Fine Dining Review: Crystal Jade Palace – Hanoi, Vietnam

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For a long time I didn’t care about service because the food mattered more. As I got older, made more money and could afford better quality food, I realized why fine dining exists. It’s an experience from the moment you walk into the restaurant until you walk out of the building.

Crystal Jade Palace is by far one of the BEST fine dining restaurants I’ve been to. Crystal Jade was bestowed one Michelin star and multiple awards for their Cantonese cuisine. There are multiple locations throughout South East Asia. We had the privilege of dining at the Hanoi, Vietnam location in February 2018.

About Crystal Jade Palace

Crystal Jade Palace is a Singapore based restaurant serving BBQ meats and classic Cantonese dishes made with high-quality ingredients. Crystal Jade Palace is one of the seven brands under the Crystal Jade restaurant group, which has been operating since 1993, and are committed to purveying the best ingredients, service and ambiance. The group has over 100 restaurants in 25 cities worldwide.

Ambiance

Upon entering the restaurant, you can tell it was gonna be spendy. The walls are covered in mahogany wood and a carpet leading guests into the restaurant. The dining tables are large and circular to accommodate large families. Our part of 2 was seated at a table for 10 with an amazing view of the lake located on the JW Marriot Hotel Hanoi property.

Service

Upon entering the restaurant we were greeted by three hosts with smiling faces. I had made a reservation but they did not seem concerned with confirming my reservation – almost like they knew I was coming and did not want to bother me with minutiae details.

Our server arrived to our table immediately after we were seated to offer beverages. She also walked us through the wine list. We had not one, but four servers who took care of us throughout the evening.

We observed a handbag fall to the ground at a nearby table and a server rushed over (in heels) to pick up the handbag and hand it back to the guest. That is fine dining service in action.

All the servers spoke English very well and we did not experience any language barriers.

Food

My favorite part about the experience was the food. All items on the menu are a la carte and come in portions that are good for small to large parties. Most of their dishes are served family style and meant to be shared. We ended up spending $160 for dinner and drinks for two people.

We had a hard time choosing from the menu. Eventually we narrowed our choices down to the following dishes:

Suckling Pig (small order)

Peking Duck (half-order) and Stir Fried Green Beans with Minced Pork

Snow Crab with Egg Whites

Crab and Egg Soup

Double-Boiled Bamboo Pith and Mushroom Soup

Grass Jelly with Avocado Cream

All the dishes were exceptional. My favorites were the Suckling Pig and Snow Crab and Egg Whites. The egg whites were was delicious alone or eaten with a side of rice. The Grass Jelly and Avocado dessert was also the perfect amount of sweetness I needed after a very flavorful meal. The avocado was whipped and set on top of a pile of grass jelly. They usually add sliced strawberries to the top of the dessert but their vendor was unavailable during the Tết holiday season.

I highly recommend Crystal Jade Palace. I cannot remember the last time I was impressed with each bite. Crystal Jade Palace is easily one of my top three restaurants in Asia. I can’t wait to dine here again. I was blown away by everything from start to finish.

If you are traveling during Tết holiday (Lunar New Year), be advised that they will have a limited menu due to vendors closing down for the 3 week-longTết holiday.

Crystal Jade Palace
JW Marriott Hotel Hanoi – 8 Do Duc Duc, Me Tri, South Tu Liem, Hanoi, Hà Nội 100000, Vietnam
Phone: +84 24 38335588 | Ext: 1137