Last night, the B.A.R Awards brought a much needed spotlight to Vietnam’s hospitality industry. By the industry, for the industry, find out which restaurants, bars and hospitality heroes were crowned the winners.
Đọc bài viết bằng Tiếng Việt
Vietnam’s hospitality scene is exploding. And that’s to put it lightly. New restaurants, bars, hotels, cafes, coffee shops, pubs, clubs – the list goes on – have been springing up quicker than you can count.
With all these new openings (and closings, the two come hand in hand) it’s no surprise that the critics are circling, prowling to be the first to recognise and rank new talent and be the one to bring it to the international stage.
This year, we’ve seen Vietnam finally take its rightful place on some of the big-name lists, which was hitherto a glaring oversight from those who should know better. In March, Anan Saigon eased back in at #40 on Asia’s 50 Best list, and June saw the arrival of MICHELIN with a very light dusting of stars, some more than a little sprinkling of controversy.
The B.A.R. Awards
But it was yesterday that we saw a fresh-faced newcomer throwing their hat into the ring: The B.A.R. Awards, Vietnam’s first hospitality-exclusive restaurant and bar awards. The ‘by the industry, for the industry’ accolades were sponsored by Shake Fest by Pernod Ricard, Altos, Beefeater, Chivas Regal, and MyChef and Ooni from Lý Gia Viên. Plus, Perrier and Evian, Edelweiss beer, SPEEDPOS, GoodTime and Eddie’s joined the party, that was powered by the Restaurant Association of Vietnam, and Men’s Folio Magazine. And the accolades were intended not to pit opponents against one another, but instead aim to buoy hospitality as a whole, united in friendly competition and comradery.
The long list of nominations alone made it clear there are many places in this country that fit the bill as brilliant. Carefully selected by the B.A.R.s team, the nominees represented a diverse mix of restaurants and bars from across Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
From that list, over 300 bars and restaurants were then asked to select two of their team (anyone from CEO to dishwasher) to vote for their favorites. It was prohibited to vote for their own establishment, or an affiliated one, and the process was carefully monitored by the B.A.R.s to ensure fairness throughout.
The winners were announced at The B.A.R. Awards party in Ho Chi Minh City where a cross section of hospitality cool cats and industry figureheads gathered in anticipation and celebration of the years’ successes.
Sustainability Spotlight
Sustainability was a focal point, with awards dedicated to both bars and restaurants championing environmentally friendly practices in their venues. Entrepreneur Marina Tran-Vu, of eco-solutions company EQUO, gave a short speech in the space decked out with greenery.
And, later, Pizza 4Ps won first place in the Sustainable Restaurant award, and USEbar took the corresponding title for bars. All of which is hopefully encouragement for more venues to start taking sustainability more seriously.
Rising Stars And Industry Icons
Young talent was given recognition with new names to watch, including chef Nghiêm Minh Đức of Nous Dine and Nguyễn Công Truyền, bar captain at STIR – Modern Cocktail, winning the Rising Star awards in their categories. Thép Đinh, also from STIR, won Best Bartender so it was less surprising when STIR went on to claim overall Best Bar.
Industry Icons, who by nature of the title need little introduction, were Anan Saigon’s Peter Cuong Franklin and Bar Consultant, Kata Simon, who was carried around on her team’s shoulders in celebration.
Where was MICHELIN?
But where was MICHELIN? None of the country’s starred restaurants brought home a prize, begging the question of, (word-recognised title aside) how much industry clout do these restaurants actually have? Marvelous they may be, but The B.A.R. Awards show they have yet to truly win hospitality’s hearts, possibly because of the nature of fine-dining (a quick post-shift tasting course is not exactly a thing) and their often inaccessible price point.
Other surprises came too. Francis Thuan of Esta nabbed the title of best chef, beating his mentor Julien Perraudin of Quince. That said, Esta didn’t place in the Best Restaurant while Quince came in at number one.
Turning International
Ho Chi Minh won the majority of the awards this year, while Hanoi appeared to be more design conscious with The Haflington taking the crown for best Bar Design and Hudson Rooms close behind in third place.
In subsequent years the awards are set to involve bars and restaurants nationwide and we’re excited to see what’s next. For now, it’s refreshing to see a light being shone on those that the bigger spotlights seem to miss.
Read the full list of winners here.
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