Ren Japanese Restaurant

Last Sat, M and I went for our weekly food hunt around Hanoi. As I am crazy about Japanese food, M suggested that we try a new place that he found in town, Ren.

The decor of the restaurant was really pretty and zen. We took a table near the window where a mini waterfall was running down. For a moment, I felt like I was in Japan.

The entrance

The open kitchen concept!

We took a while to decide on our orders. I took a Ren special set while M had a Unagi Tamago don set. My set arrived first and it looked really appetizing. There was tempura, grilled fish, sashimi and some light appetizers. However, I was a little disappointed by the sashimi as it didn't taste very fresh. That reminded me of the advice which my Japanese friends gave me "Never eat sashimi during summer in Hanoi as it might not be fresh". They were right... :(

My rice bowl and tempura

Interesting starters

The sashimi

M's Unagi Tamago don looked equally good too in terms of presentation. But I couldn't help but notice the don was filled with 80% eggs and 20% unagi. Guess this is what you get when you order the lunch value set.

M's unagi tamago don

Overall, I thought the quality of the food was not as good as Masuda or Sushi Tokyo. The ambience was great, no doubt, but if I were to come here again, I would try the noodles or katsudon. Definitely not the sashimi.

Ren Japanese Restaurant
8A Hang Chao, Hanoi
Tel: 04-7338550