Controversy surrounding Michelin's list.

The list of 103 restaurants selected by Michelin, the first to meet the Michelin Guide standards for Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, announced on the evening of June 6th, has sparked mixed reactions.

The list of 70 Michelin Selected restaurants (restaurants recommended by the Michelin Guide) has sparked much controversy.

Alongside congratulations and praise, many netizens on various forums believe the assessment is unfair. Many argue that the Michelin experts chosen to evaluate the restaurants are foreign diners and therefore cannot fully understand and appreciate Vietnamese cuisine .

In reality, Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi have many delicious and long-standing eateries that are not mentioned. Meanwhile, Michelin also selected too many pho restaurants but overlooked Vietnam's famous banh mi.

Netizens also commented that many of the names on the list had ordinary, unappealing flavors. The list of nominees included many restaurants that were unusual in terms of street food, which is very popular in Vietnam.

The crab and tomato soup at Ngon Garden, a restaurant honored by Michelin in the list of 70 Michelin-recommended restaurants/eateries.

Given the attention from the community and social media, Gwendal Poullennec, International Director of Michelin Guide, said he was very pleased to receive this interest.

According to Gwendal Poullennec, the public's debate and discussion surrounding the Michelin list will contribute to elevating Vietnamese cuisine in particular and international cuisine in general.

Further elaborating on the controversial results, Mr. Gwendal stated that the Michelin Guide has an independent evaluation process, separate from that of individual restaurants. The evaluators work completely anonymously to ensure no factors influence the results. While many evaluators visit each restaurant, each one only once, never returning to ensure the established process is followed.

The Prime Minister of Luxembourg enjoyed Vietnamese cuisine at Quan An Ngon, a restaurant honored by Michelin in the list of 70 Michelin-recommended restaurants/eateries.

"The final result is the outcome of a collective body of evaluators, not of any single individual. We guarantee that a Michelin star in Ho Chi Minh City, Tokyo, or Paris is of the same quality," Mr. Gwendal affirmed.

According to a representative from Michelin Guide, the judging panel comes from 20 countries, and the award has been presented in over 40 countries and territories. Despite its international standards, Michelin still emphasizes the unique identity of each country. And, as has always been the case, Michelin faces challenges when entering any country for the first time, not just in Vietnam.

Mr. Nguyen Xuan Quynh, Secretary General of the Vietnam Chefs Association, acknowledged receiving some mixed opinions from professionals in the field. These are understandable feelings, as cuisine, like beauty, is subjective. What is delicious to one person may not necessarily be to another.

However, according to Mr. Nguyen Xuan Quynh, Michelin has its own independent evaluation criteria, the same methods they have used for the past hundred years in other countries. It is no coincidence that, to this day, the culinary communities of many countries still respect the value that Michelin provides.

This visually appealing appetizer was prepared by Chef Sam Tran from GIA restaurant.

Ms. Pham Bich Hanh, owner of the Quan An Ngon and Ngon Garden restaurant chains, believes that time will provide the best answer to assessments of quality.

With Ngon Restaurant and Ngon Garden included in the list of 70 recommended restaurants/eateries, Ms. Pham Bich Hanh emphasized that the Michelin award is a great motivation for restaurants to strive and improve their services. This is an honor but also a responsibility for these establishments to affirm their name and brand.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/du-lich-xanh/tranh-luan-trai-chieu-ve-danh-sach-vinh-danh-cua-michelin-20230607181404922.htm