Michelin ignores Vietnamese bread?

Customers lined up to buy Huynh Hoa bread - one of the famous bread brands in Ho Chi Minh City - Photo: FBHH

As a baker, I personally hope that next year any bakery, not just Nguyen Sinh, will be listed in the Michelin Guide.

Thach Nguyen

Right after Michelin Guide announced the list of dining establishments in each category, many big fans of banh mi spoke up.

Vietnamese bread is famous all over the world. "Banh mi" even entered the Oxford dictionary as a proper noun, to refer to Vietnamese bread, foreigners who want to enjoy it must say it in Vietnamese.

Bread is "cold"

A culinary fanpage posted a post wondering why there isn’t a single bakery? According to the fanpage owner, if we talk about the diversity of Vietnamese bread, it would take a pretty good dictionary.

Each region has its own type of bread with various fillings. Ho Chi Minh City has the most because of the cultural exchange of regional cuisine.

Michelin Guide announced a list of 42 establishments in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi in the Bib Gourmand 2024 category, including 13 pho restaurants. Many people complained that Michelin's appraisers seemed to "only know pho".

"Why is there no bread?", "Where is the bread? It's so delicious but it's not here?", "Is bread being neglected?"... - many people are disappointed when their favorite dish is not on the list.

Some people say, "There are noodle shops, bun cha shops, pho shops, broken rice shops... more or less, but why aren't there any bakeries?"

On the Saigon Dining Guide group with 138,000 members, the fact that no bakery is listed in the Michelin Guide is also being dissected.

Huynh Tu thinks this is a dish that is a combination of all kinds of ham, the bakeries import ham and resell it. Unlike restaurants, they have their own recipe for each dish.

Tuan Anh thinks "the main problem lies in the bread; the filling is quite good but the crust is terrible". However, Tan Nhan immediately retorts: "The thin crust that creates the hot and crispy texture that is typical of Vietnamese bread is also what makes it different from the rest of the baguette world".

Citing the world-famous Vietnamese bread, Tu Hoa commented that the special thing about Vietnamese bread lies in the "overall combination of bread and the filling inside", "if we separate each dish, it won't make people amazed and surprised".

Hoi An bread has a stronger flavor than other regions - Photo: DAU DUNG

Title for bread - need it?

Ms. Nguyen Thi Khanh - Vice President of Vietnam Tourism Association, the unit that successfully organized the Bread Festival in Ho Chi Minh City in 2023 and 2024 - said that if there is a bakery recognized by Michelin, the name also has its value.

Mr. Thach Nguyen - owner of Banh Mi Nguyen Sinh Bistro in Ho Chi Minh City - told Tuoi Tre: "This is the second year of the Michelin Guide in Vietnam but no bakery has made it in, it's a bit sad."

According to Mr. Thach, "banh mi has an equal position to pho, not inferior; therefore, I do not know what criteria the Michelin Guide's appraisers use to judge". He said that not only he but many people in the bread business also have this question.

"The list chosen by Michelin Guide is not necessarily all the best of Vietnamese cuisine. Is a title for banh mi too necessary?", Tuoi Tre asked.

Mr. Thach Nguyen thinks it is "necessary". Because in terms of business, social networking platforms make business work change very clearly.

The Michelin Guide is still something of a prestige for travelers, and is searched for online by many. To say it is not important is to deny it, which is a bit extreme.

Mr. Thach gives an example of Ms. Lieng's beef leaf restaurant on Vo Van Tan Street. The restaurant used to be dilapidated, but when it was recommended by Michelin Guide, the number of customers increased dramatically, so the restaurant had to be upgraded, cleaner, and the staff more professional. "I think this helps Vietnamese cuisine develop more and more," he said.

Ms. Khanh told Tuoi Tre: "For Vietnamese people, bread is almost an indispensable dish in daily life. It is delicious, convenient, and full of nutrition.

Harmonious nutrition, sour, spicy, salty, sweet. It is a dish that everyone from common people to the upper class loves, and the price is affordable."

According to her, Vietnamese bread is very rich. In Ho Chi Minh City in particular, bread has always been famous and is constantly developing.

Each district has its own outstanding bakeries. Not to mention that in recent years, the city has added vegetarian bakeries, keeping up with the trend.

Ms. Khanh listed some famous bread brands in Saigon such as Hoa Ma, Huynh Hoa, Nguyen Sinh Bistro, Tang, Bay Ho, Nhu Lan, Tuan 7 Keo, Sau Minh...

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/michelin-ngo-lo-banh-mi-viet-20240630094223998.htm