Madame Hanoi Bar & Bistro

Food delicious, service however was below average.
There was no reason for my friends and I to be neglected during our dining experience. No one refilled our drinks, no one took plates away, and we had to continue to ask before we got a cocktail menu, and then they never asked for our drinks! And we had to go to the counter for the bill since no one would pay attention to us.
It’s a shame because the place is lovely, food is yum, but the service was just a total letdown.

I’ve been here three times now, and I’ve walked away both times thinking the same thing: Great food, average service.
Firstly, don’t let the fact that Madame Hanoi is *technically* a part of the casino deter you from eating here. I’m yet to see any seedy people in here! The vibe of Madame Hanoi is really nice, laid-​back and relaxed, but you still feel a bit special being there. Great date night spot! Madame Hanoi is split into three parts — downstairs, mezzanine bar and upstairs. The upstairs area seems to be better for larger groups, whereas the setting downstairs is a little more intimate. The mezzanine bar has long tables as the only seating, and is quite dark. Natural light fills both the downstairs and upstairs restaurant areas, but the bar lighting is very limited. Despite this, the interior is absolutely beautiful. There’s a wide array of colours which look fantastic against the heritage building setting. The real star though, is the a huge mural of a Vietnamese woman scaling both stories of the restaurant. She is absolutely beautiful!
Now, the food. Madame Hanoi is described as being a mix of French and Vietnamese. Well, it is and it isn’t. The savoury food is predominantly Vietnamese, and the desserts are mostly French. The ‘fusion’ aspect is, to me, non-​existent. Despite this, the food is creative, colourful and presented beautifully. Most dishes come on half-​half plates, one half having Asian patters, and the other half being French-​inspired. They literally look like someone has glued two different plates together, and they look great!
Both times I have eaten here, I have chosen the ‘let us feed you’ menu, for $ 55 pp, including dessert, excluding alcohol. It’s pricey, but it’s worth it. I also appreciate that the menu shows exactly what you will be getting in the set menu. As a bit of a fussy eater and someone who is not a huge fan of spice, Asian food can be a bit of a minefield, and I don’t usually feel 100% comfortable handing the reigns over to someone else. I really like knowing what’s coming! Our set menu included ‘son-​in law’ duck eggs, mango, papaya and carrot salad, pork belly baos, peppered soy beef, spicy chicken wings, Asian greens with garlic and rice.
Upon ordering, we were asked if we were in a rush. The first time, we were, and staff did their best to ensure that we were in and out within an hour. However, last Wednesday, we weren’t. The waitress explained that the dishes would be brought out in three courses. She then suggested a cocktail, and we each got a Hanoi Hannah, which I would definitely recommend.
First, the wings and duck eggs. The wings were a little on the spicy side (I’m really weak when it comes to chilli!), but they were so sticky and flavoursome I just had to keep going! The duck eggs… well we were trying to work out how they’d managed to both poach and deep-​fry it. The duck eggs were a real stand out, I just wish the yolk had still been runny.
Next out was the mango, papaya and carrot salad and the pork belly baos. Order whatever you want, but GET THE BAOS. Don’t think about it, just do it. They’re messy, they’re rich and they’re probably pretty awful for you, but your taste buds will be forever in your debt! The salad was nice too, but was dwarfed by the almighty and everlasting power pork belly has on me.
Last was the beef, garlic Asian green and rice. The greens were crisp and crunchy, but only eat the confit garlic clove if you REALLY like garlic or have no plans to kiss your date at the end of the night. That stuff is potent. The beef, ugh, that beef. It was glorious and we were fighting over who got the extra bit. I lost, and I’m still slightly bitter.
I was close to keeling over from everything I’d already eaten, and then got reminded that dessert was yet to come. We were each served a glazed dome, one red and one dark brown. We both looked confused, and the waitress explained that these two half-​spheres were Madame Hanoi’s Bleeding Heart and Chocolate Royal. One was a white chocolate mousse with raspberry coulis, and the other was a chocolate mousse with hazelnut. Both had a chewy macaroon base which added to the decadence. We struggled, but managed to each have half of both desserts, and then called it quits. We could not have fitted any more in!
While the food was worth 4 stars at least, the service is a real let down. I almost wish we had said that we had a prior engagement after dinner, because dinner went for nearly three hours! Staff were hard to get a hold of for drink orders/​water refills, and eventually to get the bill I had to go to the counter and ask. If it had been particularly busy, I’d have been a little more sympathetic, however staff were frequently chatting in huddled groups.
It’s a real shame, because the food, décor and atmosphere at Madame Hanoi is such a stand out, yet the service really lets it down. Regardless, I’d still recommend trying the place out, maybe just make sure you have enough time on your hands!

