Review: Le Comptoir - is it worth its award-winning status?

restaurant reviewreviewdanang
Written By Jovel Chan

I celebrated New Year’s at Le Comptoir back in December 2021 after the peak of the pandemic in Vietnam and remembered slugging glasses of champagne, reveling in merriment with my friends and not much else except for one of the most tender steaks I’ve had in my life. So, when I finally got to visit Le Comptoir again exactly two years later in December 2023, I was ecstatic, to say the least. 

Meet the founders: French-Italian hospitality duo Olivier Corti and Myriam Moretto

The cozy ‘family-run’ 46-seater restaurant is led by dynamic hospitality French-Italian duo Olivier Corticchiato and Myriam Moretto, who moved together to Vietnam after working in the star-studded kitchens of Chateau Eza in France before making the 14-hour leap across the world. It was Myriam who first got the opportunity to work at Pierre Gagnaire in the acclaimed Intercontinental in Danang as a Sommelier back in 2016 (yes, Myriam not only runs the front-of-house but also curates Le Comptoir’s wine selection). Olivier quickly followed and let’s just say the rest is history.

Today, this once 10-seater restaurant, which expanded not once but thrice, is not only fully booked on most nights by locals and tourists alike but also one of ‘Vietnam’s Top 25 Restaurants’ as awarded at the 2023 Robb Report Gourmet Collection.

The Menu

Yet, despite its shiny status, a dinner here will not cost you an arm and a leg (just yet). A five-course set menu here starts from 1,390,000 vnd (57 usd) and goes up to 2,190,000 vnd (74 usd) for seven courses. Wine pairing starts at 728,000 vnd and quite perhaps my favourite menu item: the discovery three-glass wine pairing (640,000 vnd) for the less tolerant like myself.

Question: Should more restaurants offer a wine pairing option with fewer glasses? Let me know in the comments below

Le Comptoir’s set menu

I had the five-course set menu with oysters to start and was stuffed. However, I highly recommend the full experience, which comes with foie gras Crème Brûlée, pumpkin soup, and a pigeon main, for those craving something heartier. And while optional, the cheese course is a must.

The Space

While deceivingly small, Le Comptoir opens up into two separate dining rooms, a newly-opened French-inspired deli - L'épicerie du Comptoir - a sleek wooden chef counter and a soon-to-open al fresco garden area where Chef Olivier has hopes of growing his own herbs and spices. 

Le Comptoir’s new in-house deli

If you have the luxury of grabbing a counter seat like I did, you’ll hear the charismatic Chef Olivier spewing kitchen commands in a mish-mash of Vietnamese, French and English - just like his cuisine, which he self-describes as ‘traditional French cuisine but… different’.

What he means is a playful take on popular French staples that result in dishes like Foie Gras Crème Brûlée, which I had the pleasure of discovering (and devouring with much delight) later on the evening.

Table for one at the Chef Counter!

The Food

Oysters flown in twice a month from France!

Ask Chef Olivier what Le Comptoir’s bestseller is and he’ll say the ‘oysters’, and for good reason. Oysters here are as fresh as they come and shipped twice a month from France. The oysters I had for dinner were alive and in the water less than 4 days ago. The result: shucked oysters that are plump, meaty, and mineral with salty wisps that offer a teleporting experience that conveys the merroir of France. 

Foie Gras Crème Brûlée with hibiscus jam

The standout star of the evening was undeniably Chef Olivier’s Foie Gras Crème Brûlée topped with hibiscus jam and homemade spiced gingerbread, which arrives deceivingly similar to the dessert! Here, raw and cooked foie gras are blended together, baked, and left to sit for a day to derive its creamy texture while keeping its rich and moreish flavour. Smear a generous dollop of foie gras on the biscotti followed by a sip of Bestheim Riesling and let’s just say you have got yourself a winner. 

Pigeon done two ways

For the main, I opt for Le Comptoir’s Pigeon done two ways: confit like a tempura and sous vide, both seared on a bed of spiced carrot, vine leaves, and truffle jus from France. 

While optional, the cheese course is not to be missed. Arriving in classic Gueridon-style, the cheese trolley serves up a mish-mash of cheeses (mostly from France) straight from the restaurant’s in-house deli. From crowd favorites like Truffle Manchego to the infamous pungent, creamy, and salty Époisses, a seasonal selection of cheeses is on rotation here you’ll always have a reason to return.

Jovel Chan
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