Why Ho Chi Minh has a culinary edge over Hong Kong, according to Chom Chom founder, who’s returning for a pop-up
Peter Cuong Franklin says Vietnamese city offers commodities in short supply in Hong Kong – a young team willing to learn and cheap, fresh ingredients for street food; he’s back next week to cook from his Anan Saigon menu
Peter Cuong Franklin is buoyant on the phone from Ho Chi Minh City, where he has just opened his restaurant Anan Saigon.
“It’s going really well, it’s amazing. I can do things here that I can’t do in Hong Kong. It’s based right in the market so we can get any ingredient,” he says. “I have an amazing team and what’s good about Vietnam is that there are bright, young people who are willing to learn, which is in short supply in Hong Kong.
“Being here is also practical because the setting-up costs are reasonable. We can experiment more, whereas in Hong Kong it’s more commercial.”
It looks like a taco, but it tastes like banh xeo ... People say it’s the best banh xeo they have ever had
“We are doing something different in Saigon, and this young team I have is excited to be a part of it,” he says. On the menu, for example is street food like banh xeo, or Vietnamese crepe, and Franklin and his team have developed their own taco version.