From Memories to the Table: Chef Kiên Phan Weaves “Tales & Tastes” Through Flavor at SÓNO

Sophia Carter
Oct 16
3 min read

Updated: Oct 22

For those who grew up in the late 1980s and 1990s, childhood was filled with fairy tales. Chef Kiên Phan was no exception. With Tales & Tastes, his first tasting menu of this kind, these stories are told not through words but through flavors—a heartfelt homage to a cherished youth.

Hidden in a quiet Thảo Điền alley, SÓNO offers a serene escape from the city’s pulse. Guests are invited to slow down and embark on a sensory journey where each course reflects the beauty of Vietnamese cuisine and culture.

The evening begins softly in the lounge, where gentle light touches a minimal space curated by the SÓNO team. Select artworks and dried botanicals, rustic yet poetic, invite curiosity. Only at the end of Tales & Tastes will the thread connecting them to the season’s narrative fully reveal itself.

When the host leads guests into the dining room, the atmosphere shifts. Each table glows under its pool of light—quiet, intimate, expectant. A simple wooden chair drawn out in welcome marks the moment the story begins, not on paper but on the palette.

The Journey Begins with Simple Details Leading Back to Childhood

Memories of “Once Upon a Time” Inspire New Stories Through Taste

Chef Kiên recalls his grandmother’s bedtime tales told during power outages—stories the children never tired of hearing: Gold for Gratitude, The Bamboo’s Secret, and Battle of Land and Sea. Her voice, warm and steady, shaped his imagination long before he knew he’d become a chef.

Now 36 and head chef of SÓNO, he brings those stories to life through his craft. Tales & Tastes is his way of retelling them—not in words, but through ingredients, technique, and emotion. Each dish carries the devotion of a chef who cooks to remember and to share.

“This is the moment for me to retell those tales through food…”

A Journey Back to the Gentle Light of Childhood

For Chef Kiên, childhood meant nights without electricity, when his grandmother’s voice became the only light. Tales & Tastes is his tribute to those moments—an invitation for guests to return to simplicity, warmth, and kinship.

It is not just a menu but a journey back to innocence. Through every course, Chef Kiên hopes guests won’t just eat but feel—the tenderness of memory and the love that shaped who we become.

A menu that carries a quiet, heartfelt tribute to childhood

Each Dish, a Chapter Retold

Each course in Tales & Tastes is a short story—childhood memories intertwined with local ingredients and modern techniques. The menu draws inspiration from familiar tales: The Bamboo’s Secret, The Watermelon Legend, Battle of Land and Sea, Gold for Gratitude, and The Boy Who Reimagined.

It opens with The Watermelon Legend: crisp Nga Son watermelon with lemon gel and chilled feta—evoking the resilience of a castaway youth. Gold for Gratitude pairs foie gras with starfruit jam and pineapple, offering sweet complexity. Battle of Land and Sea unites Patagonian toothfish, tomato broth, and crispy tofu skin in harmony.

The journey ends with The Boy Who Reimagined, a dessert where diners paint their plates with vibrant sauces—tasting, then creating.

A culinary feast at SÓNO - Chef Kiên’s message, told without words

Vietnamese Fairy Tales, Reimagined Through Flavor

Those tales once lulled Chef Kiên to sleep; now they shape his art. Mischievous as a child, he channels that playful spirit into dishes full of contrast and surprise—like kaffir lime with watermelon, or layered textures that spark both wonder and nostalgia.

Yet beneath the creativity lies tenderness: the memory of his father bringing home Russian salted fat, or nights when his grandmother’s stories sparked dreams of a world beyond.

With Tales & Tastes, SÓNO finds a new rhythm—where Vietnamese tradition meets the pulse of global fine dining.

Launched on July 4, 2025, Tales & Tastes offers an intimate culinary experience for those seeking to rediscover the flavors of their childhood and the quiet joy of connection around the table.