Michelin explains why it honors many Vietnamese pho restaurants without bread

Michelin honored nearly 20 pho restaurants in Vietnam on the evening of June 6, but no banh mi restaurant was selected.

For the first time, 103 restaurants and eateries in Vietnam have been honored by Michelin Guide, the world's most prestigious culinary ranking organization, in three categories: Michelin Selected (Michelin recommended); Michelin Stars (Michelin stars) and Bib Gourmand (delicious eateries at affordable prices).

Nearly 20 pho restaurants were mentioned but no banh mi restaurant was named. Many diners were puzzled because besides pho, banh mi is the representative most honored by the international press when mentioning Vietnamese cuisine.

Michelin Guide International Director Gwendal Poullennec (8th from left) presented awards to several restaurants in the Bib Gourmand category on the evening of June 6 in Hanoi. Photo: Michelin Guide — Michelin Guide International Director Gwendal Poullennec (8th from left) presented awards to several restaurants in the Bib Gourmand category on the evening of June 6 in Hanoi. Photo: *Michelin Guide*

Michelin Guide international director Gwendal Poullennec insists there is “no bias” between pho and banh mi. Michelin reviewers always rate dishes with an open mind, focusing on the quality of the dish rather than location or popularity.

Restaurants must meet five criteria that are universally accepted: food quality, culinary skill, flavor harmony, the chef's personality expressed through the food, and the consistency of the food over time and across the entire menu.

There is also a difference between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in the number of restaurants awarded stars. Hanoi has three Michelin-starred restaurants, while Ho Chi Minh City has only one. Poullennec said the appraisers only choose restaurants with delicious food instead of paying attention to where they are located. The selected restaurants serve a variety of dishes, not just focusing on one or two specific dishes. The Michelin Guide representative hopes that many dishes in Vietnam with different flavors will appear in the Michelin guide in the future.

The organization hopes that the awarding of stars can change the status of restaurants. Michelin stars are like a passport that helps restaurants have more freedom in their style, develop their personality as well as give them more strength to pursue their dreams.

Michelin stars are not just for restaurants, but also for serving food-loving diners. "The more customers you have, the better your business will be. There will be more and more demanding customers, which will lead to a more developed cuisine," Poullennec said.

As soon as the award was announced, many people thought that this was an award for "foreigners' perspective on Vietnamese cuisine". A representative of Michelin Guide said that the team of judges came from 20 countries and this award was present in more than 40 countries and territories. Although it has international standards, Michelin still emphasizes the unique identity of each country.

Not only Vietnam, Michelin's first visit to any country always faces its own challenges. However, countries around the world consider the Michelin Guide as a guideline in the culinary world.

“Two-thirds of visitors to a new destination will look for Michelin-starred restaurants. The benefit of having more starred restaurants is that visitors will stay longer and spend more. That will help the tourism industry,” Poullennec said.

Phuong Anh

Source link