The British culinary king discovered Vietnamese cuisine, took one bite, and exclaimed, “It’s delicious… I love it!”
Gordon Ramsay, a name synonymous with hit television shows, couldn’t hide his excitement over a simple Vietnamese dish. After just one bite, he exclaimed, “It’s delicious… I love it!”
Born in Scotland in 1966, Gordon Ramsay began his career in French cuisine and quickly became one of the world’s most influential chefs. His eponymous restaurant – Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in London – has held three Michelin stars since 2001, a rare achievement in the culinary world. Beyond his restaurant career, Ramsay has also become a familiar face on television with globally popular shows such as Hell’s Kitchen , MasterChef , Kitchen Nightmares , and Gordon’s Great Escape .
Audiences love Ramsay not only for his exquisite recipes, but also for his straightforward, hot-tempered yet passionate style. He is considered an inspiration to the younger generation to enter the kitchen, affirming that cooking is not simply a profession, but also an art of living.
In 2012, while filming the second part of his food and travel documentary series, Gordon’s Great Escape , Ramsay visited the Mekong Delta. It was there that he had the opportunity to experience one of Vietnam’s most popular yet quintessentially Vietnamese dishes – crab noodle soup (bún riêu cua).
The person who brought the dish to Ramsay was Mrs. Hai, a humble cook accustomed to serving food at rural markets. When the steaming bowl of crab noodle soup was served, Ramsay carefully scooped a spoonful and brought it to his lips. The mild sourness of the tomatoes, the delicate sweetness of the bone broth, and the soft, creamy crab paste blended together, making the discerning chef unable to contain his emotions. He blurted out, “It’s delicious! I love it!”
That spontaneous emotion became one of the most memorable moments of the show. For a chef who has traveled the world and tasted countless exquisite dishes, his special praise for Vietnamese street food further confirms the appeal of the cuisine of the S-shaped country.
Simple, rustic dishes that embody the soul of the countryside.
Bun rieu is one of the traditional dishes loved by many Vietnamese people. Unlike pho or bun bo Hue, which are distinguished by their thinly sliced beef, bun rieu impresses with its rieu (crab paste) cooked in chunks and floating on the surface of the bright red tomato-based broth.
Besides the crab paste, the bowl of vermicelli is also rich with many other ingredients: crispy fried tofu, shrimp, crab meat, boiled pork blood, bean sprouts, and a variety of Vietnamese herbs such as coriander and perilla. All of these combine to create a flavor that is both rustic and unique, unlike any other dish in the world.