Melting in the mouth of a piece of grilled tuna, listening to the Jazz music drifting between the laughter, the clinking of wine glasses... it felt like the bustling atmosphere in a restaurant in the capital city of Paris. In fact, we were enjoying the weekend in our home, sipping on a dinner party ordered from the 5-Star Cuisine at Home service ofSofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi.

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Built in 1901 by two French investors, Metropole Hanoi is the first and oldest five-star hotel in Hanoi. Despite having the appearance of a hotel with a history of more than 120 years, in the midst of the capital implementing social distancing regulations, Metropole Hanoi quickly expressed its new and unique spirit, by launching the 5-Star Cuisine Service at Home (From Our Kitchen To Yours).

The process of preparing and delivering normal meals during the social distancing period is already difficult, now it is even more difficult to ensure "five-star" quality meals, along with food safety standards. What makes a hotel that is a symbol of tradition, classicism and professional service like Metropole Hanoi create this "challenging" service? How feasible is it? Let's find out with Travellive through a conversation with Ms. Pham Minh Khanh - Manager of the Metropole Hanoi's Food and Beverage Department.

Where did Metropole Hanoi decide to create the 5-Star Dining At Home service, and how is the "5-star" quality expressed through this service?

In fact, up until now, Metropole Hanoi guests have been able to order take-away food, however, during the recent pandemic outbreak in Hanoi, people - including our guests - easily became bored when they could not visit the hotel, so we decided to bring a true “Metropole” experience to their homes.

The difference between the 5-Star Cuisine at Home service and the previous take-away service comes from the aesthetic aspect and the sophistication, meticulousness, and careful attention to detail in the packaging and transportation process to ensure the food is of 5-star quality when it reaches the customer; as well as bringing a sumptuous experience like in a restaurant, not just a "normal" delicious meal at home.

Based on what specific factors does Metropole Hanoi ensure that takeaway dishes will bring diners "a sumptuous restaurant-like experience"?

While when using restaurant services, dishes will be served immediately after being prepared to ensure quality and nutrition, with home service, this is more difficult. Metropole Hanoi's chefs need experience and skills to prepare food so that when it reaches the customer, it still retains its freshness after being transported from the hotel to the delivery location. Suppose when a customer orders a beef dish at a price ofmedium rareOur chefs need to calculate the right doneness so that after a 15 to 20 minute journey, the beef still meets the same standards as when enjoyed at the restaurant.

In addition, decorating dishes at restaurants is often easy to do by using flowers, leaves, sauces... However, the above ingredients often become messy during the packaging and transportation process, so the chefs will arrange the ingredients separately as well as attach clear notes so that diners can recreate the dish themselves at home. In addition, the preparation and transportation process is always followed by us according to food safety standards, and especially using the hotel's limousine to ensure the best quality to the diners.

Not being able to directly help customers with food plating is a real challenge for our service, but that's why every order from Metropole Hanoi comes with a card calledChef tips. There are notes for diners on how to enjoy and present the dishes in the most ideal and attractive way. At the same time, Metropole Hanoi's culinary team is always available online via hotline and email to support diners directly - from how to present, decorate or advise on how to set up a party table at home, thereby bringing satisfaction with the most complete culinary experience to diners anywhere.

If the quality of 5-Star Home Cuisine service is carefully crafted and requires more steps, will the price change?

The dishes in the 5-Star Cuisine at Home menu are completely selected by us and keep the same price as when diners come to enjoy directly at the restaurant, including a harmonious combination of French, Vietnamese or New World culinary styles without losing the characteristics of Metropole Hanoi.

In fact, we have a free delivery policy within a 5km radius with a minimum bill of VND 1,500,000, or an additional payment of VND 100,000 for each order from 5km or more, as well as a 20% discount when customers use the Accor Plus membership card. With the message of sharing and bringing more options for home meals, we want customers to fully enjoy the culinary experience according to "Metropole" standards without being affected by the epidemic.

How has the 5-Star Cuisine at Home program been received by diners recently?

Metropole Hanoi has received positive feedback on our service since the very beginning. Most of the orders come from regular customers, but there are also new customers. Weekends are the time when we receive the most orders, when people consider a “5-star” meal as a way to pamper themselves after a long work week.

Restaurants and hotels are now back in operation, so will the 5-Star Cuisine at Home service now "return" to take-away service like before?

Metropole Hanoi's 5-Star Dining At Home service still maintains the same standards and quality as today. When launching this service, we had a long-term development plan for the post-lockdown period. At that time, the demand for picnics and outings of customers will increase, customers will have more ideal options such as Metropole Hanoi's quality food boxes to bring along on their trips. Above all, we hope that the 5-Star Dining At Home service will still be loved by diners even when everything returns to normal, as a way to innovate family meals to make them more special.

With signs that the domestic tourism and service industry is gradually opening up, what plans does the hotel have for the coming time?

Metropole Hanoi will introduce many hotel accommodation packages with special offers such as Metropole Luxury Getaway, or a 6-hour hotel service package during the day so that customers can experience the professional 5-star service that has been missed during the social distancing period. In addition, we also hope to bring new culinary features to Hanoi connoisseurs in the near future, and become the first choice in the minds of customers for cozy parties with family and relatives.

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If not for the period of social distancing, it would be a long time before the "5-star" home-cooked food service appears in Hanoi, bringing a new experience to family meals. Metropole Hanoi Hotel, like many other brands in the tourism and service industry in Vietnam, has proven its efforts and endeavors to adapt to the difficulties of the pandemic, to continue to bring useful and practical values ​​to customers.

In the "5-star" boxes of Metropole Hanoi, not only are the dishes beautiful and delicious, diners can also feel the care, dedication and professionalism of the entire hotel staff.As shared by Mr. William Haandrikman, the hotel General Manager whom we accidentally met at the end of the conversation:What I love most about Metropole is the people. The staff here, they are a family.