Little-known stories about prestigious Michelin stars

Sublime cuisine, elevated destination

Nearly two years after the valuable “handshake” between Sun Group and Michelin Guide, Vietnamese cuisine has gradually established its name and brand worldwide. The greatest significance of the Michelin Guide coming to Vietnam is not that the reputation, number of customers and revenue of the honored restaurants have all “upgraded”, but that it has brought a new position to Vietnamese cuisine in the international arena.

In 2022, the World Culinary Awards, part of the World Travel Awards system, honored Vietnam as “Asia’s Best Culinary Destination”. In 2023, Hanoi, with Vietnam’s first three Michelin-starred restaurants, continued to be honored by the World Culinary Awards as “Asia’s Best Emerging Culinary City Destination”.

These are the first culinary titles awarded to Vietnam since it was “caught the eye” of the Michelin Guide. “The appearance of the Michelin Guide in Vietnam has marked a turning point. The increasing number of Vietnamese culinary restaurants being evaluated, recognized and honored by Michelin will be an important premise to affirm Vietnamese cuisine and tourism on the world map and position the brand for Vietnamese tourism, strengthening customers' trust in the destination” – Mr. Ha Van Sieu, Deputy Director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism shared.

While at the first Michelin award ceremony in 2023, Vietnam only had 4 restaurants (one in Hanoi and 3 in Ho Chi Minh City) awarded stars and honored in the Michelin Guide - the world's leading culinary guide, the second time - in 2024, the number of Vietnamese restaurants awarded Michelin stars increased to 7. In addition, Michelin also honored 58 restaurants and dining establishments with the Bib Gourmand award for "good food quality, affordable prices" and 99 restaurants selected by Michelin (Michelin Selected).

La Maison 1888 is the first restaurant in Da Nang to be awarded 1 Michelin star.

In addition to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, Michelin Guide 2024 also honored Da Nang cuisine for the first time. Previously, although famous for its rich and diverse cuisine, Da Nang had never been internationally recognized in this field. This "catching the eye" of Michelin is expected to create a boost for Da Nang in particular and the Vietnamese tourism industry, creating new marks in cuisine and tourism.

Expressing his belief in the promotion of the destination Da Nang “after Michelin”, the leader of the Vietnam National Tourism Administration also affirmed: “The brilliance of a destination like Da Nang associated with Michelin makes the city’s appeal even stronger. Choosing Da Nang to evaluate and award stars is a very correct, accurate and quality direction of Michelin when this is an emerging destination, a city worth visiting and worth living”.

The story behind the Michelin “halo”

Having only “entered” Vietnam for nearly 2 years, the Michelin halo has clearly shown its surprising “influence” on Vietnamese cuisine. However, perhaps not many people know that behind the Michelin halo is the dedicated companionship of a business that is always concerned with the dream of bringing Vietnamese cuisine to the international level.

In recent times, in addition to being a destination partner, supporting the entire survey process and culinary experience journey of anonymous judges, Sun Group has also accompanied Michelin Guide through many events, including the Michelin Guide announcement event held in Ho Chi Minh City. Sun Group also regularly provides information on new tourism projects in Vietnam, so that Michelin Guide can add information to explore new destinations and new restaurants to make the Michelin Guide list more and more diverse.

Culinary artist Anh Tuyet at the Michelin Guide 2024 announcement ceremony

“In more than 40 countries where Michelin is present, as far as I know, most of them are state agencies that take care of connecting and cooperating with the Michelin Guide. However, in Vietnam, for the first time a private corporation has done this, which is a great contribution to the country. This proves the heart and vision of Sun Group, clearly showing the patriotism and aspiration to honor Vietnamese cuisine, bringing the quintessence of Vietnamese cuisine to the world of this corporation” – culinary artist Anh Tuyet shared.

Not only making efforts to contribute to bringing Michelin to Vietnam, Sun Group also has many contributions to raising the status of Vietnamese cuisine by pioneering in bringing many famous chefs in the world to Vietnam to serve high-class guests, or setting high-class and strict standards at prestigious restaurants in its system.

It is no coincidence that Hibana by Koki restaurant (part of Capella Hanoi hotel invested by Sun Group) has maintained the prestigious Michelin star title for the second consecutive year, proving that Japanese culinary art is being expressed in Vietnam. Meanwhile, Backstage restaurant - a place to honor the quintessence of Northern cuisine, and Izakaya by Koki restaurant of Capella Hanoi also continue to be proud to be honored by the prestigious guide with the Michelin Selected award (recommended by Michelin).

Food connoisseurs understand that, in addition to the unique architectural space designed “tailor-made” for each restaurant and the sophisticated service standards, the major factor that makes the difference between Capella’s two Japanese-style restaurants is the talent of chef Yamaguchi Hiroshi – who breathes life into the outstanding culinary style at Hibana by Koki restaurant with its unique Teppanyaki culinary style, and Izakaya by Koki restaurant with its pure Japanese delicacies.

“I am a perfectionist when it comes to Japanese cuisine. I focus on harmony throughout the cooking process, ensuring that every element of the dish blends seamlessly with the diner’s experience,” shares chef Yamaguchi Hiroshi’s philosophy.

La Maison 1888 not only serves fine cuisine but also offers a classy dining experience and space.

The dedication and meticulousness of the investor Sun Group is also clearly demonstrated at La Maison 1888 restaurant - the first restaurant in Da Nang to be awarded a Michelin star. With the investment of Sun Group, La Maison 1888 located in the InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort is the first restaurant in Vietnam to cooperate with world-famous chefs who own Michelin restaurants, first Michel Roux and then Pierre Gagnaire. Under the talented hands of these famous chefs, the restaurant has brought high-class French cuisine perfectly combined with local ingredients and flavors, creating a unique culinary experience that cannot be found anywhere else in Vietnam or even in the world.

Vietnamese cuisine is promoted thanks to Michelin stars

Sharing the reason for devoting so much effort and passion to raising the status of Vietnamese cuisine, Ms. Quynh Anh - Chairman of Sun Hospitality Group said: "We desire Vietnamese cuisine to have a worthy position on the world map. The fastest way to do this is for our cuisine to be evaluated according to international standards such as the Michelin Guide".

No longer “unknown” as before, Vietnamese cuisine has been rapidly rising in rank since being noticed by the Michelin Guide, and promises to become a “lever” to help Vietnamese tourism have a stronger rebound. “Vietnamese tourism will consider culinary culture as a strategic step and exploit it to position the competitiveness of Vietnamese tourism. And with the appearance of the Michelin Guide in Vietnam, Vietnamese culinary tourism and brand will be further affirmed,” said Mr. Ha Van Sieu.

Thanhnien.vn

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/chuyen-it-ai-biet-ve-nhung-ngoi-sao-michelin-danh-gia-18524071014194669.htm