Repeat visits by Bruno Mars leave Vancouver restaurant owners surprised and delighted

Bruno Mars must like the number five.

The music superstar played five shows at B.C. Place in Vancouver (a record for the venue) this month. And he enjoyed the same number of meals at a single Vancouver restaurant while he was in town.

Mars dined four times at the Vietnamese restaurant Anh and Chi located 3388 Main St. when he was in the city. He also ordered takeaway from the restaurant during his final day in Vancouver. Read our review of Anh and Chi HERE.

The repeat, back-to-back visits came as a complete surprise to co-founder and owner Vincent Nguyen, who runs Anh and Chi & Good Thief with his sister Amelie Nguyen.

“No one knew who he was, he was very private,” Vincent Nguyen says. “It only came to light when our server served him, who is a huge fan. Of course, our entire team was super excited, but we have a strict no pictures or bothering of celebrities in our establishment.”

Mars enjoyed the bun bo hue (spicy beef noodle soup) and chili fish sauce wings during his meals, they share.

“Such a modest guy who loves spicy foods,” says Amelie Nguyen.

Calling the multiple Grammy Award winner a “humble and very nice man to speak with,” Vincent Nguyen noted a total absence of requests for special treatment from Mars and his team.

While the restaurant co-owners say it’s always a “treat and honour” to have celebrities stop by to eat, they said that Mars’s back-to-back meals hit even heavier for them.

“To have anyone, celebrity or not, have meals, that’s a fan, someone who loves our food and our people,” says Vincent Nguyen.

“We love that similarly he comes from super humble beginnings and, with the help of his dad, Bruno became such a talented musician,” Amelie Nguyen adds.

In thanks for the many memorable meals, Mars gifted a dozen tickets to the Anh and Chi team so that they were able to catch one of his concerts while he was in town.

While the restaurant team kept his visits “hush-hush” while he was still in town, they’re now more than happy to get the word out about their superstar visitor. The family-owned, five-time Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant will also be offering a menu highlighting his go-tos starting Oct. 28.

“We can’t wait to share his favourites with you and all his fans,” says Amelie Nguyen.

aharris@postmedia.com