Vietnam has seen remarkable development in the last decade, in part fueled by a tourism boom. Along with economic growth, popular western TV shows like Top Gear, Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown and President Obama’s 2016 visit have put Vietnam in the international media spotlight, with a particularly focus on its cuisine.

The quality of Vietnam’s restaurants have skyrocketed recently driven by competition to satiate growing tourists’ foodie demands, overseas Vietnamese returning with new knowledge and experiences and celebrity foreign chefs opening restaurants.

While Smiling Albino certainly enjoys seeking out the tiny spots serving mama’s recipes and holes in the wall known only to a few, we also enjoy including a bit of pizazz into our dining experiences. Now is a delicious time to visit Vietnam, because the food scene here is growing up – and out – in a big way.

If you want a great starter for the world of Vietnamese food, let Smiling Albino introduce you to Duc Tran, more commonly known as Chef Duc. Leaving Vietnam at 15, he spent time in a Malaysian refugee camp, rode horses in Texas, backpacked through Europe, and surfed Australia and Latin America before coming back to Vietnam to put his own twist on cooking.

His three restaurants in Hoi An are reservation only, and his recipes mix old school ingredients with modern culinary trends. Private classes are a must; as you combine the ingredients you bought on a guided trip to the local market into a world-class meal, Chef Duc educates and entertains with the techniques he uses in his kitchens every day. Mango Mango overlooking the river in Hoi An is Chef Duc’s flagship restaurant and he has recently opened a fourth in Da Nang called Fat Fish.

Moving right along, you can treat yourself to a superb meal created by Vietnam’s only Michelin-starred chef, Pierre Gagnaire, at La Maison 1888 at the Intercontinental Hotel in Da Nang. Fresh ingredients – check. Chef laser-focused on your dining experience – check. Food created inline with a vision of culinary excellence – of course. In a recent interview, the chef said, “The InterContinental and I share a vision. The menu is a link between my philosophy, my style of cooking and this country.”

And not only is the food a veritable Venn diagram of cultures and tastes, but you can soak up some pretty serious historical vibes from the setting. The architecture of La Maison 1888 honors the French colonial style; French doors and pastel stucco keep the inside cozy while ornate balustrades and sweeping views from long verandas give your regular ol’ spring rolls a touch of majesty.

For a break from local cuisine, Don’s Bistro in Ha Noi by famed Montreal-born Chef Don Berger is the place to head to. An impressive menu of international and fusion specialties is complemented with fine oysters, an extensive wine cellar and a selection of premium cigars. Overlooking West Lake, the views are only surpassed by the great personal service. Don’s a good friend of ours and we can set you up with a memorable dining experience.

In Sai Gon, Xu Restaurant serves up modern Vietnamese in a lavish contemporary setting. Opened by Bien Nguyen who started in the industry as a dishwasher at 15 years old before opening his first restaurant in Australia at the age of 23, Xu has pioneered some experimental treatments of traditional Vietnamese dishes, and has found growing acceptance and appreciation by the Vietnamese culinary world. This is a great place to enjoy a special occasion or just a great meal.

And finally, you won’t find a more authentic Vietnamese dining experience outside of the one provided by Ms. Vy. A third-generation cook raised in the UNESCO World Heritage site of Hoi An, she takes the recipes passed down through her family and serves them up in one of her four restaurants. Still not impressed by all that slicing, dicing and wrapping? What if we told you that she opened Hoi An’s first cooking school catering to foreigners, in 1994? And also how she was chosen by celebrity chef/famous grumpy person Gordon Ramsay to take him food shopping in Hoi An’s sprawling Ben Thanh Market. Clearly she’s an expert in bridging cultures with food, and Smiling Albino guests that fall under her tutelage are sure to get the special treatment, and one hell of a meal.

When it comes to Vietnam dining experiences, there is so much more to write about, but these five options give you a small taste of what’s available. From narrow back alleys to sprawling French mansions, if you’re a fan of food in all its forms, Vietnam is now the place to be. Let us show you!

(see our related blog on the rise in popularity of the humble vietnamese sandwich, Banh Mi)

The post Vietnam Dining Experiences Reach New Heights first appeared on Smiling Albino.

Smiling Albino is all about creating extraordinary experiences, big and small. Whether it’s a hometown newspaper with your morning coffee, a helicopter shuttle to your hotel or breakfast with an expert archaeologist before exploring Angkor, we know how to make Southeast Asia pop.

When it comes to food, extraordinary experiences are an essential part of the itineraries we create. Eating an exceptional meal is one of the great joys of life, and certainly one of the great joys in traveling in the gastro-hub of Asia. We’ve done plenty of, ahem, research to find the best chefs, the most awesome vistas, and the coolest surroundings to enjoy a meal. Here are a few of our favorites.

Bangkok

The Peninsula Hotel is one of Bangkok’s best, getting a big thumbs up from every guest. But not every guest is a Smiling Albino guest. For those wanting a very special setting for a very special dinner, we can arrange a table not only at the top of the hotel – but on the helipad on the roof of the building 38 floors into the sky. With a commanding view across the river and down into the bustling neighborhoods below, it will be an experience you’ll be talking about for a long time to come.

Taking things back down to ground level – below it even – how about a meal on a restored, private rice barge? These iconic vessels once plied the Chao Phraya River and its canals, bringing grain to communities all over the Kingdom, but fell into disuse with the rise of modern transportation. Lovingly restored, these teak ships are a thing of beauty, offering the perfect setting for a private dinner cruise – and even a great overnight experience.

