Maison SEN Review

Maison SEN is a high end buffet restaurant located in the Hai Ba Trung District of Hanoi. It is probably one or the most known buffet in the city and for very good reasons.

Yesterday was the first birthday of our son and to mark the occasion we decided to try this restaurant. We will discover together in this review why this buffet is so famous and whether or not it deserve its popularity.

The Location

Maison SEN during the Vietnamese new year

As I previously mentioned in many of my other posts, Hai Bà Trưng is my favorite district in Hanoi for activities, to be more precise from the south of Hoan Kiem Lake to say Vincom Bà Triệu, have ones of the best foods and clothes you can buy in Vietnam in my opinion.

Arriving at Maison SEN

So it comes as no surprise that Maison SEN is located in phố Trần Hưng Đạo, a street where there is actually a concentration of Embassies such as the French Embassy. That’s actually how I discover this place, walking out of the embassy, I fell upon this beautiful establishment where some of the dish were roasting in front of the lobby.

A Luxurious and yet Popular Restaurant

One of the multiples rooms in the establishment

The first thing that comes in mind when walking in front of the restaurant is : it looks chic. Indeed, like the name suggest, the establishment have a French inspired interior and exterior design, it really looks posh and expensive, especially with the jazz music playing, the beautiful lobby filled with staff members and the doorman rushing to open the car door.

All the Roads Leads to Rome

The main area of the restaurant : The Buffet

The restaurant is huge, there are many rooms and many floors that all have access to the main buffet area which is fairly big, well organized and to be fair simply a stunning looking place.

Stairs leading to the buffet in Maison SEN

I have to say, the architecture of the building is quite impressive. I’ve been to many buffet in my life and this is one of the most beautiful I’ve seen yet. There are really some hidden jewelry in Hanoi, buildings that look nice from the outside and amazingly huge in the inside.

The Main Attraction

Maison SEN‘s Buffet is quite big and the food extremely various. You will find about anything you desire in this restaurant. But for us and I don’t think we are the only one in this case, we were very pleased with the large seafood offering.

You can find multiples section for Seafood, one for the Barbecued Seafood, one for the Boiled Seafood , one for the Seafood in sauce and finally one section for raw fish and oysters. The offering of seafood is extremely various, actually much more various than some specialized Seafood Buffet like Buffet Poseidon.

The section for Sashimi, Maki and Oysters

For one thing, you can find Sashimi and Maki, I even saw some other days they can have Tuna and Cá Trích, a sort of hareng with delicious colored fat (red or yellow). Unfortunately for us both were not present the night we ate at the restaurant.

My wife and I looking for food

Our favorite section was probably the one dedicated to barbecued Seafood. There is something quite special about how Vietnamese cook Seafood with salt, shallots, chive and peanuts. If you add some of this green sauce named Muối ớt Xanh, it just become ridiculously delicious.

Like most Buffet, you still have the traditional salad bar, a place for desert and fruits, a place for soup, a place for bread, a place for regular food like spaghetti or pizza and finally a place for seared meat.

We believe that the focus of this place in not really the meat, even if you can still have a piece of steak. I think they hold the right strategy as most people tend to eat Nướng for meat in Vietnam anyway.

For desserts, you will have a selection of Cakes, Caramels, Chè, Ice creams, Jelly, Yogurt and Fruits. Honestly deserts are not the main attention for us in a buffet, but it is always nice to end on a sweet note.

You have fridge full of soft drinks. There are also wine and stronger alcohol like Vodka costing only 550,000 vnd. I saw in pictures they even have carafe to ventilate your young wine.

A Relatively Affordable Option

The price for admission for an adult is 398,000 vnd. For young kid smaller than a certain height the price is 200,000 vnd. Finally for small children and baby, the admission is free.

I believe that even if this can feel pricy by Vietnamese Standard, the amount of value you get for the price and the location is actually quite a good deal. Especially compared to traditional Seafood restaurants.

Verdict

9 out of 10

Eating in Maison SEN is overall a must try experience if you live or are passing through Hanoi. The place look is amazing and the food quantity and quality is great for a buffet.

Happy Birthday to our now one year old son

When you come to this establishment, you’ll see people well dressed as it is a place for celebrating important event such as my son first birthday.

Sure, you can always eat better food somewhere else but there’s always something quite exciting and entertaining in trying a new buffet with friends and family.