By Tracie May-Wagner
One of the most highly respected fine dining chefs in Vietnam, at a mere 28 years old, Chef Hoang Tung has evolved and elevated the traditional concept of Vietnamese fine dining through his two successful namesake restaurants, T.U.N.G Dining and A by T.U.N.G. Drawing inspiration from his travels across northern Europe, where he apprenticed under numerous Michelin starred fine dining chefs, his philosophy of T.U.N.G – Twisted, Unique, Natural, Gastronomique – is the mantra for his culinary vision. Presenting an Omakase-style, 20-course tasting menu, he conducts a symphony of flavors, textures, and scents for his guests daily with each delectable plate.
Born and raised in Hanoi, Chef Tung was granted a full scholarship to study abroad and left Vietnam for the first time to earn a business degree in Helsinki, Finland.
While attending school, he was hired as a dishwasher by a local Chinese restaurant and it was there that sparked his deep-rooted passion for food and being a part of a professional kitchen. From there, he embarked on his culinary education, traveling from city to city and knocking on the doors of any fine dining restaurant in Scandinavia that might consider hiring him so that he could hone his craft. He cultivated his knife and plating skills, refined his palate, and matured his natural-born talent for fusing flavors and textures. He watched an endless stream of cooking shows and films and read as many cookbooks and chef biographies as he could get his hands on. His hunger for knowledge and determination to become a world-class chef was his only mission.
Shortly after his return to Hanoi, he was able to secure an investor and in 2018, T.U.N.G Dining opened its doors. Showcasing a contemporary small plate menu which is revised every three months, he fuses his Vietnamese roots with Nordic cuisine and transforms the simplest of ingredients into highly complex and unforgettable flavors. Constantly evolving and stimulating sensory experiences through his food, he incorporates modern cooking techniques, molecular gastronomy, and the latest in technology to achieve his one-of-a-kind comestible results.
He is the first chef in Asia to use a 3D printer to form food, and T.U.N.G Dining was recently featured in Asia’s 100 best restaurants in 2021.
In 2021, he launched his second location, A by T.U.N.G in District 1 of Ho Chi Minh City. Applying the same principles of T.U.N.G, each of the 20 presented dishes offers evocative flavors and serves as a celebration of seasonality and fresh local proteins and produce. Like its predecessor, the expansive tasting menu is refreshed on a three-month basis, offering his guests a once-in-a-lifetime dining experience with each and every bite. [C]
For reservations at A. by T.U.N.G Saigon, visit them at abytung.com/ reservation
For reservations at T.U.N.G Dining Hanoi, visit them at tungdining.com/ reservation
