Anan Saigon fully deserves its Michelin star, offering fine traditional Vietnamese cuisine with a touch of creativity.
As usual, I try to find restaurants in different price ranges in each city. As for finding a gourmet restaurant in Saigon, my choice was quickly made, since the city has only one Michelin-starred restaurant, unlike Hanoi where there is a plethora to choose from.
At first I was put off by the fact that the restaurant does not offer an online reservation module but the menu really appealed to me, so I made the effort to contact them by email 2 months before I came (a deadline recommended by the restaurant to be sure of having a place in the gastronomic part of the restaurant). My request was accepted within 24 hours without, surprisingly, being asked for a credit card imprint.
You will find at the bottom of the page a summary of the articles about this vacation in Vietnam.
The concept of the restaurant
Anan is a traditional Vietnamese restaurant in Saigon, or rather a complex of restaurants. Indeed, it features a gourmet restaurant, a cocktail bar and a noodle bar.
Naturally, I dined at the gastronomic restaurant this evening. The restaurant is the only one in Saigon to have a Michelin star, and was ranked 40th in Asia’s 50 best restaurants.
Although it defines itself as a traditional restaurant, I also found it creative in the combinations it offers and the techniques used for certain dishes.
The setting of the restaurant
The restaurant is located on a small shopping street in the city center. Not the kind of place you’d expect to find a Michelin star.
It’s in what’s known there as a “tube house”, i.e. a narrow, multi-storey building.
The gourmet restaurant is on the 2nd floor, and can be reached by walking past the open kitchen on the ground floor.
The gourmet restaurant’s dining room is very small, so you’ll need to book well in advance.
The decoration is sober and of good taste.
A small outdoor terrace enables smokers to satisfy their needs or enjoy a drink outside at the start or end of a meal. The view of the lively street is very appealing.
All in all, a room that may be more bistro than gourmet, but it’s warm and friendly. In fact, during the meal I spoke at length with my table-mates (Australians on one side, a Chinese woman on the other) and we even decided to have dinner together the next day.
The Menu
The restaurant offers an à la carte menu and a tasting menu, and I chose the latter.
We can clearly see a Vietnamese base with sometimes more Western arrangements, but without ever betraying the local inspiration. The dishes come from different regions of Vietnam and their origin is mentioned next to the name of the dish.
In addition, all the dishes are very well described on the menu, and many other restaurants of this type should take inspiration from it.
The restaurant is also renowned for its cocktail menu:
The dinner
I arrived on time for my reservation and was taken care of immediately and sympathetically. I’m taken to the second floor and seated at my table.
I’ll start by honoring the cocktail menu and ordering a dà lat negroni.
Not bad at all. Sweeter than a normal negroni, but you can clearly feel the cognac.
We start with an amuse bouche.
If I’ve understood correctly, there’s foie gras, duck and mushrooms.
It’s good, tasty, you can smell the smoked herbs and maybe even a little too much as it eats up the taste of the caviar, especially as it was served when I hadn’t finished my negroni and had the taste of the Cogac in my mouth.
Spring roll with foie gras, pork, truffles and herbs.
It’s a bit like a nem with foie gras. Quite creative and fun, ending with a caramelized mango, it’s excellent.
Salmon bánh nhúng: salmon roe, smoked salmon, crème fraîche, local dill.
Not bad, but the cream is a bit heavy and kills the taste of the roe.
Crab & uni: camau crab, uni bafun, red pomelo, crispy shallot, shrimp head sauce.
Excellent, a little like Asian ceviche, a little spicy.
Le petit bé bánh mi: uni pâté, wagyu beef, osciètre caviar, air baguette.
A touch of something French, but in the end too many mixed ingredients kill the taste of the dish. Overall, it’s not bad, but I had trouble distinguishing the ingredients.
Cha cá lã vong style: black cod, turmeric and local dill in a cream sauce.
Very light and tasty. The fish is cooked to perfection, consistent on the plate but melting in the mouth.
Sorbet: mango, passion fruit and kaffir lime.
Both sweet and sour and spicy. I love the mix of flavors and it’s a great mid-meal boost.
I take the opportunity to take a short break on the balcony. For the moment, the dishes follow each other at a perfect pace and are easy to eat. Don’t be fooled by the sheer number of dishes: most can be eaten in two bites.
Bún cha Bourdain: grilled pork, spring rolls, bún noodles, tía tô herbs.
A dish that nods to Barack Obama and chef Anthony Bourdain’s visit to Hanoi in 2018, and aims to represent Hanoi cuisine in a bite and a shot.
It’s very tasty and light, and all the flavors come through clearly. However, I’m not so keen on the jasmine beer that accompanies it.
Molecular Pho.
All the taste of this emblematic Vietnamese dish in one bite.
A ball of jelly that releases the liquid and all the flavors of a pho in one bite.
Highly sophisticated and a fine technical demonstration.
Lamb chop gia cäy style: Australian grain-fed lamb chop, galanga, turmeric, lemongrass, mãm tôm fermented shrimp paste.
Very well cooked, the mix of sauces gives a very tasty result.
Young coconut and caviar: young coconut ice cream, lychee jelly, oscietra caviar, pandan sponge cake.
Fresh, with a pronounced taste that once again dominates that of caviar, but otherwise a good transitional desert.
Banh cam: rice mochi ball, 70% marou tien giang dark chocolate ganache.
I love it. A mix between a profiterole, a fondant and an orange cake …
Petits fours.
It’s good but rather surprising for European taste buds. Even a little spicy. The Macaron is a little dry.
I’ll finish with a smoked tea and cognac. They really have a heavy hand with cognac…
All in all, a truly excellent meal. The dishes were good, and the chef’s creativity did not detract from a base that remained traditional and enhanced the Vietnamese gastronomy.
A well-deserved star.
During the meal, I’ll also see the a la carte dishes pass by, in snack ration, and they looked very appetizing too.
The service
A little hesitant at first, but then very good. Excellent pace, all dishes well explained, really a pleasant experience.
Perhaps a little outside the standard of service for a European Michelin-starred restaurant, but it was very convivial and without missteps, and that’s the most important thing.
The atmosphere
Very, very relaxed for a Michelin star by our European standards. As I said, several tables even socialized and chatted together during the meal.
Bottom line
An excellent experience and certainly one of my best meals this year, really not much to complain about apart from unimportant details.
A restaurant not to be missed on a trip to Vietnam.
The articles about this vacation in Vietnam
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