Chiang Rai

Chiang Rai province is one of our favorite areas in Thailand because of its unspoiled nature, cool climate, and amazing wildlife. And wouldn’t you know it – there’s a way to combine all three with an incredible feast. At the Anantara Golden Triangle you can take your evening meal in a luxury treehouse surrounded by pristine jungle, joined by special guests – elephants from the Anantara’s elephant camp. These rescued former beasts of burden are now cared for by one of Thailand’s most ethical and knowledgeable elephant refuge centers.

Not into treehouses or peered at by elephants while dining? No problem – we can arrange a stay in the unbelievable Pa Sak Tong private villa. Have a candlelight dinner on a terrace overlooking water buffalo evening skinny-dipping in lotus ponds, rice fields fading off into the forests, and look up to see our other favorite reason to visit Chiang Rai – the amazing sky. You don’t see stars like that in Bangkok.

Chiang Mai

The superb Howie’s Home Stay takes privacy and luxury to a new level. Want to relax, sleep, and dine without being bothered by other travelers? It’s easy here – you’re the only guest! Owners Howie and Jerri are cut from the same cloth as Smiling Albino – there is no one-size-fits-all solution to being a host; it’s all about creating an experience unique to every guest. When you’re done wandering around the incredibly landscaped gardens, sit down at the giant dining table for a home-cooked Thai meal like no other. A dinner made just for you by a five-star chef, set amid flowers and candles overlooking a private lake… yeah, this is a fine addition to our list.

The Rice Barn at the Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai knows how to set a mood, and they do it wonderfully at this unique setup built specifically for two guests who want to make the most of their time. Enjoy an exquisite five-course meal illuminated by candlelight mixing with moonlight, overlooking the resort’s rice paddies and shimmering lake.

Koh Kood

Dining with leafy trees towering overhead is one thing – it’s a whole other experience when you’re actually in the trees. Dinner at the Soneva Kiri Resort’s Treepod is just what it sounds like – a private bamboo dining room 40 feet above the ground, overlooking the azure Gulf of Thailand. And get this – waiters serve your table via zipline! And you thought it took skill to balance a tray on one hand while walking.

Phuket

Stepping out of the jungle into a clearing at night could be a scary proposition – unless the clearing is lit by candlelight and furnished with a beautifully set table just for you, that is. The Sarojin Phuket sets the scene perfectly, with fine dining brought to your table just meters away from a picturesque waterfall tumbling into a crystal-clear pool. Anyone for an after dinner dip?

Siem Reap

If you like to dine in the shadow of history, a private meal at the Amansara Khmer House is hard to beat. This classic wooden home has been turned into your private dining veranda overlooking a giant baray – a man-made irrigation pool that dates back to the 10th century. Best experienced in the morning before exploring Angkor. Enjoy a traditional Khmer breakfast carefully crafted from organic ingredients grown in the surrounding gardens.

These are just some of the unique and extraordinary dining experiences we have up our sleeves. Let Smiling Albino create that extra special memory for you on your next trip to Southeast Asia, enquire today.

The post Extraordinary Dining Experiences first appeared on Smiling Albino.

The first hint that something was going on behind the scenes popped up about 5 years ago, when local newspapers reported on the controversy of foreign chefs opening Thai food restaurants in Thailand. It probably wouldn’t have mattered much, except they started winning awards. This all kicked off when David Thompson’s Michelin-starred London restaurant Nahm opened a Bangkok branch, causing some food critics to proclaim “A foreigner, cooking Thai food? Preposterous!” (For what it’s worth, Nahm was #22 on the William Reed list mentioned above).

Jess Barnes, chef/owner of Opposite Mess Hall and Daisy Matthews and part of the crowd of gastronomic innovators responsible for the shakeup, says “When I came here in 2009, the best restaurants were in hotels. Western produce grown locally was poor quality, and restaurants were heavily dependent on imported produce. A lot of the hotels saw restaurants as an amenity, like a gym, only there for hotel customers. Of course, there were exceptions to this rule, but that’s a quick snapshot.”

Jess says that what happened is that, slowly but surely, access to good local produce became easier. Producers and suppliers from all walks of life saw opportunity to make a business here. Organic lifestyles became hip, kids and young adults traveled abroad more often and brought back ideas and skill sets learned overseas – chefs, cafe owners, baristas, farmers, and bakers. “I feel that Thailand is currently having a sort of renaissance – an artistic and cultural revolution, in food and many other fields,” he says. “People know what pho is in Bangkok now! The difference between Roman and Napoli-style pizza! What a sourdough should taste like! Now is the right time to be in Bangkok if this is your thing.”

Indeed, there are now more choices than ever when it comes to tantalizing international cuisine. You can pick molecular cuisine of all kinds, handmade British meat pies, cheese, and bread. You can have authentic Tex-Mex, Thai haute cuisine, amped-up cafes with dynamic menu items from around the world, and Roman food that will knock your socks off. There are plenty we didn’t mention, but you can read about a few of them on CNN’s recent list of Bangkok’s ten best new restaurants here.

[Tweet “Bangkok is an exciting city in terms of cuisine right now, and the trend is growing and evolving. “]

The bottom line is that Bangkok is an exciting city in terms of cuisine right now, and the trend is growing and evolving to bigger and better things. As Jess says: “These things take time, but we are off to a great start.”

(Photo: Opposite Mess Hall)

The post The Rise and Rise of Bangkok’s F&B Scene first appeared on Smiling Albino.