Four restaurants in Vietnam on the evening of June 4 were awarded a star for the first time by the Michelin Guide, the world's most prestigious culinary ranking organization.
The first 4 Vietnamese restaurants to be awarded a Michelin star include Anan Saigon restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City; Gia, Hibana by Koki and Tam Vi, are all in Hanoi.
Anan Saigon used to be the only restaurant in Vietnam that entered the top 50 best restaurants in Asia in early 2023. Gia Restaurant is the workplace of Chef Sam Tran - a talented young chef recognized by Michelin. Hibana by Koki serves authentic Japanese cuisine and is located in a 5-star hotel in Hanoi. Tam Vi is a popular restaurant with a menu full of Vietnamese dishes, priced from 200.000 VND per person.
“We went 6 months without a customer and now everyone has accepted Anan Saigon’s dishes,” the restaurant owner said when receiving the “star”, about the difficult start-up period 6 years ago.
Representatives of the first restaurants in Vietnam received a Michelin star in Hanoi on the evening of June 6. Photo: Phuong Anh
“Star” is the rating system of the Michelin Guide, the world's most prestigious food ranking organization. One star for the restaurant "with good quality food, worthy of stopping to enjoy". Two stars is "a restaurant with excellent food quality, worthy of returning guests". Three stars (the highest) is a place where "the quality of the food is excellent, worthy of planning to come and enjoy".
In addition to 4 Michelin-starred restaurants, 103 restaurants in Vietnam were shortlisted according to three Michelin Selected categories (recommended by Michelin); Michelin Guide Special Awards (special awards) and Bib Gourmand (delicious eateries at affordable prices).
70 Michelin-recommended restaurants (Michelin Selected), including 32 in Hanoi and 38 in Ho Chi Minh City. The list includes some popular names such as Cha Ca Anh Vu, Bun Cha Huong Lien (Bun Cha Obama), A Ban Mountain Dew, and Pho Ga Cham.
The list of Bib Gourmand includes 29 restaurants, of which 13 are in Hanoi and 16 in Ho Chi Minh City, including some representatives such as 1946 Cua Bac, Bun Cha Ta, Cha Ca Thang Long, Hello friend, Pho 10 Ly Quoc Su, Kitchen Mom in, Chay Garden, Ba Ghien broken rice.
Three Michelin Guide Special Awards were awarded, including Somelier Award (Award for expert bartender) to Mr. Yu Yamamoto, Service Award (Award for quality of service) to Chef Nguyen Thi Nu - Vietnam House Restaurant and Young Chef Award (Award for young talented chef) to Chef Sam Tran - Gia Restaurant.
Restaurants in the Michelin Guide must meet the following criteria: Food quality; Cooking techniques; Harmony and balance of flavors; Chef Personality and Food Consistency. The appraisal team only visits the restaurants once to evaluate.
Ngo Thi Phi Nga, owner of Au Trieu beef noodle shop, one of the names in the Bib Gourmand category, said that she feels very happy and honored to be on the list of Michelin awards. She hopes that after Vietnam has restaurants mentioned by Michelin, Vietnamese cuisine will be more famous and known to tourists.
“We hope to welcome more domestic and foreign guests,” the 30-year-old owner of the beef pho restaurant shared.
According to VNE
