How Da Vittorio is giving Vietnam a taste of Michelin

About Da Vittorio

• Da Vittorio was opened by husband and wife duo Vittorio and Bruna Cerea in 1966 in Bergamo where it was unusual to find fish on the menu anywhere, obscured by the huge popularity of meat.

• Back then, fish dishes helped the restaurant grow in esteem but today, more than 50 years later, Da Vittorio has grown into a global culinary marquee boasting outposts in Italy, Switzerland and China as well as an armful of accolades including the highly sought-after three Michelin stars,"Relais Gourmand” and Les Grandes Tables du Monde.

• Da Vittorio’s portfolio of restaurants including fine-casual concepts ‘DAV’ and ‘New Wave’, boasts an impressive eight Michelin stars altogether.

After almost 2 years, Da Vittorio opens in Vietnam marking its first foray into Southeast Asia.

Marking a return to normality after the challenges of Covid, the iconic Italian restaurant Da Vittorio opened its doors in Vietnam this July, marking its debut in Southeast Asia. Hot on the heels of rumours of the Michelin guide coming to Vietnam, I reckon Da Vittorio has come at the perfect time.

“But why Vietnam?” I ask Chef Matteo and not more mature markets such as Singapore, Bangkok or Hong Kong where the Michelin already exists for its first foray into the region. But as it turns out, it was simply a matter of time before Da Vittorio came to Vietnam seeing how one of their biggest fans is well, the owner of The Reverie Hotel.

Photo courtesy of Da Vittorio Saigon

Unsurprisingly, Da Vittorio is located in the equally luxurious Reverie hotel where it replaces now-defunct Italian restaurant ‘Romeo&Juliet’. So, with the exception of a glamorous new bar, lift, lobby and touches of Italian glam as well as a collection of branded household items (Mancini pasta, cookbook, sauces etc.), the restaurant bears an uncanny resemblance to the incumbent so you’ll be forgiven for having bouts of deja vu when you arrive.

A menu strategy made for many (not the mass), Da Vittorio is perhaps the only restaurant in Vietnam with a vegan/vegetarian tasting menu.

Interestingly, the first thing to note about Da Vittorio Saigon is its a la carte menu and the fact that it has one! Don’t get me wrong, Da Vittorio does have a tasting menu (two in fact) but rarely will you find three Michelin-starred restaurants dishing out both an a la carte menu and multiple carte blanche tasting menus at the same time during dinner. Ambitious to say the least but that’s exactly what Da Vittorio does in all its locations. Thankfully, all restaurants come armed with mammoth-sized kitchens and state-of-the-art kitchen equipment that must help, of course.

Photo courtesy of Da Vittorio Saigon

While a questionable and bold move for a traditional white tablecloth restaurant, Da Vittorio’s ethos of “making its menu approachable” has become a linchpin for the restaurant’s success. Chef Matteo explains that for the Da Vittorio group, “creating a restaurant that isn’t accessible or simply chooses to cater to certain diets or offer only a tasting menu was never part of the plan”. For the unconvinced, Chef Matteo is happy to share anecdotes from his time in Bergamo fielding dishes to droves of hungry diners during his day-to-night full house shifts.

Breeze through the restaurant’s menu and you’ll find a vegetarian/vegan tasting menu (possibly the only vegan tasting menu in Vietnam) in addition to its signature pescatarian (fish and crustaceans) tasting menu as well as an a la carte menu. And if that’s not enough variety to draw you in, Da Vittorio Saigon’s menu changes every season to align with its sister Da Vittorio restaurants so yes, you can expect the brand’s iconic White Truffle tasting menu in Vietnam this October.

Global flavours, local ingredients

Photo courtesy of Da Vittorio Saigon

Enter any Da Vittorio restaurant in the world and you’ll find two things: signature Da Vittorio staples such as the Egg "à la Egg" with Royal Oscietra Caviar (2,288 million VND) and “Vittorio” style Paccheri Pasta (888,000 VND) as well as dishes reflective of the culinary prowess, seasons and terroir of each location. For the latter, Chef Matteo explains that this move is not one aimed at localising the concept, especially not in the first year where the focus is on introducing the brand and establishing a stronghold on the Vietnam market. After, Chef Matteo says, “is a different story” but insists on emphasising the importance of not losing one’s identity to localisation.

When someone proposed to Chef Matteo the idea of asking customers how they like their pasta to be cooked (typically al dente in Da Vittorio), he refused since the goal is to bring an authentic Italian experience to Vietnam instead of localising it for the market.

Executive Chef Matteo Fontana (Photo courtesy Da Vittorio )

With rumours circling around the Michelin coming to Vietnam, I ask Chef Matteo about his thoughts about the readiness of Vietnam’s culinary industry as well as the potential Michelin brings to a restaurant and country.

To clarify, the Michelin guide ranks restaurants beyond food and wine but also service, interiors and atmosphere - which all play an integral role in the overall dining experience. And hence why the coveted stars are awarded to the restaurant not the chef. 

On this note, Chef Matteo acknowledges that service (menu knowledge, inconsistent and poor service recovery) is still a challenge in Vietnam and pales in comparison to the calibre of chefs and cooks, most of who are imported from overseas. And while the narrative is slowly changing with the addition of education/training institutes improving the accessibility to such skills and expertise and an influx of experienced maitre d’s and waiters into Vietnam, there are but a handful of restaurants that get this right.

Chef Matteo clarifies that his excitement for Michelin to come to Vietnam is not a starry-eyed individualistic one but rather one that he believes will benefit the entire industry. He recalls how the arrival of Michelin in Bangkok (6 to 7 years ago) singularly catalysed a stream of top-tier chefs opening restaurants in the city, raising the industry standard and transforming Bangkok from a ‘street food centre” to a culinary hotspot. With one decision, Bangkok’s food and drink scene was turned on its head.

For chefs and restauranteurs, the Michelin sparks a fire and encourages them to try harder because they have something to aspire towards, a reason to try knowing that a once unachievable feat can now become a reality.

Who knows when the Michelin will come but one thing is for sure and that is Da Vittorio is already a shining star in Vietnam’s culinary scene.

• Address: B1 Level & 1st Floor, Times Square Building

• Opening hours: 5:30 pm – 10:00 pm (closed every Sunday)

• Website: https://www.thereveriesaigon.com/restaurants-bars/da-vittorio-saigon/

• Contact: +84 (0) 28 3823 6688 or email DaVittorio@thereveriesaigon.com

• Dress code: Smart casual or business attire

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