Review: Lune by Chef Adrien Guenzi
Lune is easily one of the most underrated restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City. To be fair, it’s considerably new in the dining space (approximately a year) but Chef Adrien Guenzi is by no means new to fine dining fare or Saigon.
Meet Chef Adrien Guenzi
From Lyon, Chef Adrien cut his teeth first in his family restaurant before working in different fine dining restaurants across Europe (London and Switzerland) including the popular Sketch in London. It was not until 2020 that he found himself halfway around the world at the helm of Square One in Park Hyatt saigon as Chef De Cuisine and let’s say the rest is history.
And, though many still know and remember Chef Adrien for his stint at Park Hyatt Saigon, Lune is really where he shines through his various tasting menus (a la carte also available) that underscore modern French cuisine.
Modern French flavours inspired by well-loved classics
The Cassoulet that I had which was a part of Lune’s business set lunch menu (2 courses for 250,000 vnd)
Think Veal sweetbread with anchovies, potato foam with saffron, pickled radish, and chestnut as well as Escargots with mushroom purée, red wine sauce, and bacon (ooh) and that’s what you get at Lune. The best part? Tasting menus start from just 750,000 VND (30 USD) for three courses sans taxes.
There are also a la carte options for those looking for a short but sweet dining experience. For lunch, Lune serves up a wallet-friendly business lunch menu starting from just 250,000 VND (10 USD) for two courses. For its District 1 location and quality - Lune’s business set lunch offers one of the best values in town, especially during a time when industry prices seem to only be heading… well, northward.
My beef tartare starter that I had as part of Lune’s set lunch menu
The Space: Have a cocktail at Lune’s cocktail bar cum lounge on the first floor and then head upstairs for dinner
There are a few things that will mislead you at first glance. First, its cocktail bar cum lounge entrance will lead you to assume it’s nothing but a business district watering hole. Second, its ‘fine dining’ positioning, which is what took me so long to visit Lune. But, it’s far from being the pretentious white-clothed restaurant that I had in mind.
Lune’s got live music, a daily happy hour, and a very lively crew. Plus, Chef Adrien is one of the most down-to-earth chefs I know in Vietnam. So, as the age-old saying goes: never judge a book by its cover, Lune is a testament to how sometimes our judgment can get in the way of ourselves, or in this case, in the way of delicious finds.
I hope you don’t make the same mistake that I have and run, not walk, to Lune.
Address: 17/14 Đ. Lê Thánh Tôn, Bến Nghé, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh 70000
Opening hours: 11:30 am to 2pm, 5pm to midnight (daily)
