Gordon Ramsay isn't the only celebrity chef obsessed with Vietnam. But unlike Ramsay, New York chef, Anthony Bourdain, has a close personal connection to Vietnam, cultivated over many visits since 2000.
Condé Nast Traveler recently caught up with Bourdain who told the magazine that his first trip to Vietnam changed his life:
From all of your travels, which destination has made the biggest impression on you?
I’m crazy for Southeast Asia. I think all of us that work on the show love that part of the world. I love Vietnam, Malaysia, and Indonesia for the flavors, the landscape and the people. Going to Vietnam the first time was life-changing for sure; maybe because it was all so new and different to my life before and the world I grew up in. The food, culture, landscape and smell; they’re all inseparable. It just seemed like another planet; a delicious one that sort of sucked me in and never let go.
Do you have a favorite restaurant or is it too hard to choose?
I’m actually happiest eating street food, whether it’s in Mexico or Vietnam. I like eating at casual street food stalls in Asia or Latin America. I like yakitori; I like pho from Vietnam very much; I like the chicken rice in Singapore and the tacos in Mexico. They’re all delicious.
