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FLAVOURS, FASHION & FUSION
Vietnam’s foodies are having a hard time lately trying to follow the often bewildering exponential growth of our dining scene. A seemingly never-ending stream of new restaurants are vying for dining dollars and serve up an ever widening variety of new flavors, fun concepts and hip designs.
Those restaurant owners who did their homework and manage to stay ahead of the trends and copycats, reap high rewards. Others fall by the wayside, and often deservedly so, as ambition and bravery alone do not make for a successful restaurant. Especially during a time when local diners and food connoisseurs are getting both more discerning as well as knowledgeable.
Moving with the times, Vietnamese food is evolving too. Once hallmarked by its legendary spring rolls, its classic lotus stem salads or the all-present Pho, it is now taking a deft turn towards the contemporary. The staple foods of your local food shop, as well as the bustling fast food counters of Little Saigon in Los Angeles or Avenue de Choisy in Paris, are growing up.
The result is fresh, contemporary Vietnamese foods, or VinaFusion, as some are starting to call it. Most of the more contemporary Vietnamese restaurant owners and chefs burting onto the scene are Overseas’ Vietnamese, whose culinary careers often blend eastern and western influences.
Chef Duc of Mango Room in Hoi An, for example, has created icons like Asian Sins & Salsashimi. For a more Vietnamese twist, look no further than Bien Nguyen of Xu Restaurant in HCMC, and some of his signature dishes like Vietnamese Herb Leaf Salad, Wagyu Bun Bo Hue or Oyster Po Boy. Not to forget the likes of Bobby Chinn and La Verticale, Hanoi’s venues for contemporary Vietnamese cuisine.
Whatever dining style you are looking for - modern, classic or off-the-wall - Gourmet Vietnam is for you. Simply open this little book and plan your next romantic rendezvous, a first date, a dinner with a client or a happy family reunion.
The best of Vietnam’s taste is still out there. Waiting for you.
JADE HUYNH
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