Chapter

Chapter is chef Quang Dung's restaurant at 12C Chan Cam, in Hoan Kiem, close enough to the Metropole and to Capella that a dry evening can be a walk. The kitchen cooks a seasonal tasting menu only, built on charcoal and produce from northern Vietnam. There is no a la carte list. Michelin lists the room as Selected in the Vietnam guide, which is a different mark from Gia's star across town. Hours on the restaurant's site are Monday to Saturday from 18:00 to 23:00. Sunday is closed. Reserve at chapterhanoi.com, by email at reservation@chapter.vn, or on the hotline 0333 201 221. The menu moves with the season, so ask what is actually being served the week you go. Gia, at 61 Van Mieu, is the one-star night and the longer car from the Opera House. Chapter is the night you stay in Hoan Kiem. The longer argument for pairing the two rooms is in The New Banquet: Vietnam. Give the kitchen the evening. A last walk around Hoan Kiem Lake can come before you sit down, because the menu is the commitment once you are in the room. Michelin's note on the place says each course arrives with a postcard. Read it if you like the story. The charcoal is the reason to be there.