Director San Yvin. Photo: Theo Lesourd

There is nothing more exciting than the unraveling of secrets in a world that desperately needs to know the truth. Piano Bar is the new drama series that does exactly that - all the while revolutionizing a country’s artistic scene. With an all leading Asian cast, the series exposes the downturn of a Vietnamese family, going back four generations. Showcreator San Yvin digs into the roots of his ancestral tree to unfold family tales in an era lost to time.

Set in the Old Quarter of Hanoi, “Piano Bar” weaves a colorful tapestry detailing the saga of the cut-throat ambition of an Old-Money family, headed by the great matriarch Madame - Yvin’s great-grandmother - ruthlessly determined to do whatever it takes to construct Hanoi’s most sumptuous hotel.

The show starts with Madame’s funeral. Her five children come home from around the globe to attend one of the biggest ceremonies the city has seen since the war. As they read the will, they discover how much the family fortune has dwindled and that the ruined hotel is impossible to sell. In order to pay the maintenance bills for the crumbling estate, the five siblings decide to transform it into their first business venture: thus came the birth of the legendary Piano Bar. 

Concept art created for Piano Bar. Three dishes Yvin will be showcasing in “Piano Bar”: Vietnamese style boeuf bourguignon, red sticky rice and caramelized porc.

In all the difficulties that they face, the only thread that holds the family together is the rich beauty of Vietnamese cuisine. It reminds them of their humble roots - feeds their greed when business booms - and seduces the gold-lined pockets of colonial officials. Besides these warming meals will comfort them when they lose everything. 

“Watching Piano Bar will be like tasting Vietnamese cuisine for the first time. The series explores the heights of Vietnamese cuisine and its perfect marriage to French gastronomy” says Yvin, inspired by his own childhood.

San Yvin was directing a film set in Hanoi, Vietnam.

“My father is French and my mother Vietnamese, their marriage reflected into the cooking they served and that’s how they educated me. Food was the love language I was fed [and] it always felt natural for me to tell stories around and about food. But I don’t think I’ve ever seen a film or series that explicitly showcases Vietnamese dishes and that baffles me because It’s such a beautiful and complex cuisine. Immersed in history, tradition and pride. And I’m proud of my heritage. I want to show it off and put it on the big screen.” he states.

For San Yvin, it’s about representation of Vietnamese artists and an opportunity to showcase Vietnamese cuisine. “Food can tell you everything about a country’s identity.” Yvin believes.

Left: Green Tangerine back when it was open; Right: Tilapia fish plating at Green Tangerine

San Yvin himself grew up living between his parents’ two restaurants, serving French-Vietnamese fusion cuisine, both city staples that you would’ve frequented if you lived in Hanoi in the early 2000s.

“‘Cyclo Bar’ and ‘Green Tangerine’ was where I grew up. During the day, the office was a workplace, but at night, we’d pull our beds out from under the desks and turn it into our bedroom.” Yvin reminisces. “My father was very creative with his culinary inventions. He could taste it in his mind and make it work in real life.”

Yvin even helped his parents with digital marketing by taking pictures of the dishes: A tilapia filet, steamed in a Vietnamese bouquet garni, with a bed of rice wine risotto, enrobed in morning glory leaves, with a tangy passion fruit sauce - Yvin’s favorite dish at ‘Green Tangerine’, for him a nostalgic and flavorful memory that should never be forgotten. While both restaurants have been outlived by time (Green Tangerine only recently due to the Covid crisis), the young showrunner promises to engrave their spirits in the grain of film. 

With his roots deeply anchored in the restaurant industry, Yvin aspires to capture the narratives of his unsung heroes. “The people I grew up around were incredibly influential to me and I want to tell their stories. The best place [for me] to start was to tell the ones I knew about.” 

According to a study from the University of Southern California, only 5% of speaking parts and leading roles are available to Asian actors in Hollywood. In 2018, a major shift in the industry followed the immense success of “Crazy Rich Asians”, and Hollywood hasn’t looked back. In 2019, when Bong Joon Ho’s international hit “Parasite” was awarded the highest accolade of Best Picture, the world was shaken.

Today, Hollywood is less afraid to take a bet on productions of this kind: audacious, expensive, and diverse. The pathway for more films and TV series that puts Asian heritage in the spotlight is still being paved - and Piano Bar is in line to become not only a beacon of representation for Vietnamese artists but also a celebration of Vietnam’s own unique melting pot of cultures.

Set to be produced in the US, “Piano Bar” is considering a cross-Pacific collaboration between the two countries. The bet is a confident one, prospectively swooning fans of culinary arts shows, lovers of period dramas, and travel enthusiasts - creating a spark of interest in Vietnamese heritage and deepening the public’s general education on the matter.

While neighboring countries of China, Japan, and Korea have spent the last decades painting deep strokes of their societies and successfully distributing their films across the globe, Vietnam’s cinema industry has rarely reached beyond its borders. This is a chance for the South-East Asian country to grow its artistic scene as quickly as its economy has in the past decade.

Season 1 of ‘Piano Bar’ is scheduled to be shot by the end of this year. For the foodie-travel-loving-history buffs who felt deprived all of 2020 - This will cure your cravings.

Van Anh

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