Ky Dong chicken pho and vermicelli continue to be named in this year's Bib Gourmand category - Photo: Saigoneer
In the Bib Gourmand 2024 category (for delicious and affordable restaurants) recently announced by Michelin Guide, in Ho Chi Minh City, out of 24 establishments, there are 8 pho restaurants.
This makes some diners disagree and upset; because according to them, pho is not a typical dish of Ho Chi Minh City.
Michelin reviewers "only know pho?"
Looking at the list of establishments named in the Bib Gourmand 2024 category, it can be seen that pho seems to be a special favorite and favor of Michelin's anonymous judges.
In Hanoi, out of 18 establishments, there are 5 pho restaurants, including pho 10 Ly Quoc Su (Hoan Kiem), Au Trieu beef pho, Nguyet chicken pho, traditional pho (Hoan Kiem) and pho Khoi Hoi.
Among 24 establishments in Ho Chi Minh City, there are 8 pho restaurants including: Pho Chao, Pho Hoa Pasteur, Pho Hoang, Pho Huong Binh, Pho Le (District 5), Pho Minh, Pho Phuong and Ky Dong chicken noodle soup.
"Although not the hometown of pho, Saigon has 8 pho restaurants listed in the Bib Gourmand category by Michelin Guide," Ha Phan wrote on her personal Facebook page.
Pho Hoang on Nguyen Tri Phuong street
Commenting under the post on the Michelin Guide fanpage, Duy Loi asked: "All pho?".
Lan Anh Dinh said that "there is no diversity here other than pho"; while Nguyen Nguyen said that the Michelin Guide reviewers "only know pho or something".
Some others were "displeased" because this list rarely includes broken rice and noodle shops, while these are typical dishes of Saigon.
Besides those who criticize, there are also those who are excited "will invite you to eat the whole list". "Eat according to your taste, you praise, I criticize or vice versa. All statistics are meaningless", another person commented.
Pho Huong Binh is the present-day name of Hien Vuong chicken pho (1975) - Photo: FBNH
"Michelin focuses on the whole"
Is Ho Chi Minh City the hometown of pho that Michelin Guide chose 8 pho restaurants out of 24 establishments?
Speaking to Tuoi Tre Online , Mr. Chiem Thanh Long - Vice President of the Vietnam Culinary Association, said that Michelin has their own criteria. These establishments meet the criteria they set out.
"They don't care about regional characteristics but focus on the overall characteristics," said this expert.
He added: "Vietnamese people often use tradition and region to judge, but for foreigners, their feelings about food are different from our feelings about Vietnamese people.
Moreover, although pho originated from the North, after all, it is a Vietnamese dish, a Vietnamese specialty.
According to a representative of the Vietnam Culinary Association, the presence of the Michelin Guide over the past year has had undeniable impacts on Vietnamese cuisine.
Previously, Vietnam did not know what the concept of Bib Gourmand 2024 or Michelin Star was. Currently, many restaurants are trying to be listed in Michelin categories, so they have improved the quality of their food as well as their service attitude.
"I think this change is positive for us," he assessed.
Pho Le - 1 of 8 establishments named in the Bib Gourmand category - Photo: FBNH
However, according to Mr. Long, Michelin Guide should also be "more transparent". When announcing the award list, it should also clearly state why those establishments meet the criteria, to avoid unnecessary noise.
Why do people always pay special attention and discuss food?
Speaking to Tuoi Tre Online , Mr. Chiem Thanh Long explained that everyone has to eat. Some people even used the analogy: "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach". To see that "eating is always important, everyone cares about it".
Second, cuisine is cultural, which invisibly creates regional competition.
Discussion, even fierce debate, is understandable, it is normal. I think this 'competition' makes our country's cuisine better and more attractive.
Mr. Chiem Thanh LongAccording to Mr. Long, Vietnamese cuisine is currently developing clearly and rapidly. In international competitions, our cuisine has won many high awards. In the Asian region, Vietnamese cuisine is a "formidable opponent".
Not the first time it's been noisy
Last year, the list of dining establishments selected by the Michelin Guide also caused controversy.
Responding to the media at that time, Mr. Gwendal Poullennec - international director of Michelin Guide - said he was not too concerned about the controversy because this organization always tries to evaluate independently and most transparently.
According to him, since 1900, Michelin Guide has traveled to more than 40 countries, always maintaining a completely separate, independent, thorough, and detailed process when evaluating restaurants.
The ratings are based on direct appraisals by anonymous Michelin appraisers who have experience in restaurants, cuisine, cooking and share a common passion for food.
To evaluate Vietnamese restaurants, they are all trained in Vietnamese culinary knowledge and have experienced it long enough to understand it well.
The assessment results are drawn from a group, not from one person.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/goc-pho-co-phai-o-tp-hcm-dau-ma-co-toi-8-quan-duoc-michelin-guide-chon-20240623151259801.htm
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