If tourists do not go with a friend who surfs TikTok for 180 minutes a day or are willing to explore delicious eateries in the new land, they probably will not know Tue Mo banh cuon restaurant located near the gate of Cat Ba High School.
When visiting a small banh cuon shop, without loud advertising, visitors feel familiar as if they are having breakfast at old shops near their homes.
Because it's delicious, so eat it" and also does not remember how many times he has had breakfast here, Mr. Nguyen Van Thieu (Cat Hai special zone, Hai Phong city) considers this banh cuon restaurant as an effective "fireproof" solution.
I don't remember when I ate here, sometimes I would come over to eat if I missed breakfast or lunch. I usually ate 2-3 times a week. The special flavor, only found here," Mr. Thieu shared.
The owner of the banh cuon restaurant located on Ngoc Island is Mr. Tue and Mrs. Mo. The couple take turns sitting in the kitchen, steaming banh chung, rolling filling when the restaurant's opening hours are a bit "strange".
Mr. Nguyen Duy Tue - owner of Tue Mo banh cuon restaurant - said: "I am in charge of selling goods from 0am to 6am, then my wife. If there are not too many customers, I can still sit in the kitchen and sell goods. However, the time frame from 1-2pm is usually full, I have to mobilize the whole family to get up to support.
Seeing the small banh cuon shop on Ngoc Island becoming more and more crowded with customers, Mr. Tue - a man with a strong body, a generous voice, imbued with the characteristics of a coastal people - seemed to be given more strength and love for the profession.
The restaurant is 33 years old. Working for decades now, the more I work, the more I love the profession. The more customers, the more I love the profession," Mr. Tue laughed heartily.
When it was dawn, the sea waves had hit the shore, Mrs. Vu Thi Mo - Mr. Tue's wife - took turns making rice paper, wrapping the filling, cutting each piece of cinnamon sausage and sprinkling crispy and fragrant fried onions on the plate of rice paper. All like a habit for decades, programmed in memory.
While doing it, Mrs. Mo still laughed and talked, asked tourists, and pointed out more destinations that only Cat Ba people know.
Normally, my restaurant is mostly locals eating at night and breakfast, tourists only come during the tourist season. In winter, the restaurant usually opens from 0:00 to 12:00 noon the next day; in summer it will open 30 minutes earlier," Ms. Mo said while working quickly.
According to Ms. Mo, the special feature of Hai Phong banh cuon in general and Cat Ba banh cuon in particular is the dipping sauce that is simmered from bones for hours, creating a rich sweetness.
My dipping sauce is simmered with chicken bones and chicken wings to sweeten the broth, fried with fragrant scallion oil and simmered until tender. Pork bones on the island will be more expensive," Ms. Mo said.
The layer of banh cuon is thinly spread, quickly rolled with meat filling, shrimp and meat, along with crispy wood ear mushrooms, plus golden fried shallots mixed with fish sauce to dip.
Not only tourists from all over the country come, many distant diners from other countries also curiously stop to enjoy when passing by.
During the tourist season, foreign diners often come. If they stay for a long time, they come back to eat many times. Only when leaving the island do I see no sign of them coming," Ms. Mo happily said.
More than 30 years have passed, the small banh cuon restaurant of Mr. Tue and Mrs. Mo still maintains a special selling rhythm in the heart of Cat Ba.
No big signs, no loud advertising, the restaurant exists with familiar flavors and diners who come and then return. For locals, it can be an option for late-night meals, breakfast; for tourists, this is a simple but unforgettable culinary experience after a trip to the island.
