NamNam to open third Annam restaurant in Manila

Singapore-based Vietnamese restaurant chain Annam has opened its second outlet in Manila, and a third is already scheduled.

Annam restaurant is the local name for Vietnamese noodle bar NamNam, (the original name is already in use in the Philippines), which made its debut in Singapore’s Raffles City Shopping Centre in October 2012.

Since then, the company has expanded to eight outlets – four in Singapore, two in Indonesia and two in the Philippines. Founder Nam Quoc Nguyen was born in Vietnam but moved to Denmark with his parents at the age of seven.

The Philippine restaurants are being opened in partnership with local hospitality company Les Amis Group, headed by Raymund Magdaluyo.

The first Annam restaurant opened in Eastwood in July last year and the second at Resorts World on March 3. The third will be located in Megamall.

Les Amis Group franchise operations manager Rachel Aw says the company has tailored the Annam menu to the local palate, something common in all the restaurant chain’s stores outside Singapore. Dishes strike a balance between traditional Vietnamese fare and Asian influences.

“We don’t want to veer away from the Vietnamese dishes so our mains are traditional like the Hanoi Pho, which remains true to the taste that is globally recognized,” Aw said in an interview with the Manila Times. “But for sections, Chef Nam can be creative with twists that will cater to the local palate.”

NamNam in Singapore serves dried noodles because Singaporeans love them, and in Indonesia, it features rice meals a la nasi goreng or Indonesian fried rice, on its menu.

In Manila, one of the major differences is Annam restaurant’s use of calamansi in place of lemon.

“I’d say Annam’s menu is 50 per cent authentic and 50 per cent signature,” Magdaluyo added.

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