Without advertising loudly on social networking sites, not located in the old town with many tourists, Bun Cha - Nem cua be Ngan Luong restaurant still attracts a large number of diners, even foreign guests because of the delicious taste of the dishes, ensuring quality.
Mr. Mai Sy Luong, 36 years old, the owner of the restaurant, is the chef responsible for making the main dishes. He shared: "I learned the recipe and the way of making the dishes from her in the old quarter and then opened the restaurant 3 years ago." Although it has not been open for long, the restaurant has been known as one of the most popular bun cha restaurants on To Hieu street.
The owner said that he wakes up at 5am every day to prepare the ingredients and marinate the meat to make the patties. Every step requires carefulness and meticulousness, but it must be done quickly because there are many ingredients and a lot of work. During peak hours, from the owner to the staff, they have to be "always busy" serving customers.
Mr. Luong affirmed that the restaurant's meat marinade recipe is extremely simple, consisting of only basic spices such as pepper, garlic, onion... The important thing is that the ingredients are fresh, delicious, and hygienic. In addition, the meatloaf is wrapped in river bone leaves, so it has a fragrant smell and is different from other restaurants.
A full bowl of bun cha includes grilled pork patties, minced pork patties and quite full crab spring rolls. The beautiful brown fish sauce, with the addition of chili, kohlrabi, carrots... creates a harmonious, rich flavor.
Crab spring rolls are rolled tightly, big, plump and pleasing to the eye. The outer shell is deep fried until crispy, the inside is filled with wood ear mushrooms, carrots, minced meat, crab meat...
"The restaurant sells about 300-400 servings a day, and about 500-600 servings on holidays and weekends," the owner shared. In addition, Mr. Luong also said that most of the customers coming to the restaurant are regulars, and these customers continue to introduce their family and friends to enjoy the food.
Although he did not invest too much in advertising on social media platforms, Mr. Luong was surprised when many foreign diners knew about and came to eat at the restaurant.
"I don't know why they know about the shop. There are only 1-2 YouTubers and Tiktokers who come to the shop to film and take pictures," he said.
Because the restaurant space is quite small, many foreign groups come to eat during peak hours, so they do not have the best experience. This is also the reason why Mr. Luong does not want to advertise the restaurant too much: "If there are many customers, I am afraid that I will not be able to guarantee the quality of service as well as the food."
Bun cha xuong song at the restaurant costs from 50,000 - 70,000 VND, bun nem hai san costs 65,000 VND, bun nem cua be costs 50,000 VND.
Regarding the price, which is slightly higher than the average, the restaurant owner affirms that customers have never complained about this price because they are always satisfied with the delicious and guaranteed taste.
Pham Thu, a regular customer, praised the restaurant's service quality. "The owner is very careful and clean. I rate this restaurant as the best in Nghia Tan area," she said.
The restaurant opens from 8:30 am to 9 pm and closes when there are no more customers. If you want to enjoy your food in a space that is not too crowded or noisy, you can avoid the restaurant's peak hours from 12 pm to 1 pm.
