Chapter Dining’s new menu, Hearth, opens with the quiet warmth of a season turning, where fire, memory, and craftsmanship meet the rustic soul of Northwest Vietnamese cuisine. Rooted in Winter – Spring produce and inspired by the flavors, ingredients, and cooking traditions of the Northwest, Hearth reflects a return to simplicity, comfort, and deeply layered flavors. Read on to explore how Northwest culinary heritage is reimagined and unfolds, course by course, in Hearth.
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The Story Behind Hearth
The harvest comes to a close, all it takes is a lit hearth: the soft crackle of firewood, the warmth rising gently through the kitchen, for the heart to feel just a little fuller, foretelling a season of warmth and fulfillment. Everything becomes beautifully simple: someone reminisces about old stories, someone teases another, and the whole house hums with an easy joy.
It is precisely that warmth inspired Chef Patron Quang Dũng, and the Chapter team to create this Winter – Spring Chapter Dining’s new menu named Hearth: ten courses shaped by the spirit of the hearth placed in the center of stilt houses of the Vietnamese Northwest – comforting, glowing, and steeped in the memories of culinary devotion and the culture of the highlands
How Chapter Dining’s Menu Unfolds?
Chapter Dining’s new menu is inspired by the hearth at the center of a Northwest stilt house, where warmth gathers and stories are shared. Each course is thoughtfully cooked and served warm, with no raw elements, reflecting the cold climate of Northern Vietnam.
Light Opening Notes
Hearth menu opens quietly and guides the palate through light, deliberate notes before deeper expressions emerge. This opening sequence draws from familiar Vietnamese comforts and reshapes them through fine dining restraint.
Phở soup arrives first, inspired by the poached egg traditionally enjoyed within a bowl of Vietnamese phở. A confit egg yolk rests in chicken broth, with shredded chicken and Dong Tao chicken feet beneath. The yolk comes from young hens and cooks gently at sixty three degrees Celsius for one hour. The broth builds depth from chicken bones and dried sa sung, where clarity takes precedence over weight.
The second course introduces oyster cream tucked inside a pomme soufflé with amaebi and wampee. It is the only raw course, finished with a light fish sauce gel above the cream.
After this brightness, the menu moves toward deeper tones without losing its initial sense of lift. Eel follows as a composed bite, built on a crisp snack base that anchors richer flavors. Hot smoked eel mixes with smoked butter, layered with tien vua, mustard greens, and sturgeon caviar.
Fire-led Mains
Heat enters the menu here, bringing smoke and warmth into sharper focus. Vietnamese comfort flavors appear again, this time shaped by fire and controlled intensity.
Scallop, coconut, and caviar open the sequence, taking cues from the richness of ốc xào dừa. Guests begin with a grilled scallop skewer, where light char meets natural sweetness. Alongside, a scallop mousse carries a delicate panna cotta texture. Slices of coconut rice and a coconut milk koji sauce deepen the flavor without weight. Caviar finishes the plate, adding salinity and length rather than richness.
The next course shifts toward earthier notes and a stronger sense of warmth. Corn purée sets a smooth base for grilled moutain corn and smoked sausage. Mắc khén and hạt dổi introduce spice, while Comté foam tempers the overall intensity. A final layer of winter black truffle extends aroma and depth.
To close the mains, wagyu beef arrives with familiar echoes of bò sốt vang. The beef is pan seared and paired with carrot purée. A softer salsa verde references chẩm chéo, leaving the palate clear and composed.
Soft Closings
A small selection of petit fours marks the closing, presented as a thoughtful trio. The sequence opens with a rose soaked in liquor, delicate in aroma yet controlled in sweetness. Floral notes come forward first, followed by gentle warmth and a faint bitter edge.
Comfort appears next through bánh gai filled with banana, familiar and grounding in character. Its glutinous shell carries subtle herbal tones, while ripe banana softens the bite. This piece brings warmth to the ending, without adding weight or intensity.
To finish, a jasmine and pomelo macaron offers clarity and restraint. Soft floral notes from jasmine meet the clean freshness of pomelo. Together, they leave the palate refreshed and unburdened.
What To Expect At The Hearth?
At Hearth, the experience is around warmth, seasonality, and thoughtful cooking. Chapter Dining’s new menu offers a Winter – Spring tasting journey inspired by Northern Vietnamese flavors, presented through a modern fine dining approach.
Cold Weather Ingredients At Their Peak
Hearth focuses on the image of a fire burning at the center of a Northern stilt house, steady and essential. Every dish leans into warmth, echoing how Northern Vietnamese cooking responds to cold weather. There are no raw elements in this menu, only ingredients transformed through heat, smoke, and time.
Mountain corn, carrot, potato, onion, and Vietnamese grains appear repeatedly for comfort and structure. Proteins such as wagyu beef, turbot, scallop, and Hai Phong crab are prepared to carry warmth rather than delicacy. Fermented plums, kombu, century egg, and chestnut add depth suited to colder months.
Even desserts follow this seasonal logic, favoring nuts, fermentation, and gentle sweetness over brightness. Hearth reflects Northern Vietnam at its most grounded moment, where warmth comes from the fire, not excess.
Unami As A Common Thread
At Chapter Dining’s new menu, umami anchors the menu, much like the hearth anchors a Northern Vietnamese home.
Rather than contrast, the progression favors continuity, so flavors to deepen as the meal unfolds. Phở broth with egg yolk and truffle opens the journey, introducing warmth through familiarity and slow extraction.
Oyster cream, smoked eel, and caviar continue this foundation, where salinity and smoke replace sharpness. Fire led mains build further depth through kombu grilled turbot, foie gras, mountain corn, and spiced sausage. Wagyu beef finished with bò sốt vang elements brings the thread to its richest expression.
Even the closing sweets carry savory undertones through fermented fruit, chestnut, chocolate, and rice. Throughout Hearth, umami is not a highlight but a constant. It reflects the soul of Northern Vietnamese cuisine.
Chapter Dining’s new menu, Hearth, marks the transition from winter to spring through the warmth of fire, refined craftsmanship, and inspirations drawn from Northern Vietnamese cuisine. Each course balances modern fine dining techniques with familiar regional flavors that evoke seasonality, memory, and a sense of place. Visit Chapter Dining to discover Hearth and experience the new Winter – Spring menu firsthand.
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Chapter Dining
12C Chan Cam, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi
Mon – Sat from 18:00 – 23:00
Tel: +84 333 201 221 – Reserve a table
Email: reservation@chapter.vn
