A seasoned chef with 28 years experience at stoves from Melbourne to Shanghai, from London to Costa Rica assumes command this month of the kitchens at one of Vietnam’s most storied hotels, the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi.
As the hotel’s new executive chef, Nicholas Shadbolt will oversee operations at the French restaurant, Le Beaulieu; Vietnamese restaurant, Spices Garden; Italian restaurant, Angelina; and in the hotel’s three bars, Le Club, La Terasse and Bamboo Bar.
Shadbolt’s migration to Hanoi comes after a year in China, working at Sofitel properties in Shanghai and Nanjing where he managed kitchens plating Chinese and Italian food. In China, he worked to elevate standards across the board and to ensure compliance with contemporary culinary standards.
While many chefs cultivate careers in particular sectors of the world, with one or two forays into completely foreign fields, Shadbolt’s path through the ’80s, ’90s, ’00s and into the ’10s has been a peripatetic adventure. From a foundation in London, he moved on to Australia, and then out to Hong Kong and Macau, to Saudi Arabia and Lebanon, to Costa Rica, and back again.
“I’ve always thought of all the world as my oyster,” said Shadbolt. “Every next destination becomes my favorite place in the world.”
His career includes stints with such lofty establishments as the Ritz-Carlton, with the InterContinental, Wynn and Marriott, with independent hotels and stand-alone restaurants.
Opened in 1901, Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi reigns as the Grande Dame of Vietnamese hospitality and one of Southeast Asia’s most iconic hotels. In 2009, the hotel became the first in the Sofitel portfolio to acquire distinction as a ‘Legend’ hotel.
The 364-room hotel was completely renovated in June 2009. Its historic Metropole Wing features suites named for Charlie Chaplin, Somerset Maugham and Graham Greene, each of whom stayed at the Metropole during his time in colonial Indochina. The hotel’s restaurants include Spices Garden (Vietnamese), Le Beaulieu (French) and Angelina (Italian).
