The new culinary hotspot in the region is Vietnam, if the Michelin Guide's latest foray into the country is an indicator. Eager to traverse this culinary landscape is chef Sam Aisbett, who opened Akuna at the Le Méridien Saigon on July 19.
Aisbett, who was chef-patron of Whitegrass, one of Singapore’s prominent restaurants, has enjoyed many accolades. However, in 2018, chef Aisbett announced his departure from Whitegrass and returned to Australia. While he initially planned to return to Singapore with a smaller, more intimate restaurant, he decided he needed something more.
“Whitegrass was a key milestone in my culinary life. It fulfilled my dream of elevating Australian cuisine. With my next restaurant, I wanted something more. I needed a new goal to feel inspired again," he tells the Bangkok Post. With that in mind, chef Aisbett decided to delay the opening of his Singapore restaurant and took time to travel and re-evaluate his next steps.
Once touching ground in Vietnam, he almost immediately fell in love with the "beautiful chaos" of Ho Chi Minh City. The country's rich culture and genuineness of the Vietnamese won him over and he decided to sow his culinary seeds in Saigon, where he spent two and a half years of the pandemic.
Chef Aisbett unveils Akuna, which is the Australian Aboriginal word for “flowing water”. The name resonating with the chef as he sees water and the sea as representative of the constant “ebb and flow” of his 20-year career. The 50-seater will reflect it’s name throughout. To create a sense of limitlessness, the restaurant features an open kitchen, huge glass windows offering views of the Saigon River and art pieces, selected by chef Aisbett.
“I have always loved Vietnam. I had been to the country a few times before on holiday and absolutely adore the genuine warmth of the people and the unbelievable street food,” says the chef.
Ho Chi Minh City presents a lot of potential and opportunity for chef Aisbett. The city is developing quickly and is home to many farms providing fresh produce. “The local cuisine, while underrated, is incredible. I have encountered so many new indigenous ingredients and novel flavour combinations that I am very excited to experiment with at Akuna. For example, the locals use a type of marine worm called ‘sa sung’ in pho, which results in an umami-rich broth. There is also a spiky, orange-reddish melon called gac fruit, where its flesh and seeds are used to make xôi gấc, a red sticky rice eaten during weddings and special occasions.
“There is also a large workforce in Ho Chi Minh and everyone is passionate and hardworking. Usually, one of our biggest concerns in the F&B industry is staffing and building the right team. We have been lucky that we have navigated that well, and I am proud and confident of our newly-formed Akuna family,” emphasises chef Aisbett.
Through Akuna, he says, he wants the world to see the culinary possibilities that he sees in Vietnam. “With its amazing produce and skilled cooks, I believe it is ripe for this country to shine and take its deserved place on the culinary stage, especially in the region.” The Michelin Guide clearly agrees.
Though the setting is a bit different that what the chef is used to. Running a restaurant attached to a hotel is vastly different from being at the helm of a standalone kitchen. “I find myself feeling more zen and less stressed out now that I have support from the hotel team. Instead of worrying about how to market the restaurant, HR or accounts, I can focus on bringing my cuisine to life — from developing the menu, training the team to exploring new ingredients and flavours. In fact, the team recently went to hunt for some wild honey in the jungle!” exclaims the chef, in joy.
Akuna, chef Aisbett says, would be his “most authentic cooking yet”, though you will be reminded of his previous restaurant when dining here. “Rather than limiting the menu to the boundaries of any region or style, it would be an amalgamation of my inspirations and experiences as a chef, restaurateur, traveller and produce enthusiast. To put it simply, the experience would be ‘Sam on a plate’, serving food I love and believe in.”
There will be an emphasis on provenance, quality produce and cultural diversity in flavours — a reflection of his training in Australia. “Of course, since we are in Ho Chi Minh City, the cuisine will draw inspiration from Vietnam’s culinary landscape,” he adds.
“At Akuna, I will be using the sa sung to prepare a pork and scallop broth, served with smoked Australian free range pork jowl, scallop bánh cuốn, jade tiger abalone and handmade silken tofu,” he adds, offering a glimpse into his culinary mind and the menu. Though this dish is on the seven course menu, dinners who chose the five-course menu can look forward to crocodile tongue.
While, chef Aisbett acknowledges that Australia forms the backbone of his culinary ethos, Akuna will also bend the rules with combinations and atypical presentations to actively steer away from fine dining norms. “Where does it say you cannot serve a dish with two forks,” he asks. Two forks aside, you will get interesting cutlery, to say the least, and even a rake.
Akuna by Sam Aisbett serves five courses (dong 3,000,000++) and seven courses (dong 3,900,000++) at the Le Méridien Saigon, Vietnam. Visit akunarestaurant.com.
