French President eats vermicelli soup with crab and stir-fried water spinach with garlic in Hanoi's Old Quarter

(Dan Tri) - On the third day of his visit to Vietnam, French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife enjoyed Vietnamese dishes at a restaurant in the heart of the old town.

A month ago, while in Hoi An, Mr. Didier Corlou – a veteran chef and owner of a Vietnamese restaurant on Hang Be Street, Hanoi – suddenly received a call from a staff member informing him that the French Embassy wanted to book a lunch table for a special guest.

As a Vietnamese son-in-law who has been attached to his wife's homeland for more than 30 years, and who had the honor of serving many heads of state while working at the Metropole Hotel, Mr. Didier was not worried about this request. However, the male chef was still curious about the identity of the VIP guest.

Mr. Didier (second from left) with his wife (in black ao dai) and son (in blue vest) took a photo with the French President and his wife (Photo: Provided by the character).

"Through working sessions with Embassy staff, I learned that the guest was the French President and his wife. The preparation process over the past month took place quietly, I had to keep this important event a secret," Mr. Didier Corlou shared with Dan Tri reporter .

Vermicelli with crab and stir-fried morning glory on the lunch menu

According to plan, the lunch will have about 50 guests including famous Vietnamese artists invited by the French President and their accompanying delegation.

In addition to ensuring thoughtful facilities, the highlight of lunch will be the special menu used to treat special guests.

For many days, he struggled and devoted himself to choosing a sophisticated and familiar menu, contributing to fully introducing the beauty of Vietnamese cuisine to French friends.

"I did not put expensive ingredients like foie gras or Wagyu beef... on the menu, but chose purely Vietnamese dishes, combining simple foods and spices like Vietnamese coriander, perilla leaves, Ly Son garlic... to impress the French delegation," the male chef shared.

Mr. Didier initially planned to include duck meat and fried tofu on the menu, but the plan had to change when the French side provided a list of foods that the President did not eat. The experienced chef quickly found an alternative that would preserve the soul of Vietnamese cuisine while still satisfying European diners.

"The French President does not eat seaweed, mango, tofu, duck meat, river fish and MSG. He likes spicy spices and herbs.

Up until now, our restaurant has never used MSG, only using bone broth or fish sauce for seasoning," the male chef revealed.

The French delegation's lunch lasted 75 minutes. With this time, chef Didier had to carefully calculate to create a suitable menu, ensure the service pace and help the 50 guests enjoy the most.

The male chef directly came up with the menu ideas and continuously adjusted them. After that, the list of dishes was sent to France for the Presidential Palace in Paris to choose. Because of the importance of the party, the French side sent staff to Vietnam twice to directly enjoy the dishes to evaluate the quality and give detailed comments before finalizing the menu.

The appearance of the French President and his wife attracted much attention (Photo: Character provided).

The final menu selection includes: Vermicelli with crab and Vietnamese coriander; hot and cold appetizers (including rice rolls, spring rolls, fried spring rolls, papaya salad); cod, shrimp and squid in lotus leaves; stir-fried morning glory with Ly Son garlic; chocolate cake and black sesame ice cream.

"The staff of the French Presidential Palace basically agreed with the menu I proposed. They only asked to change the dessert from banana cake and caramel cream to chocolate cake and black sesame cream," he revealed.

At 7am on May 27, Chef Didier woke up and discussed the special lunch plan with his 12 kitchen staff - all of whom are his students. The restaurant's kitchen, which is usually bustling every morning, was even busier and more urgent yesterday.

Talking about the four-course menu, he affirmed that each dish is equally important and carefully prepared. The French chef followed the restaurant’s usual recipe, changing only a few small details to create something special.

Specifically, in the crab noodle soup, in addition to the usual ingredients, he added lemongrass-wrapped shrimp.

"The crushed shrimp wrapped around the lemongrass stick is placed in the vermicelli bowl to decorate the dish and enhance the flavor from the aroma of lemongrass. I hope this small detail contributes to elevating vermicelli with crab soup - a rustic dish of the Vietnamese people," he revealed.

The French President came to Vietnam in early summer, which is also the season of lotus flowers. Therefore, Mr. Didier included seafood dishes (cod, shrimp, squid) steamed in lotus leaves on the menu.

