By Alex Reeves – @afreeves23

They’re back! Who? Michelin, of course. The tyre-selling-cum-culinary critics that guide millions from hotel to hawker stand searching for visceral flavour-filled experiences across the globe have returned, and after last year's inaugural visit they fancied a beach holiday. Đà Nẵng, their latest destination.

Hyper-local: The ingredients showcased are 99 per cent from Việt Nam and most often from Nén’s own farm. All photos courtesy of Alex Reeves.

Last year's awards here coincided with my Việt Nam News debut and I couldn’t help but be bold enough to seek an editorial green light to take my notebook to as many of the starred establishments as possible, reviewing three of the four awardees last summer. However this year, my focus has been more on green stars than lights.

Enter Nén, Việt Nam’s only recipient of Michelin’s Green Star, purposed to understand and celebrate gastronomical sustainability, while modernising their criteria and approach to what makes a restaurant ‘special’. Without teasing readers as Nén did my tastebuds, I can already tell you that they are more than a deserving recipient, a space where modernity meets sustainability, showcasing that laying waste to our origins in our desire to innovate, isn’t necessary.

The Midnight Garden: A rare treat, as I was given the opportunity to see the scale of the hyper-local ethos.

Too often our desires to move towards sustainability are met with venomous scepticism. Well, if waste is a poison then Nén are on their way to finding the antidote, with narrative as the central ingredient. Serendipitously, Story Menu #4 - Origins - Về nhà, was the menu to introduce me to Nén and the garden from which they grow.

In advance of the evening’s meal, I was allowed to sit down with founder and executive chef – Summer Lê. While not the norm for me, I needn’t have worried, Chef Summer is as natural as the ingredients she utilises and any fears I had of ego or stage management were quickly washed away by shared cross-cultural experiences and a joint passion for storytelling.

Venturing across the street into the Nén farm it becomes clear how key an aspect of their ethos sustainability is, with as many components as possible sourced from their own land. Originally on the rooftop, with the boldness of their post-COVID expansion, more space was needed and ingredients were shown to me while still growing only metres from where I was about to enjoy them.

Feelings of home: The Saffron Porridge (Cháo Nghệ Tây) is inspired by the warmth of home comforts and childhood.

Keeping with the narrative theme, each course is introduced by chapter, taking the diner on whichever journey chef Summer and co wish to charter. Changing seasonally they are able to best utilise the gardens offerings, minimising the need to import unnecessarily and showing further commitment to the ethos of sustainability that helped them show up on Michelin’s radar.

1- Start of a conversation; a harmonious tone is set with a land and sea duet. Betel and areca powder dusted over a quaint noodle cylinder, filled with local fermented pork upon a betel leaf that I am thankfully reminded not to eat. Traditionally, it is chewed due to releasing feelings of euphoria, stimulating conversation, as the title foreshadows. It’s a tasty, crunchy treat and complements its softer and beautifully decorated companion; a horn scallop sitting neatly on a shell adorned with tangy passion fruit gel and shredded green rice (cốm). Variety in texture and flavour provide an insight of what’s to come.

2- 500 million years is a highlight with creamy smooth bisque poured around an inventive jellyfish tartare, topped with sliced fresh grape. The texture of the jellyfish is most notable, and the bisque is rich while the tartness of the grape cuts through. It’s unconventional but it works and is washed down nicely with the sake included in the generous drinks pairing.

3 - K’nia Seed is when I was glad I’d elected for a conversational server. Otherwise, I may have been ever so slightly baffled by 75 day dry-aged chicken alongside curry mouse and k’nia ice cream. You could be forgiven for thinking this is gastronomy gone mad, but the infusion of flavours and variation of temperatures made it one of the most memorable dishes on the menu, a surprise that was equally bemusing as pleasant.

Chapter Two: The texture of jellyfish, sharpness of grape and depth of bisque come together.

Invention keeps on coming as 4- The Paper, quite literally comprised of ‘edible paper’ inspired by the durable and distinctively textured 13th-century "dó paper” is reincarnated through an inspired process. A local variant of spinach becomes delicate and crisp sheets housing duck pate and grilled eel, their saltiness a welcome end to the first half of the experience.

A quick palate cleansing sorbet ends the interval and perhaps the most visually appealing dish so far appears.

5- Balance involves a palette dash of four bold colours across the plate. Red gấc and chilli widest at the top, followed by yellow lekima, green pesto and black fermented sesame, with a humble rice roll with which to glide through the sauces, creating combinations as you please. It leaves me wanting more, it’s over too quickly, I want a jar of each stripe to take home for myself.

The remainder of the menu continues in the same vein, capturing the essence of Vietnamese heritage while pushing the boundaries of modern gastronomy. Charred pigeon in orange and lotus sauce, burnt watermelon in prawn and egg sauce, served with burnt coconut water. Later comes succulent and flakey red cornetfish alongside a comforting saffron porridge. These courses feel as though they are multiple micro-courses of their own, but this is a story and it doesn’t have to play by typical rules.

Chef’s Notes: These colourful cards are a glimpse into the minds of Summer and Leon Lê.

Ultimately, from the inventive drinks pairing thanks to beverage director Le Hung, one of the select few to hold dual titles as an International Sake and Wine Sommelier, predetermined choice in the level of interaction with your server, the boldness and invention present on the plates and finally the calmness with which everything is done; this feels like a restaurant truly worthy of recognition. VNS

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Nén Restaurant

Address: 6 Road Mỹ Đa Tây 2, Khuê Mỹ, Ngũ Hành Sơn District, Đà Nẵng

Tel: 0847148866

Price: Full 9 course experience – VNĐ2,5m (US$100). Excl - VNĐ1,7m ($70) for a full drinks pairing.

Dining companions: Someone special. Don’t be a loner like me!

Top tip: "Conversation Pairing" allows guests to choose the level of interaction they prefer with the restaurant's front staff.