One Star on the Flag, One Star from Michelin

Ahhh le French.

When a country formerly occupied by the French gets a nod from a famous French tire manufacturer, one takes notice.

Yes, that’s right, Vietnam has one star on its national flag, and one star from the Michelin Guide.

Anăn Saigon, which literally means “eat, eat”, is the first and only Michelin Star restaurant in Vietnam.

After years of cooking abroad in Hong Kong, Bangkok, and the mad scientist culinary lab of Alinea in Chicago, Chef Peter Cuong Franklin returned to Vietnam to open up a fine dining establishment highlighting the rich and diverse cuisine of the country.

The restaurant offers two tasting menus and I opted for the 13 course chef’s tasting menu and the wine pairing which was simply one glass of white for the first half of the menu, and a glass for red for the second half.

The menu focuses on refined interpretations of classic Vietnamese dishes from various regions of the country.

The tuna tartare in a rice paper cone was a delicious little amuse bouche, a local twist on the famous salmon tartare cone of Thomas Keller.

The second dish, the foie gras spring roll is by far the best bite of food I had in Vietnam. It was so unctuous, crispy on the outside, rich creamy foie gras on the inside, truffle because fuck it…it’s truffle, and some fresh micro herbs on top to balance out the flavor. I ended up going back to the restaurant a few days later to enjoy this dish again.

Another standout was the miniature bánh mì, a light baguette that was more like a crispy bread shell than an actual bread, stuffed with an uni pâté and topped with a thin slice of wagyu beef and of course osteria caviar. Divine.

A spherified one bite pho was a clever and delicious way to present probably the most known Vietnamese dish. Anytime there is spherification happening, you know the chef is striving for something.

The black cod was succulent and perfectly cooked, as was the lamb. I also really enjoyed the coconut ice cream served in the coconut, with a little bit of caviar on top. This was particularly tickling for me as I love fresh coconuts, and the salty savory notes from the caviar just sent it over the top.

The menu was so well put together and had an array of flavors that really paid homage to local staples, while elevating them with creative techniques and luxury ingredients.

I don’t think that Saigon was really my vibe overall, however, next time I am on my way to Hoi An to get some custom clothes made, I’ll be sure to fly into Saigon and spend the night, just to eat at Anăn Saigon.