The Ănăn Saigon, a restaurant that turns street food flavours into contemporary creations, was awarded a prestigious Michelin star, becoming the first and only Michelin Star restaurant in Hồ Chí Minh City.

The restaurant -- with the combining name of two Vietnamese words "ăn ăn", meaning "eat eat" -- is run by its founder, Vietnamese-American chef Peter Cường Franklin, who decided to leave a successful career in banking to follow his love and passion for food. Chef Cường talks with Thúy Hằng about his decision to come back to Việt Nam as well as his aspirations to create a new style of Vietnamese cuisine, which, in his words is 'Cuisine Mới' or 'New Cuisine'.

Chef Peter Cường Franklin, founder of Ănăn Saigon. Photos courtesy of Anan

Inner Sanctum: What inspired you to become a chef?

I was born and raised in Đà Lạt but most of my adult working life has been outside of Việt Nam. Now I feel like Sài Gòn [former name of HCM City] has called me back to the motherland. After a successful career in banking in New York and London and running a couple of restaurants in Hong Kong, I think it’s the right time to return to do something interesting in Sài Gòn.

At Ănăn Saigon, we ask the simple question: what is Vietnamese cooking? In the process, I think that we are getting people more excited and causing more chatter about the local food scene – especially the idea of a more modern Vietnamese cuisine.

Hailing from Đà Lạt, I was surrounded by food since my mom ran a small noodle shop in the living room of our house. My mother is the inspiration for my cooking because she was one of the best cooks in the village. She cooks just a few dishes but she's famous for her mì Quảng, chả lụa and nem nướng.

After a successful career in banking, I decided to follow my love and passion for food. You can say that food is in my blood since my mother is a chef and I grew up with food all of my life.

The 'bánh xèo taco' – a creation that looks like a Mexican taco but tastes like a Vietnamese 'bánh xèo'.

Inner Sanctum: Can you share with me the origins of Ănăn Saigon and the story behind it?

I received formal training in French cooking at the Le Cordon Bleu and was fortunate to have the opportunity to train at some of the best restaurants around the world. At first, many people thought I was crazy to open a modern Vietnamese restaurant in Việt Nam since the local food is already so good. They said it’d be like selling ice to Eskimos.

I established my career as a chef and operated two successful restaurants in Hong Kong before returning to Việt Nam. Hong Kong is a very competitive environment and one of the great food cities in the world so it was a perfect place to begin a culinary career.

In 2017, it was at a point in my life when I was ready for a change and you could say that mother Việt Nam called me home and I am very happy that she did.

I faced one of the biggest challenges of my life six years ago when I returned to HCM City to open a modern Vietnamese restaurant in the middle of a wet market. We had to overcome many difficulties and challenges. Sometimes when you want to achieve great things you have to be prepared for great difficulties and to fail spectacularly.

Ănăn Saigon is a modern Vietnamese restaurant located in the middle of a wet market in District 1 in HCM City.

Inner Sanctum: What is your process for developing a menu?

Aside from some special new dishes, we review the menu every three months. In consideration for a new menu, we look at the quality of the ingredients and the best techniques to apply with the goal of creating the most delicious dishes we can. In creating modern Vietnamese cuisine, I want the food to retain the heart and soul of its origins and reflect traditional flavours and the Vietnamese way of eating. These are the principles that I follow to create delicious dishes for our guests.

The bánh xèo taco is probably the most challenging addition to the menu and is close to my heart since this was one of the first dishes that we created six years ago when the restaurant first opened. It's a unique, creative and contemporary interpretation of Vietnamese street food.

The bánh xèo taco was inspired by the popular rice pancake street food dish from Huế. We took the bánh xèo rice pancake and recreated it in the form of a crispy Mexican-style taco. The dish looks like a Mexican taco but tastes like a Vietnamese bánh xèo. I think we managed to create a new and fun dish that elevates the humble street food dish to a gourmet level using quality ingredients and modern cooking techniques while retaining its spirit and flavour.

Le petit bánh mì.

Inner Sanctum: How do your Vietnamese roots influence your culinary creations?

I was born in Việt Nam and am happy to call it my home once again. I love the vibrancy of HCM City and I think Việt Nam has a great future. I am Vietnamese so I want to create dishes that reflect the taste, heart and soul of Vietnamese cuisine. I would like our food to move from traditional to modern and for people around the world to recognise that Việt Nam not only has great street food but also fine dining as well.

Similar to other cities in Asia such as Bangkok, Singapore and Hong Kong, I think that Vietnamese street food can coexist with fine dining experiences. The two are not mutually exclusive but can be complimentary. As a developing and modernising country, I think Việt Nam can offer a full range of culinary experiences.

Inner Sanctum: What do you want your guests to experience when they dine at Ănăn?

I have lived and worked all over the world and so there are certain global foods that are very familiar and accessible for everyone such as the taco and the pizza. I would like to make Vietnamese food more accessible and global by taking a classic dish such as the bánh xèo using the Mexican taco form and turning the Đà Lạt bánh tráng nướng into a modern Italian-style pizza. At Ănăn, we take the quality of our food seriously but we also like a bit of fun. It’s a fun experience to eat a taco or a pizza with your hands.

I think that we seeing new styles of cuisine emerging in parts of Europe and the Americas. For example, world-renowned chef Enrique Olvera is creating a new style of Mexican cuisine with his Cosme Restaurant in New York and also Pujol restaurant in Mexico City. A new and modern Việt Nam is emerging. I hope that Ănăn Saigon can be a small part of the movement. I would like our guests to experience a new Vietnamese cuisine for a new Việt Nam.

Caviar bánh nhúng.

Inner Sanctum: In 2021, Ănăn was ranked 39th best restaurant in Asia by the website theworlds50best.com. At that point, were you dreaming of a Michelin star?

Our mission since we opened Ănăn Saigon six years ago has been to elevate Vietnamese cuisine and I am delighted to accept this recognition for 'Cuisine Mới’, our modern Vietnamese style of cooking and also recognition for our growing gastronomic scene here in Việt Nam.

On behalf of the Ănăn Saigon team, I am very proud and honoured that Ănăn Saigon was recognised as the only restaurant in Việt Nam on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, and now the first and only Michelin Star restaurant in HCM City.

The Michelin star is something that I didn't even dare to dream about. Now that we have achieved it I still can’t believe it happened.

Inner Sanctum: Does the Michelin star put pressure on you moving forward?

I am hugely appreciative of all of our loyal guests who have believed in us and supported us because without you we would not be where we are today.

We will continue to work hard to push for culinary excellence, to innovate and create the best possible dishes using the finest quality products to retain our customers' support and loyalty.

We will continue our mission to elevate Vietnamese cuisine, create unique fine dining experiences for our guests and be a great champion of Vietnamese hospitality.

Molecular phở with truffle.

Inner Sanctum: Is there something new in the food world you are looking to explore or learn about?

As a chef, I have tried to learn as much as possible from the best Michelin star restaurants to simple street food stalls. The ladies who cook in the wet markets and street stalls all over Việt Nam are great source of knowledge and inspiration for me.

I would like to explore more about Vietnamese noodle soups and plan to open Pot Au Phở noodle bar in August to showcase Việt Nam’s most iconic national dish. Pot Au Phở by Ănăn is a modern phở restaurant with French and Japanese influences that offers a menu of sophisticated phở and a fresh take on bánh mì and spring rolls. An intimate space with 18 ring-side seats and an open kitchen where guests can watch the cooks in action. — VNS