Cafe serves up dishes in a flower bed

Enticing: De Flore Coffee Bar offers a romantic place where foodies can relax and eat up. — VNS Photos Doan Tung De Flore Coffee Bar Add: No 32F, Ly Nam De St, Ha Noi Tel: 0904 799 795 Hours: Open every day until 10.30pm Price: Drinks from VND20,000 (US$1), food from VND30,000 ($1.5) Comments: Romantic atmosphere with flowers everywhere, delicious food which is well decorated

While it might feel a little like Europe, De Flore Coffee Bar provides Hanoians with a new romantic venue for food and drinks, Do Minh Thu reports.

While sipping an Italian smoothie in a sunny area of De Flore Coffee Bar, I feel like I'm whiling away the day in a European cafe.

Located at No 32F, Ly Nam De Street, De Flore Coffee Bar, with its modern, romantic and elegant design, reminds me of photographs of European restaurants.

De Flore has a consistent motif – images of foliage cover the interior.

"I love flowers. That's why I named it De Flore and designed it this way," says Tran Mai Lan, the owner.

"A space close to nature can bring people close together," she says. "I expect that everyone, both Vietnamese and foreigners, will be able to find a suitable corner in De Flore."

The food will also appeal to a wide audience. There are many offerings of both Vietnamese and Western variety.

A small, short path made of red bricks leads to an "outdoor" space that looks like a tiny garden with a swing, wooden benches painted white, big umbrellas to sit under and many trees.

I quickly pick a seat in front of a long aquarium where I can watch small, colourful fish swim around. In such a calm and serene atmosphere, the subtle and continuous movement of the fish gives me great pleasure.

As I lean against the bench, enjoying the artificial flower baskets that resemble a hanging garden, I realise that I am not actually sitting outside. The garden is covered by a large pane of glass that allows the sun to shine through.

Lan and her friends designed and decorated the coffee bar themselves. To create the peach tree, they travelled 30km from Ha Noi and carried the tree back to the coffee bar, cut out the unnecessary leaves and branches and stuck silk flowers onto it so that it would look perfect and natural in the corner of the space.

Yum:Rice with seafood and vegetables can be a wonderful lunch. Different take on cake: Banh tom (shrimp cake) is one of the Vietnamese specialities on the menu.

Besides the bench beneath the peach tree, you can choose to sit in a corner full of red hibiscuses, which Lan made out of paper and silk. Or you can sit in a corner surrounded by flowers and trees painted across the walls.

Just as I was losing myself while admiring the decor, the waiter brings me and my friend rice with braised pork and fried fish with crispy ginger, two popular Vietnamese dishes. They were delicious; far beyond my expectations.

We finish lunch each with a glass of refreshing yoghurt – dewberry for me and kiwi for my friend.

"Not only Vietnamese but foreigners will enjoy our menu as well," Lan says. "We have many Vietnamese dishes and will soon add more specialities."

De Flore Coffee Bar is a good place to have lunch and relax with friends. The flowers make it a cheerful place to spend time; and the food is delicious. Maybe next time I will come with someone special on a Sunday night to enjoy the live music.

The restaurant is both romantic for couples and a fun hang-out for big groups of friends. If a customer wants to do something romantic for his/her partner, the band will sing a requested song or allow the guest to take the stage. And The karaoke room on the second floor is perfect for large groups and parties.

Despite being on a busy street, De Flore Coffee Bar offers a tranquil and pleasant ambiance to the customers. If you want to enjoy a space full of nature or a small taste of Europe in the middle of bustling Ha Noi, you should definitely check it out. — VNS

Cafe serves up dishes in a flower bed

Enticing: De Flore Coffee Bar offers a romantic place where foodies can relax and eat up. — VNS Photos Doan Tung De Flore Coffee Bar Add: No 32F, Ly Nam De St, Ha Noi Tel: 0904 799 795 Hours: Open every day until 10.30pm Price: Drinks from VND20,000 (US$1), food from VND30,000 ($1.5) Comments: Romantic atmosphere with flowers everywhere, delicious food which is well decorated

While it might feel a little like Europe, De Flore Coffee Bar provides Hanoians with a new romantic venue for food and drinks, Do Minh Thu reports.

While sipping an Italian smoothie in a sunny area of De Flore Coffee Bar, I feel like I'm whiling away the day in a European cafe.

Located at No 32F, Ly Nam De Street, De Flore Coffee Bar, with its modern, romantic and elegant design, reminds me of photographs of European restaurants.

De Flore has a consistent motif – images of foliage cover the interior.

"I love flowers. That's why I named it De Flore and designed it this way," says Tran Mai Lan, the owner.

"A space close to nature can bring people close together," she says. "I expect that everyone, both Vietnamese and foreigners, will be able to find a suitable corner in De Flore."

The food will also appeal to a wide audience. There are many offerings of both Vietnamese and Western variety.

A small, short path made of red bricks leads to an "outdoor" space that looks like a tiny garden with a swing, wooden benches painted white, big umbrellas to sit under and many trees.

I quickly pick a seat in front of a long aquarium where I can watch small, colourful fish swim around. In such a calm and serene atmosphere, the subtle and continuous movement of the fish gives me great pleasure.

As I lean against the bench, enjoying the artificial flower baskets that resemble a hanging garden, I realise that I am not actually sitting outside. The garden is covered by a large pane of glass that allows the sun to shine through.

Lan and her friends designed and decorated the coffee bar themselves. To create the peach tree, they travelled 30km from Ha Noi and carried the tree back to the coffee bar, cut out the unnecessary leaves and branches and stuck silk flowers onto it so that it would look perfect and natural in the corner of the space.

Yum:Rice with seafood and vegetables can be a wonderful lunch. Different take on cake: Banh tom (shrimp cake) is one of the Vietnamese specialities on the menu.

Besides the bench beneath the peach tree, you can choose to sit in a corner full of red hibiscuses, which Lan made out of paper and silk. Or you can sit in a corner surrounded by flowers and trees painted across the walls.

Just as I was losing myself while admiring the decor, the waiter brings me and my friend rice with braised pork and fried fish with crispy ginger, two popular Vietnamese dishes. They were delicious; far beyond my expectations.

We finish lunch each with a glass of refreshing yoghurt – dewberry for me and kiwi for my friend.

"Not only Vietnamese but foreigners will enjoy our menu as well," Lan says. "We have many Vietnamese dishes and will soon add more specialities."

De Flore Coffee Bar is a good place to have lunch and relax with friends. The flowers make it a cheerful place to spend time; and the food is delicious. Maybe next time I will come with someone special on a Sunday night to enjoy the live music.

The restaurant is both romantic for couples and a fun hang-out for big groups of friends. If a customer wants to do something romantic for his/her partner, the band will sing a requested song or allow the guest to take the stage. And The karaoke room on the second floor is perfect for large groups and parties.

Despite being on a busy street, De Flore Coffee Bar offers a tranquil and pleasant ambiance to the customers. If you want to enjoy a space full of nature or a small taste of Europe in the middle of bustling Ha Noi, you should definitely check it out. — VNS