The male chef said that when the lotus leaf is opened, the aroma of the dish and the gentle scent of the leaves blend together, spreading out, making diners feel the elegance of Vietnamese cuisine. However, the special feature of this dish comes from the Buddha's hand peel slices used to enhance the aroma.

"Many people think Buddha's hand fruit is inedible, but that's not true. Buddha's hand peel can replace orange or lemon peel. Staff peel Buddha's hand peel directly at the table and add it to the dish, creating a gentle aroma rich in Vietnamese identity," he shared.

Menu of dishes served to the French President and his wife at the restaurant (Photo: Provided by the character).

Having been in the kitchen since the age of 14, and having spent decades pursuing his passion for the culinary world , he believes that the most difficult thing is not only to prepare a delicious dish but also to "respect the taste" of the heads of state. The secret is nothing other than thoroughly understanding the eating style of each leader, listening carefully to their food requirements and dining habits.

"I appreciate every moment of preparing food in the kitchen, because it is not just cooking but also a way for a chef to contribute to promoting Vietnamese cuisine - a country that I have loved since I first set foot here to work in 1991," Mr. Didier confided.

Food preparation and serving process is closely monitored.

To ensure the most attentive service, Mr. Michel Minh - Mr. Didier's son - flew from Cannes to Hanoi to support his father. He had known the President and his wife would be visiting the restaurant for a few weeks, but due to security requirements, he had to keep the preparation process a secret.

"I had a meeting and selected 15 of the restaurant chain's most capable employees. The whole team practiced the service process many times to ensure smoothness in every movement, especially to avoid mistakes," he said.

In addition to the facilities, the French side closely monitors safety from the kitchen to the dining table.

"In the kitchen, there is someone from the Presidential Palace who observes the entire preparation process. Another person will follow the staff closely when carrying the food to the second floor. Before the President and his wife enjoy it, the dish is checked one more time," revealed Mr. Michel Minh.

The delegation's dining area was arranged in a restaurant space in an ancient building in the heart of Hanoi's Old Quarter. The second floor was where the French President and his wife and guests had lunch, while the first floor was reserved for the accompanying delegation.

The French President and his wife chat with Mr. Didier and his wife before getting in the car (Photo: Provided by the character).

Normally, the second floor is the dining area for guests with small tables placed parallel to each other in two rows. To suit the cozy requirements of the party, the restaurant staff combined the small tables into a long table, placed in the middle of the room of about 60 square meters.

"With the desire to respect the privacy of the President, First Lady and guests, we did not film or take photos, and turned off all cameras.

15 employees are divided into different positions, of which 11 are responsible for serving food, 2 are pouring water and 2 are pouring wine," the young man shared.

The second floor area where the French President, his wife and guests enjoy lunch (Photo: Character provided).

Mr. Michel Minh took on the most important position at the party – the person who directly served the dishes to the French President and his wife. Previously, he had the honor of serving former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, so he was not nervous, just focused on serving each dish to perfection.

French President likes the taste of perilla leaves

After 12 o'clock, security around the restaurant was tightened. The French President and his wife stepped out of the black car to the amazement of everyone. Seeing Mr. Emmanuel Macron and Mrs. Brigitte Macron, many tourists waved. The French head of state responded with a friendly smile.

After shaking hands with the restaurant staff, the President and his wife went upstairs to dine.

According to Mr. Michel Minh, before enjoying the food, Mr. Emmanuel Macron held the menu and chatted intimately with the Vietnamese guests to learn about each dish.

"Standing next to the French President and his wife, I felt their friendliness and openness. Mr. Emmanuel Macron enjoyed the vermicelli soup with crab and steamed seafood in lotus leaves," he said.

At the end of lunch, the French President praised Vietnamese cuisine. He expressed his impression of the taste of perilla leaves.

Before leaving the restaurant, Mr. Emmanuel Macron shook hands with each employee, took photos and talked with Mr. Didier about Vietnamese spices.

The French President and his wife took a souvenir photo with restaurant staff (Photo: Provided by the character).

With over 50 years of experience, the male chef felt honored when the French President praised the "very delicious food" and thanked him for the thoughtful reception.

"The President expressed his impression that the spices and herbs were used skillfully so that after finishing the meal, he did not feel heavy.

As a chef and restaurant owner, receiving compliments from a head of state makes me feel emotional," Mr. Didier confided.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/du-lich/tong-thong-phap-an-bun-rieu-rau-muong-xao-toi-giua-pho-co-ha-noi-20250528084211485.htm