Michelin's anonymous appraisers spread throughout Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City for a year, enjoying and evaluating restaurants to "find pearls".
On the evening of June 6 in Hanoi, for the first time, the Michelin Guide honored 6 restaurants and individuals in 106 categories: Michelin Stars (Michelin stars), Michelin Selected (Michelin recommended), Bib Gourmand (delicious eateries with affordable prices) and Michelin Guide Special Awards (special awards). In the most prestigious "star" category, they found four one-star restaurants, in Mechilin's three-star scale.
Michelin Guide International Director Gwendal Poullennec (far left) poses for a photo with three representatives from a Michelin-starred restaurant: Gia, Hibana by Koki and Tam Vi, and Nguyen Thi Nu, winner of the Service Award in the Michelin Guide Special Awards category.
In order to have the above announcement ceremony, the appraisers went to assess the quality of food establishments in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City for a year. However, they had observed Vietnamese cuisine for a long time before. “Your culinary background has reached maturity, stability and quality enough for Michelin Guide to decide to publish the list”, Michelin Guide International Director Gwendal Poulllennec shared the reason why Michelin came to Vietnam to award the star during today's press conference in Hanoi.
The experts were “delighted to have the opportunity to work in Vietnam”, visiting and evaluating many restaurants and establishments. Their desire is to find chefs and restaurants - the jewels of Vietnamese cuisine.
Appraisers are people who have studied, experienced in the field of restaurants, cooking and are full-time professionals. They are not only trained in knowledge but also have long enough experience to understand Vietnamese cuisine. They are also completely anonymous to ensure fairness, transparency and professionalism.
Many restaurants and eateries in the two cities have different establishments. The appraiser team should make sure to visit any of those branches for an assessment. Each place will have many appraisers come to enjoy, at different times.
Appraisers will go out to eat about 300 times a year in the morning and at noon. They try dishes, enjoy different cooking styles, visit many restaurants from high-end to popular. What they do in Vietnam is also how Michelin Guide does with other cuisines around the world.
Each appraiser will not visit the same restaurant twice in order to comply with the Michelin Guide, making the assessment process as stable and seamless as possible. “In order for food enthusiasts around the world to read and believe the recommendations of the Michelin Guide, we make sure that the one-star restaurant in Tokyo, Ho Chi Minh City, Paris or New York is of the same quality,” says Poulllennec.
Appraisers recognized the different cooking styles between the two cities. Ho Chi Minh City is an open, dynamic city with many creative ways of preparing food. Hanoi has an authentic cuisine, using lots of fresh local ingredients and traditional recipes.
Michelin experts commend the team of young Vietnamese chefs who have an innovative spirit in cuisine. They are the ones who will contribute to bring the brightness to Vietnamese cuisine. “We encourage young chefs to be more courageous and to promote their creativity in food preparation,” said a Michelin Guide representative.
Gwendal Poulllennec said that the 103 restaurants honored on the night of June 6 is just the first list in Vietnam. Each year, the Michelin Guide team continues to bring new listings in line with the development of the local culinary industry.
“We are very pleased to receive great interest from the community about the first Michelin Guide list in Vietnam. The views and exchange around the award will help us have a better awareness of Vietnamese cuisine,” said Gwendal Poullennec.
Phuong Anh
