. We reminisced and promised to stay in touch and then we got to meet Boris' partner and their adorable five month old son.
We don't need to tell you about every bite, but the highlights were seared foie gras with mango and a side of foie gras terrine, an amazing lemon sorbet topped with.....a crispy oyster! superbly cooked rib-eye with marrow and several dessert courses.
Ms Phuong and Mr Van Bao gave us great service and made us promise to come back soon. We told them that we would. In fact we asked them to book us a table for Wednesday lunch!
Bonus points for recognizing the allusion in the title of this segment.
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