Mod Mangosteen opens at Mövenpick Hotel Hanoi (Vietnam)
|
|
Mod Mangosteen opens at Mövenpick Hotel Hanoi (Vietnam)
|
Category: Asia Pacific - Vietnam - Gourmet restaurants
- Gourmet restaurants
This is a press release selected by our editorial committee and published online for free on 2009-02-19
Named after the tropical fruit that looks like a purple peach, Mangosteen officially opened at Mövenpick Hotel Hanoi last night with an interior design rich in whites, browns and, of course, purples.
The cool combination of colours — conceived by Bangkok-based LEO Design — weaves its way through contemporary pieces of furniture, wall art and table settings, while a strictly metallic show-kitchen serves as the restaurant's centrepiece.
“The idea was to create something that is as distinctive and memorable as the food,” said Knuth Kiefer, general manager of Mövenpick Hotel Hanoi. “By outfitting the space in a way that blends warmth with vibrancy, we've achieved our goal. I expect Mangosteen to rival anything that already exists in Hanoi, which is renowned for its cuisine.”
Located on Mövenpick Hotel Hanoi’s mezzanine level, the sleek eatery is indeed well positioned to take upscale dining in Vietnam’s capital city to the next level.
Its massive windows face out onto lively Ly Thuong Kiet Street; its menu is an innovative mix of Vietnamese flavours and Swiss favourites; and its chef, Colin Ong, is a seasoned veteran, having honed his craft at famed properties such as the Raffles Hotel Singapore, the Palace Hotel in South Africa and, for the past eight years, Hilton hotels in the Philippines, Kuwait and Malaysia.
Among the dinner items guests can choose from — and Ong predicts will be hits — are the Asian-inspired Prawn, Papaya and Green Apple Salad, tossed with white radish and wasabi dressing; and the Käsespätzle, an oven-baked noodle topped with Emmenthal cheese and a side bouquet of garden lettuce — a European classic.
“The Mangosteen experience is unique in that we’re offering dishes you wouldn’t normally find on the same menu,” said the Malaysian-born Ong. “What’s more, we’re intent on changing the culinary focus on the fly and with regularity so that every visit is just a little bit different, a little bit fresher from the last.”
With the emergence of Mangosteen, Hanoi solidifies its spot as one of the premier culinary destinations in all of Asia. Not only has the city’s street food been called out by internationally known TV personalities Anthony Bourdain (‘No Reservations’) and Andrew Zimmern (‘Bizarre Foods’), but it has served as home in recent years for two of the country’s foremost celebrity chefs, Bobby Chinn and Didier Corlou, both of whom own and operate vaunted restaurants here.
Mövenpick Hotel Hanoi one-ups them by giving guests the option to order Ong’s creations from either the elegant confines of Mangosteen or the cosy atmosphere of Lounge 83, another attractive on-site dining venue designed in the same vein as Mangosteen. Lounge 83 features an integrated wine cellar and is adjacent to the main lobby.
Mövenpick Hotel Hanoi burst onto Hanoi’s luxury hotel scene 1 December 2008. The hotel is one of two Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts properties in Vietnam; the acclaimed Swiss hotelier opened the Mövenpick Hotel Saigon in July 2008.
The freestanding, colonial-style Mövenpick Hotel Hanoi stands right next door to Pacific Place, one of Hanoi’s most prominent business/residential buildings and home to local headquarters of IBM and HSBC. Hanoi Tower is just a two-minute walk from the hotel’s front door, and the Quan Su temple is right around the corner. Hanoi’s famed Opera House, Old Quarter shopping district and central train station are all located a mere five-minute taxi ride away.
The hotel’s guest rooms come in three grades: Superior Deluxe (30 square metres in size), Premium Deluxe (37sm) and Junior Suite (60sm). Like the posh dining areas, their furnishings are a smart, very Swiss mix of the au courant — artwork and appointments that are graceful, youthful, modernist — and the practical: halogen lamps, large work areas complete with office chair, and WiFi and Internet facilities.
|
|