Absolutely gorgeous interior! Very modern and similar style to Sean’s Kitchen next door. Food is good, but I fail to see the French side of the menu… Vietnamese is definitely more prominent. A total of 3 dishes suitable for vegetarians also. We had the mango and papaya salad which was delicious and super flavoursome. We also had the salt and pepper tofu which even though we requested to be mild, was a bit on the spicier side. Lightly fried and not the usual flavours you get with salt and pepper tofu elsewhere. I tried to tofu baos which I loved! My favourite dish of the night! The lime and chilli mayonnaise was delicious and worked well inside the baos. My partner had the salmon as a main and enjoyed it thoroughly! Apparently it wasn’t very spicy either compared to the other dishes and also came with a side of the salad. We also ordered a steamed rice (overpriced with just under $ 5 for a one person serve). We shared everything except the salmon and it was way too much for us! Ended up taking the tofu, rice and some of the salad home. Also had a cocktail each and mine was lovely (Hanoi Hanna or something similar) but my boyfriend was really disappointed with his (can’t remember the name but it had rum in it and was at the top of one of the cocktail menus). It seemed to have bits of pepper floating in it which would go up the straw, although the menu didn’t specify that it had pepper in it. I tried it and it was way too overpowered by the alcohol flavour also and not tasty to drink at all. They offered to make him another one free of charge, but he declined and the bartender brought it back to him and suggested he drink it with a thicker straw… Not sure what this would have achieved given a thicker straw would have meant more pepper going up it. Given he voiced his disappointment to the waitress and drank about ¼ of it with struggle, it would have been good customer service to not charge us for it at all and it was poor to bring back the drink he had already drank from, particularly after he had already been nice said not to worry about a replacement and that he didn’t want to continue drinking the one he had and was fine with leaving it. We also asked the waitress what one of the ingredients was in the dish and she didn’t know… Definitely some improvements to be made with the service and may be worth considering expanding the menu.

My entire experience at Madame Hanoi was amazing from the moment I stepped in to their beautifully decked out heritage listed space.
After discussing my dietary needs (gluten-​free, low-​FODMAP, pescatarian) with the lovely, attentive staff, I decided on two dishes that not only met my requirements but were beautifully presented and really really yummy. (Sashimi-​style kingfish and tamarind tofu).
Beverage wise, my well-​priced Madame Lemonade cocktail tasted great and so too did the Sua Da Vietnamese coffee. Overall it’s a must visit if you’re in the Adelaide CBD and I’m leaving wishing Madame Hanoi resided in Melbourne.

First time visit. Food was great (particularly the duck, watermelon and mint salad), but the service was lacking — not enough staff rostered on, and the ones that were there were somewhat unenthusiastic and robotic. The dishes ordered came out in no order, which was fine, but there was quite a gap between times of service for each dish. I wanted to order their dish of scallops but was very perfunctorily told that they had no scallops today (no apology given), so I had to order another dish. Disappointing!
The background music was not at all appropriate for the type of establishment, and played far too loud. This made conversation very difficult for myself and the persons I dined with.
I would visit again to try other great sounding dishes on their menu.

