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Energieverbrauch kombiniert: 12.7 - 12.3 l/100 km | CO₂-Emissionen kombiniert: 287 - 280 g/km | CO₂-Klasse: G | Emissionsangabe [1,2]
Over 40 years after The Duc Ngo fled Vietnam as a child, the Berlin-based chef and restaurateur – also known as the “King of Kantstraße” – is now one of Germany’s most successful and well-known culinary figures.
AMG Uncovered | Unstoppable Spirit Feat. The Duc Ngo
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Energieverbrauch kombiniert: 12.7 - 12.3 l/100 km | CO₂-Emissionen kombiniert: 287 - 280 g/km | CO₂-Klasse: G | Emissionsangabe [1,2]
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Energieverbrauch kombiniert: 12.7 - 12.3 l/100 km | CO₂-Emissionen kombiniert: 287 - 280 g/km | CO₂-Klasse: G | Emissionsangabe [1,2]
From competitive sports to competitive entrepreneurship
Building the dream
Opening his first restaurant in 1999, The Duc Ngo has been tirelessly growing his culinary empire ever since. With an insatiable drive for success borne out of his early life as an immigrant, Duc’s extraordinary work ethic has seen him opening a further 13 restaurants in the past 20 years. And with yet another one in the planning stages, he’s showing no signs of slowing down.
Beating all the odds
An insatiable appetite for success
These days chef and restaurateur The Duc Ngo is often referred to as the “King of Kantstraße”, the man who breathed culinary life into an area that was almost entirely lacking in restaurants over twenty years ago. But Duc’s early life was very far from king-like.
Arriving in Germany with his parents in 1979 after fleeing Vietnam, the five-year old Duc spent his early days living in a reception centre in Hermsdorf, just outside Berlin. But even then, the future chef felt a deep desire to succeed. “Competing was always a part of my childhood,” Duc says. “I did a lot of sports, competing with the best of the best. And, of course, with being an immigrant, feeling like I had no chance to be like the others, I had to always do more than everyone else.” 40 years on, and he still has the same mindset. “I'm doing the same in my restaurant business, I still have the same drive to be successful.”
His initial success, however, did not come overnight. As a teenager he didn’t even have any culinary ambition. “I actually became a chef accidentally,” Duc smiles. “I was working next to a sushi bar and that’s where I fell in love with this art for sushi for the first time. I found out what it was really about and decided that I had to learn to perfect the art and become a great sushi master.”
Training as a sushi chef in Japan, Duc went on to work as a sushi chef in Moscow for a couple of months, before returning to Berlin and financing his first restaurant – ‘Kuchi’ on Kantstraße – with his Russian earnings. Kuchi soon became well-known for its exquisite Asian cuisine and played a large part in jump-starting the growth in Asian restaurants in the surrounding area. The plaudits came rushing in, and the ball started rolling for Duc. Since then, Kuchi has opened its doors to numerous celebrity clients including Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt.
Following the success of Kuchi, Duc went on to open two more sister restaurants – ‘Next to Kuchi’ and the ‘Kuchi II’ – as well as ‘Shiro i Shiro’, which was voted one of the 50 best new restaurants in the world in 2006. Along the way Duc also produced his own innovative take on Spanish tapas, Peruvian ceviche and Japanese dishes in his ‘Cantina’ eaterie in the Bar Tausend on Schiffbauerdamm, and opened ‘Moriki’ in Frankfurt am Main, two ‘Cocolo’ restaurants in Berlin as well as ‘Madame Ngo’, ‘893’ and a new ‘Cantina’. In total Duc now runs 14 restaurants in Berlin, Frankfurt am Main and Baden-Baden. He also has plans to open ‘Le Duc’, a small, exclusive restaurant in an old typical Berlin aparment this year. “I love creating new spaces and I love to show people what is possible”, Duc says.
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Energieverbrauch kombiniert: 12.7 - 12.3 l/100 km | CO₂-Emissionen kombiniert: 287 - 280 g/km | CO₂-Klasse: G | Emissionsangabe [1,2]
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Energieverbrauch kombiniert: 12.7 - 12.3 l/100 km | CO₂-Emissionen kombiniert: 287 - 280 g/km | CO₂-Klasse: G | Emissionsangabe [1,2]
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Energieverbrauch kombiniert: 12.7 - 12.3 l/100 km | CO₂-Emissionen kombiniert: 287 - 280 g/km | CO₂-Klasse: G | Emissionsangabe [1,2]
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Energieverbrauch kombiniert: 12.7 - 12.3 l/100 km | CO₂-Emissionen kombiniert: 287 - 280 g/km | CO₂-Klasse: G | Emissionsangabe [1,2]
“With this new restaurant I hope to show what I’ve experienced over the last 25 years of my career. It will be a place where all this art and handicraft will come together.” Clearly, Duc’s endless drive shows no signs of waning. “After I found out that I can be successful, I realised that I need to be more successful,” he explains. “Then I can care for my people, my family and my friends.”
As well as opening restaurants, Duc has developed a sideline as a TV chef, appearing on numerous food programmes including ‘Kitchen Impossible’, ‘Knife Fight Club’, ‘Ready to beef!’ and ‘Rosins Restaurants’. All have fed his passion for food, as well as raising his profile across Germany.
So, it’s something of a understatement to say that food and restaurants are Duc’s passion. But what about other interests outside the culinary realm? Duc laughs. He’s a Mercedes-AMG fan, and since his success, he’s developed a particular interest in AMG models. “My German stepfather had a Mercedes-Benz when I was a teenager, and I would often “borrow” his car”, he smiles. “So, I’ve always loved the brand Mercedes.” When it comes to AMG, Duc admits to loving the design and the power of his Mercedes-AMG GLE Coupé. “My biggest luxury after finishing a shift in one of my restaurants is to go out of Berlin and just drive. I get to clear my head and give myself the time to really think about the next project by myself and what I can do better in the future.” How about slowing down a little? Duc smiles wryly. It doesn’t seem like there’s much chance of that happening any time soon.
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Energieverbrauch kombiniert: 12.7 - 12.3 l/100 km | CO₂-Emissionen kombiniert: 287 - 280 g/km | CO₂-Klasse: G | Emissionsangabe [1,2]
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Energieverbrauch kombiniert: 12.7 - 12.3 l/100 km | CO₂-Emissionen kombiniert: 287 - 280 g/km | CO₂-Klasse: G | Emissionsangabe [1,2]
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Energieverbrauch kombiniert: 12.7 - 12.3 l/100 km | CO₂-Emissionen kombiniert: 287 - 280 g/km | CO₂-Klasse: G | Emissionsangabe [1,2]
