Where Restaurateurs Eat: Column 4
Lily Hoa Nguyen, co-founder & executive chef of Vietnamese Foodies shares her favourite restaurants.
If you’ve recently joined my Substack tribe, you might like to check out the first three ‘Where Restaurateurs Eat’ columns to give you some context before reading the recommendations from this month’s super woman.
I would love your nominations for aspirational female restaurateurs leading their businesses. They might not be on my radar - and could land themselves a feature here.
Google Maps link here with the UAE restaurant recommendations from our power ladies - populated monthly as each column is published. All interviews are linked HERE.
And now let’s meet…
Lily Hoa Nguyen - co-founder & executive chef of Vietnamese Foodies Restaurants with seven branches across Dubai.
Top three go-to, favourite restaurants in the UAE:
Mott 32 at Address Beach Resort for modern Hong Kong/ Cantonese fare. The aromatic roasted Peking duck is so soft, juicy and fragrant with a crispy skin. The view overlooking Ain Dubai and the shoreline is impressive and memorable.
BordoMavi at Jumeirah Fishing Harbour for daily fresh fish and seafood flown in from Turkey. The location in this quaint little marina is so fitting with the concept, and the ambience is so relaxing.
Itadaku at Wasl Vista Mall for family-run, ingredient-focused, casual Japanese dining. Everyone working in this restaurant is Japanese. The salmon handroll and uni tempura are outstanding.
One home country restaurant:
Bep Nha Luc Tinh in Saigon/ Ho Chi Minh is my favourite restaurant for friends and family gatherings whenever I return home, due to its unique, zen interior and excellent quality of food. The menu focuses on seasonal fresh vegetables and traditional dishes from Vietnam’s southern region - and while in the restaurant, you feel like you are back at your grandfather’s house having a relaxing meal with loved ones.
One restaurant located elsewhere internationally:
Lacivert in Beykoz, Istanbul is a beautiful sea-front restaurant specialising in fresh, daily-caught fish and seafood from the Mediterranean and Aegean seas. The restaurant is only accessible by a short boat ride from Beykoz on the European side of Istanbul and has a magnificient view of the Bosphorus strait. The menu offers traditional Turkish seafood, with top notch produce and on point execution.
I leave you with endless wishes for a free Palestine 🇵🇸🍉🕊️
FooDiva. x
If you’ve recently joined my Substack tribe, you may have missed…
My next dining experience, a #FourChefsDinner, is set for the 29th October. If you would like to sign up to the email when the experience is ready to book at the end of this month (and are not already on the dinners database), please pop your email HERE.
My welcome launch newsletter.
A special edition newsletter in support of all things Palestinian.
Two opinion pieces: Michelin Dubai guide & MENA 50 Best Restaurant Awards.
Recent restaurant reviews: Osteria FunkCoolio; Rare; and my musings on Sufret Maryam.
My Where Restaurateurs Eat monthly column.
A couple of culinary travel guides: Baku, which includes do’s & don’ts of restaurant travel research. How to eat your way round Manila during a typhoon.
Past newsletters: November; December; January; February; March; April; May; June; July; September.
My 2024 guide to Dubai’s top restaurants. A record 45 homegrown concepts. Paid subscribers also receive a PDF of this guide.
I update My Little Pink Lifestyle Book with new finds every month.
A private one-hour Zoom call with me to pick my brains. More info here for F&B industry enquiries - and here for foodie/ diner queries.
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Hardly a week goes by without ordering from Vietnamese Foodies.