Located on Trung Kinh Street (Yen Hoa Ward, Cau Giay District), Mrs. To's chicken pho and bun thang restaurant has long been a familiar destination for many diners in Cau Giay District. The restaurant specializes in chicken, with its main location on Hang Be Street (Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi), and later opened another location in Trung Kinh.
The name bun thang comes from the old Hanoian dish canh thuong thang. This dish has a rich flavor thanks to the perfect combination of many simple ingredients and a sweet and clear broth.
When preparing, Bun thang requires delicacy and meticulousness from the chef. The soul of this dish is the clear and slightly sweet broth. What makes the restaurant's brand is the clear, naturally sweet broth.
Mr. Nam (born in 1980), the restaurant owner, shared the secret to creating the sweet and rich broth: "The restaurant uses fresh ingredients with a strong sweet flavor such as sea worms, shrimp heads..., all simmered for more than 10 hours according to a secret recipe."
A bowl of bun thang will include thinly sliced pork roll, shredded omelette, pickled radish, shiitake mushrooms, green onions, Vietnamese coriander... served with broth and a little shrimp paste to create the perfect flavor.
"In particular, shrimp paste must be of good quality, so that when eaten with bun thang, it will have a fragrant smell and not be too strong," Mr. Nam added.
When eating, diners squeeze a little lemon, fish sauce, chili sauce depending on taste, mix all the ingredients in the bowl of noodles and then enjoy. After that, diners can slowly experience all the delicate flavors of Hanoi in a bowl of bun thang.
Ms. Thu Huyen (1991, Hanoi) has enjoyed bun thang at the restaurant many times. "I have known the restaurant for a long time and often come here because of its delicious taste and sweet broth. I am also impressed by the fullness of the bowl of noodles and the cheap price compared to many other restaurants," she said.
The restaurant has a spacious space and is always crowded. If you come during peak hours in the morning and at noon, there may be no empty tables.
The restaurant opens from 7am to 10:30pm. In addition to bun thang, the restaurant also serves chicken pho, mixed chicken pho, sticky rice, vermicelli soup, mixed vermicelli, fried dough sticks, soy milk... The price of a bowl of bun thang ranges from 40,000 - 70,000 VND, chicken pho from 35,000 - 55,000 VND, mixed vermicelli from 60,000 - 70,000 VND/serving.
