'7 dishes to choose from'

Without a roof or tables, Mrs. Quy's stall is nestled on Mac Dinh Chi Street (District 1). Although it's just a small street vendor's stall, customers always crowd around waiting to buy, and some days everything is sold out by 9 am.

I said 20,000, but the customer... didn't believe me.

This food stall is often affectionately called "Son Quy's breakfast." Mrs. Quy specializes in stir-fried dishes such as noodles, pasta, rice vermicelli, and steamed rice rolls at very affordable prices. Compared to the general prices in the city center, these are extremely reasonable.

Many people are willing to queue for ten minutes or more to buy a portion of mixed stir-fried noodles. Served with tofu, fried wontons, fried spring rolls, Vietnamese sausage, etc., the 20,000 VND portion is so generous that many customers "think they misheard the price."

After chatting for a while, I learned that Ms. Nguyen Thi My Ngoc (27 years old, District 3) has been having breakfast here since her student days. Ms. Quy sells delicious and affordable food, and the soy sauce used in cooking is incredibly flavorful, so Ms. Ngoc rarely gets tired of it.

Mrs. Quy's breakfast stall is always packed with people lining up.

"In the city center, it's rare to find such a cheap place! I bought one portion and couldn't finish it all; sometimes I have to pack it up and take it to the office to eat later. The place doesn't have tables, just a few chairs, but my friends and I love it – it's exactly like a Saigon breakfast," Ms. Ngoc shared.

This breakfast stall is the livelihood of Mrs. Quy and her husband. The couple works tirelessly, waking up at 1 AM to prepare ingredients in time for opening. They only have one son, and they shared that they haven't raised prices in recent years because their customers are mainly students, office workers, and young professionals. The couple treats them like their own children, prioritizing their well-being and quality food.

The dishes are displayed and covered properly to ensure hygiene.

"Even a few words are fine, as long as the customer is happy!"

Every morning, Mrs. Quy sells around several hundred portions. The appeal of this breakfast stall lies in its diverse selection of toppings. Everything is neatly arranged in clean, stainless steel basins... Most of the ingredients are made by Mrs. Quy herself. She explains that instead of buying ready-made ingredients, she makes them herself so she can sell them at a "lower" price.

Whenever a lottery ticket vendor or a person with a disability comes to buy a ticket, Mrs. Quy and her husband give it to them for free or only charge 5,000 dong to ease their embarrassment. With such a "bargain" price, she makes a profit from volume sales, "selling out of passion."

First-time customers are delighted by the unique sweetness of the soy sauce.

A portion of steamed rice rolls costs 20,000 VND and comes with a full range of toppings.

Ms. Quy confided: "I make little profit here, but I'm mainly happy to see customers enjoying their meal and being happy. My customers are generally not well-off; when the kids come to eat, I add some tofu or wonton wrappers so they can eat until they're full and can study until the afternoon."

My friend and I ordered a portion of stir-fried vermicelli and steamed rice rolls. The vermicelli noodles retained their chewy texture, and the wontons and spring rolls weren't greasy. Especially noteworthy was the soy sauce, made by Mrs. Quy, which had just the right balance of salty and sweet; adding a little chili completely transformed the flavor. The couple worked tirelessly to provide their only son with a proper education. The eatery is also a part of many diners' memories, a beautiful aspect of Saigon's streets.

Mrs. Quy and her husband also added that they will continue selling until they no longer have the strength. If their children are grown up, then it will be a joy in their twilight years. Despite the hard work of waking up early to prepare, smiles bloom on Mrs. Quy and Mr. Son's faces when they set up their stall.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/ganh-an-sang-re-nhat-quan-1-7-mon-tha-ho-lua-chon-185231030141918079.htm