The Michelin Green Star and the Story of Sustainable Cuisine

Compression embodies a dream in real life – a dream built on belief in the limitless potential hidden in the ordinary things around us.

Nén's Dream

Nén – a distinctive ingredient from Central Vietnam. Few would imagine that within this hybrid ingredient of shallots and garlic lies an extraordinary flavor, fleeting yet captivating enough to leave a lasting impression on discerning diners. By choosing Nén as the name for his restaurant, Chef Summer Le hopes to bring this unique flavor to diners, not only within the realm of cuisine but also beyond conventional boundaries. From humble local ingredients to refined dishes, he aims to affirm the position of Vietnamese cuisine on the world culinary map.

Each dish here is a journey of discovery, where diners are immersed in the hidden world of Vietnamese ingredients, culture, and people. Nén's dream is to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary, igniting pride in Vietnamese culinary identity and bringing people closer together.

Vietnamese cuisine flourishes from local ingredients.

Chef Summer Le shared: "Before Nén was created, I had spent 15 years blogging about food. When writing about Vietnamese street food, I realized the enormous potential of this culinary scene. However, besides street food, there are still many other aspects of Vietnamese cuisine that have yet to be explored, especially in the fine dining field."

Chef Summer Le's desire to introduce Vietnamese cuisine to the world motivated her to establish Nén. This is a testament to her belief in the richness and potential of Vietnamese ingredients. "With just simple ingredients, through skillful preparation and the creativity of a chef, we can absolutely create world-class dishes," Chef Summer Le asserts.

The harmonious blend of delicate flavors and abundant local ingredients, in which mango – a fruit particularly beloved by Chef Summer Le – plays a key role.

Nén's journey of incorporating mangoes into its menu stems from Chef Summer Le's passion and creativity. While researching and learning how to use mangoes as a cooking ingredient, the chef realized the immense potential of this fruit and decided to grow mangoes right on the restaurant's grounds. Nén carefully tended the mango tree, and after more than three years, it has yielded delicious mangoes, enough for Chef Summer to create many unique dishes.

From mango sorbet and mango gel to mango salad, green mango sauce, spring rolls, and most recently, a layer of mango on top of honey cream in Story Menu #1: The Story of the Bee, Chef Summer has skillfully created and offered diners novel and surprising culinary experiences. Each dish at Nén is not simply a harmonious blend of flavors but also contains profound stories about Vietnamese heritage, culture, and traditions.

Chef Summer Le shared: "I see these incredibly simple local ingredients as powerful representatives of Vietnamese culinary culture. Coming from different regions across the country, each ingredient carries the distinct essence of the local community where it originates. When these distinct colors are blended, a vibrant tapestry of modern Vietnamese cuisine unfolds."

Nén Đà Nẵng also pursues a philosophy of sustainable cuisine. "Each ingredient carries its own story about the local culture and people. When we combine these ingredients, we create a vibrant and distinctive picture of Vietnamese cuisine," Chef Summer Le shared.

The path toward sustainable Vietnamese cuisine.

Sustainability is a core element of Nén's business philosophy. Besides ensuring the quality of food and ingredients, striving for sustainable development in all aspects, from people to the environment, is equally important.

The first Michelin Green Star that Nén Danang has proudly received is not only a recognition of the restaurant's efforts but also a great source of motivation for Nén to continue developing and inspiring the Vietnamese culinary community.

Chef Summer Le shared: "Using Vietnamese ingredients is one of Nén's most important principles. We believe that Vietnamese ingredients are in no way inferior to any ingredients in the world. We can absolutely create delicious, high-class dishes from simple, familiar ingredients."

For Nén Danang, sustainability is not just a cliché in the Vietnamese food industry. More and more restaurants and businesses in the F&B sector in Vietnam are paying attention to quality and sustainable development. Nén aspires to be part of this trend, contributing to building a Vietnamese culinary scene that is both delicious and environmentally friendly.

Chef Summer Le hopes that more Vietnamese restaurants will achieve the Michelin Green Star in the future. This would be a testament to the development of Vietnamese cuisine and affirm Vietnam's position on the world culinary map.

Ha Mai Trinh - Photo: Nen Danang Restaurant