A delightful modern take on Vietnamese cuisine. The menu is simple and designed for share plates so I recommend to bring friends. The service was friendly and fast, while the food was delicious. There is an extensive craft beer and wine menu to choose from.

Finally got to try Madam Hanoi last night after catch-​up drinks at La Buvette. We were a party of three and arrived around 8.30pm. We were told that the wait for a table would be 45 minutes (no bookings unless it’s 8+ people). The maitre d’ suggested that we sit upstairs and he would call us on the mobile when a table became available.
My two very hungry dining companions were not prepared to wait so we found a spot on one of the shared high tables upstairs (which was less noisy). While the French and Swiss men argued about which wine to order, I got to peruse the food menu. It’s succinct and interesting. So we shared:
— crispy baby squid (w smoked chilli, kaffir lime),
— salt & peper tofu (w coriander, chilli, lime)
— green mango & papaya salad
— lemongrass prawns & eggplant
— grilled Hervey bay scallops
and of course some steamed rice.
It was more than enough food for the three of us, and the prices for food were pretty reasonable. The French man won the wine choice in the end and we had an excellent bottle of cabernet franc from Chinon, Loire, which had the aromatics, juiciness and savoury characteristics that were well matched to the delicious tangy, spicy, salty & sweet flavours we had. My favourites were the mango & papaya salad (very light & refreshing) and the lemongrass prawns & eggplant. The salt & pepper tofu was a bit of a let down — it seemed to me like a Vietnamese interpretation of agadeshi tofu, but the glaze didn’t quite hit the mark for me and it needed a bit of crunch to contrast the texture of the tofu. I also thought that the dishes lacked fresh herbs, which is what I love so much about Vietnamese food.
Service was very attentive, prompt and professional. But Madam Hanoi wasn’t a five star experience for me last night — while the setting is quite elegant and stylish, the ambiance lacked intimacy and the music was quite loud. I would certainly return and I look forward to trying other items on the food and wine menu.

Now this is what Adelaide needed!
Located in the Adelaide Casino, Madame Hanoi is perfect for dinn pre or post a night out or for a special occasion.
Madame Hanoi is a walk in venue only, my partner and I arrived around 10pm and we were seated in approx 20mins. (Don’t stress, they have an awesome bar that will keep you occupied whilst you wait: D)
Ok, so you walk in from North Terrace and you are greeted by the most helpful and energetic staff I have come across in the Adelaide foodies scene. You give the staff your name and number and then you wait for that exciting call.
Whilst we were waiting we walked through the venue, which has both French and Vietnamese inspired art and décor, the place is spread out over 3 levels and there is plenty of space to move around.
Now the phone rings, and the table is ready!
We went to the lower floor and were greeted once again by the most amazing staff, they take you to your table, explained the menu and answered any questions that you may have.
My partner and I ordered drinks (which were on the table in 2 mins max) and then ordered the 7 course «Let us spoil you» option. We weren’t expecting much other than small tasting plates as it only cost $ 65/​head but omg were we surprised! The courses were made up of seafood, pork, beef and vegetables and was plentiful, by the 5^th course I was ready to explode, they served that much.
Now the drinks, the drinks list at Madame Hanoi is extensive, there are literally approx 50 wines to chose from and your normal cocktails etc. I really have to praise the staff with the wine list, they new everything there was to know about the wines, suggested matching the wine to the dishes etc, I was gobsmacked at the professionalism and knowledge of the young staff members.
Ok now the best to last, the serving of the meals!
Each dish was served on a half Asian inspired plate or bowl and half French inspired plate or bowl. It looked as they cut two plates in half and stuck the different halves together, it was so different, and fit the theme so well.
So in conclusion, if you are looking for a great vietnamese meal that is better than your corner store phở, defiantly head to Madame Hanoi, I promise you that you won’t be disappointed!