Sofitel Knows Chocolate

By Sandra Scott

We know how to spell “chocolate.” We spell it S-O-F-I-T-E-L! A year ago we were in Hanoi and feasted on the Chocolate Buffet at the historic Sofitel Metropol Hotel. It was an incredible once-in-lifetime experience—or so we thought. This year we stayed at the Sofitel in Dalat, Vietnam. The Sofitel Palace is another classic hotel, built in 1922, in the same genre as the Metropole.

When we went to afternoon tea and saw the elaborate chocolate display in a variety of flavors—strawberry, mint, and orange, John said, “This seems appropriate. The Dalat Palace is a lot like its sister hotel, the Metropole.” We enjoyed our high tea in the Le Rabelais Restaurant with a view reminiscent of a Renoir painting, with a sweeping lawn that reached down to the lake. We loved Dalat with its eternal springtime climate. We took the cable car to a mountaintop with a temple, rode the coaster car down to beautiful waterfalls, and visited the unique Crazy House. A week later we checked into the Sofitel in Ho Chi Minh City and noticed the chocolate display at their delicatessen and we began to see a trend.

One night at the Saigon Sofitel we had dinner at the Cafe Rivoli, which offered an extensive international buffet. Dinner was incredible, with BBQ pork, sushi, and many delicious dishes with names we didn’t recognize. But we did recognize the wonderful chocolate truffles on the dessert table. One of the staff told us, “If you like these chocolates you must try our Chocolate Buffet in the L’Elysee Bar.”

Chocolate buffet! The next day John took a cooking lesson. After he received his graduation diploma from the Vietnam Cookery Center, we made sure we were back at the Sofitel Saigon in time for the 3 o’clock chocolate buffet. Pastry Chef Tran Thi Trang was just checking the display of her special creations. “What is your favorite chocolate we asked?” We were not surprised when she replied, “The dark chocolate.” That John’s favorite, too. But my favorite was something I hadn’t seen on any of the other Sofitel chocolate buffets—the caramel chocolate candy on a stick. It was truly scrumptious. John, always health conscious, went for the fruit dipped in dark chocolate.

“Where did you learn to make such truly scrumptious chocolate?” I asked. Ms. Tran Thi Trang explained that in the beginning she taught herself, then learned from others, but now the Sofitel has its own educational programs that bring noted chefs from France and other places to teach their staff. Recently she attended classes in Shanghai.

The chocolate buffet at the Saigon Sofitel is not as extensive as the ones in Dalat and Hanoi. Chef Tran Thi Trang explained, “Chocolate is not as popular with the Vietnamese as it is with some other nationalities plus it is difficult to make the chocolate in hot and humid Saigon. We keep it in a cooler but when we bring it out it weeps and that does not make for beautiful presentation.” Even so, we decided that the Sofitel Hotels in Vietnam were wonderful places for chocoholics. We thought it was unique to the Vietnam Sofitels. Then we flew to Manila and checked into the Sofitel. Lo! And Behold! More chocolate. It was displayed like fine jewels. John bought a box from Ivy, “for later” he said. Not to worry, I told him. When you need a chocolate fix, we will just check into a Sofitel. They know chocolate.

Visit  www.sofitel.com.

Sandra Scott is a frequent contributor to travel publications and to Creators Syndicate
and has co-authored two books on local history. She lives in Mexico, NY.

Photos by Sandra and J. J. Scott.

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