Pan-Seared Vietnamese Seabass with Beurre Blanc
Maison Vie serves pan-seared Vietnamese seabass with beurre blanc: a Vietnamese sea bass fillet cooked skin-side down to a crackling crust, finished with a light beurre blanc and fresh citrus zest. It is 435,000đ à la carte, or the Classic Option in the fish course of the Menu Dégustation, in Hanoi.
A Vietnamese fish, a French technique
Most French restaurants in Hanoi fly their fish in from Europe. Maison Vie does the opposite: the fish is Vietnamese sea bass, and Nha Trang waters sit on the restaurant's published list of sourced origins alongside Hokkaido scallops, Sturia caviar from Aquitaine and Échiré AOP butter.
The reason is not economy. Nha Trang sea bass arrives the same day, and a fresher fish beats a grander one that has spent forty-eight hours in cold transit. What comes from France on this plate is not the ingredient. It is the cooking.
Crisp skin is a problem of water, not of heat
People assume crisp fish skin comes from a very hot pan. Heat is only half of it. The other half is water: until the moisture under the skin has driven off, that surface is steaming rather than frying, and its temperature cannot rise past boiling point.
So the fish is dried thoroughly before it meets the pan, and once it is skin-side down it does not move. Every lift to check sends steam back against the surface and undoes the work already done. The cook presses the fillet flat as well, because fish curls as it heats, and curled skin is skin that never crisps.
And here is the paradox of the dish: all the effort goes into the skin, but the verdict is delivered by the other side. Sea bass cooks within a very narrow window — half a minute past it, moist turns to dry and chalky. Cooking this well means finishing a patient job while a second clock runs against you.
The beurre blanc
The sauce is beurre blanc — the butter sauce of the Loire, built from shallots, white wine and cold butter whisked in piece by piece, with no flour and no cream. We wrote about that sauce at length in our article on French scallops, so here only the part that concerns the fish: beurre blanc is rich without being heavy, so it lifts the sweetness of the sea bass instead of covering it. A little citrus zest at the end cuts that richness and keeps the last mouthful as good as the first.
How to order it
There are two ways in. À la carte it is a complete main course. In the Menu Dégustation it is one of three choices in the fish course:
| Option (fish course) | Dish | Supplement |
|---|---|---|
| Signature | Miso-marinated black cod — brown butter — seasonal greens | None |
| Classic | Pan-seared Vietnamese seabass — beurre blanc — citrus note | None |
| Premium | Roasted langoustine — brown butter | +150,000đ |
The Menu Dégustation runs from 855,000đ for three courses to 1,595,000đ for seven. Choosing the sea bass does not raise the price of the menu — it is the classic choice, not the supplemented one. The full à la carte menu lists everything served by the plate.
What to drink
The wine the restaurant lists against this exact dish in the Menu Dégustation is Pascal Jolivet « Attitude » Sauvignon Blanc — an organic Loire Sauvignon, which is to say the sauce's own river. Two alternatives, depending on which way you want to lean:
| Wine | Region | Bottle |
|---|---|---|
| Pascal Jolivet « Attitude » Sauvignon Blanc (organic) | Val de Loire IGP | 1,900,000đ |
| Gustave Lorentz Riesling | Alsace AOC | 1,450,000đ |
| Louis Latour Chablis « La Chanfleure » | Chablis AOC, Burgundy | 2,950,000đ |
Our own list describes Alsace as dry, mineral Riesling that is “ideal for Asian spice” — worth considering if your table is mixing Vietnamese dishes in. Chablis, by that same list, carries “oyster-shell tension”. The full wine list and our wine pairing guide go further.
Booking details
Pan-seared seabass with beurre blanc — 435,000đ as a main course. Prices exclude a 5% service charge and 10% VAT. The dish contains fish, milk and sulphites; tell us about allergies in advance and the kitchen will prepare an alternative.
Maison Vie is open daily 11:00–14:00 and 17:30–22:00 at 28 Tăng Bạt Hổ, Hai Bà Trưng, Hanoi. The kitchen is led by Chef Joel F. Tisserand, with more than 40 years in French kitchens. Book on +84 904 150 383 or through our contact page; for larger groups or a room of your own, see private dining. If you would rather have meat than fish, read our article on pan-seared duck breast.
Frequently asked questions
Where does Maison Vie's sea bass come from?
It is Vietnamese sea bass. Nha Trang waters appear on the restaurant's published list of sourced origins, alongside Hokkaido scallops, Sturia caviar from Aquitaine and Échiré AOP butter.
What is beurre blanc?
It is the butter sauce of the Loire: shallots and white wine reduced almost dry, then cold butter whisked in piece by piece until silky. No flour, no cream. It holds together on temperature alone and splits if it gets too hot.
How do you get the skin crisp without drying the fish?
Dry the skin before it touches the pan, press the fillet flat, and do not move the fish once it is skin-side down. The difficulty is that sea bass is only correctly cooked within a narrow window, so the skin has to crisp before the flesh goes past it.
What does it cost, and is it on a set menu?
435,000đ à la carte, excluding a 5% service charge and 10% VAT. In the Menu Dégustation it is the Classic Option of the fish course and carries no supplement.
Which wine goes with it?
The wine listed for this dish is Pascal Jolivet « Attitude » Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire — the sauce's own region. For more mineral tension choose Chablis; for aromatics, and for a table that also has Vietnamese dishes on it, choose the Alsace Riesling.
Should I book in advance?
Booking is advisable at weekends, for larger parties and whenever you need a private room. Call +84 904 150 383 or reserve online through our contact page.