May 15

NOSH Saigon 2019: An Interview with Anan Saigon's Peter Cuong Franklin

Meet chef Peter Cuong Frankin, founder of Anan Saigon, one of the chefs participating in this year's Nosh Saigon.

Vietcetera

Born in Da Lat, chef Peter Cuong Franklin grew up in a house where his mother used the living room to open a restaurant that could seat only 10 diners. He’s proud to say that she became one of the best cooks in the region. That piece of memory has become an inspiration for an ex-investment banker like himself to return to his home country to become a chef with a renewed determination to bring familiar Vietnamese dishes to new heights.

After completing his course at Le Cordon Bleu, Peter traveled and lived globally cultivating experiences at many restaurants such as Caprice in Hong Kong (Four Seasons Hotel), Alinea and Next in Chicago, Nahm in Bangkok, and La Verticale and Madame Hien in Hanoi. Later, he settled in Hong Kong and successfully opened two Vietnamese restaurants, Viet Kitchen and Chôm Chôm.

In 2016, Peter returned to Vietnam and founded Anan Saigon. Within a year, Anan Saigon quickly emerged as a Vietnamese culinary destination, appearing in a series of domestic and international culinary journals as a destination for a style of “new” Vietnamese cuisine. Anan Saigon was awarded as the Restaurant of 2018, Grand Jury at Vietcetera’s Restaurant & Bar Awards 2018. You can also visit recently opened NHAU NHAU, a speakeasy bar and dinner venue inspired by Vietnamese noodles and drinking culture, located on the second floor of the same building that Anan Saigon resides in.

NOSH Saigon 2019 An Interview with Anan Saigons Peter Cuong Franklin1

Share your culinary philosophy.

At Anan Saigon, I want to approach Vietnamese cuisine in a new, more modern and unique way. This culinary style brings innovation to dishes that have historically been associated with history. I like to bring it together with stories and colors of memories, using traditional methods and local ingredients.

My top priority is traditional Vietnamese street food. I’d like to find ways to modernize them with more modern cooking methods and more advanced ingredients. However, I’d like to still maintain the traditions of each dish and the essence of Vietnamese cuisine.

What keeps you in Vietnam?

Living and working in many parts of the world, I’ve realized that there is nowhere that can match the colorful energy, spirit and cuisine like Saigon.

When you first attended NOSH, what do you expect from the program?

Culinary events like NOSH often introduce diners to new and interesting experiences. And for chefs like us, this is an opportunity to connect and get to know industry people.