35-year-old restaurant
At noon on the weekend, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy (45 years old) and her son came to a small alley on To Tich street (Hoan Kiem ward, Hanoi).
Going a few meters deep from the road surface, the mother and daughter stopped at a small eatery, with tables and chairs ready. The space is a bit dilapidated, but this is one of the attractive dining addresses for many diners in Hanoi.
The shop is opened right at home, so the area is quite modest. Inside, there are only a few simple tables and chairs, the tables are arranged close together to maximize space.
I learned about the restaurant through friends' introductions. After trying it, I found the stir-fried pho here very palatable, so I often brought my child to eat it.
Because it is a family restaurant model, located in the neighborhood, it is not too spacious or modern like many other restaurants. However, that does not affect much because the quality of the food is the factor that makes me come back," Ms. Thuy shared.
The restaurant owner - Ms. Nguyen Thi Phuong (59 years old) said that the restaurant has been open for 35 years. The restaurant's menu is very diverse, with crispy/soft stir-fried pho, stir-fried noodles, stir-fried vermicelli, mixed beef noodle soup, raw brains, egg-shaped brains, porridge, sticky rice of all kinds...
Guests can also order dishes according to their own preferences such as pho served with rib sausage, pate, spring rolls, oval heart, young eggs or many other combinations.
Explaining why the restaurant has so many dishes, Ms. Phuong shared: "Initially, I only sold sticky rice and porridge on To Tich street. About 20 years ago, when I moved into the alley to do business, I started to expand the menu with more dishes.
The location is deep inside, so if I only sell a few fixed items, I will easily feel bored. Therefore, I try to find and add new items to meet the needs and retain customers.
Ms. Phuong's restaurant is open from 7 am to 2 pm daily. Although the capacity is not large, only about 20 people per shift, the restaurant is still always crowded, especially on weekends.
The owner pleases diners
While customers waited for the dish, the shop owner almost had no moment to rest. Sitting between 5 stoves operating at the same time, Ms. Phuong continuously turned around to prepare dishes.
Her left hand quickly stirred the stir-fried pho pan, her right hand turned the golden brown fried sticky rice pieces. As soon as this dish was cooked, she quickly switched to checking the next dish, making many first-time diners impressed.
Ms. Phuong said that the cooking time is also the most stressful time, because all dishes are made after customers order. But thanks to that, her dishes always maintain their heat, and at the same time help diners have a better experience when enjoying.
Not only impressing with its quickness in processing, the shop owner is also known as a person who is quite indulgent with customers.
I try to follow how customers like to eat. Many people come here and come up with their own combinations. Even before, there were people who wanted to eat porridge with pate, I also made it for them," Ms. Phuong laughed when recalling.
To serve diners every day, preparation work starts early in the morning.
Vegetables are cleaned by Mrs. Phuong from Long Bien market and roasted from the morning. Ingredients such as heart, gourd, and beef are taken by her from familiar sources, delivered during the day to ensure freshness and deliciousness.
Meanwhile, her husband, Mr. Long, usually wakes up at about 3:30 am to boil chicken, cook sticky rice and cook porridge. Ms. Phuong takes on the preparation of the remaining ingredients, and is also the person directly standing on the kitchen to prepare the dishes.
Among the restaurant's dishes, crispy stir-fried pho is the choice that many diners order the most. Before being put on the stove, pho is mixed with spices and soy sauce to absorb evenly.
After that, Ms. Phuong puts pho in a hot oil pan, continuously adjusts the heat and turns the side. The finished product is pieces of pho with an eye-catching golden brown color, a slightly crispy crust but the inside still retains a certain softness.
With pate fried sticky rice, the sticky rice after being cooked is fried golden brown on both sides. The outer crust is crispy, while the inner part still retains the flexibility of fragrant sticky rice. When served with pate, combined with a little pickled vegetables, the dish creates a harmonious flavor, both filling the stomach and suitable for the taste of many diners.
According to Ms. Phuong, the selling price at the restaurant is quite flexible, depending on the ingredients and how the dish is combined that customers choose.
Simple dishes are priced from about 30,000 VND, a basic stir-fried pho serving is sold for about 60,000 VND. Other servings with additional heart, ovaries, beef, young eggs or special ingredients will have a higher price.
