One of the introduced shops is located at No. 1, Lane 73 , Dien Bien Phu, Hong Bang District, owned by Ms. Nguyen Thi Hai Yen, 52 years old.
The shop has an area of over 100 m2 and a spacious parking area, open from 5:30 to 11:30 daily.
Ms. Yen (photo) said that at first, she sold crab rice noodles like many other shops. Around 2014, she switched to selling mixed duck rice noodles. "Instead of choosing crab, mantis shrimp or other familiar seafood, I chose duck meat to eat with rice noodles to create something new," she said. Thanks to the novelty, the shop gradually attracted more customers.
About 10 meters from the main road, diners can easily see Ms. Yen's stall with a glass cabinet containing goose meat on the left side of the entrance. The dining area is right next to the stall, and the parking area is on the opposite side.
Ms. Yen chooses mature geese, weighing over 3 kg, with tough, firm thigh, wing, and breast meat.
When customers order, two staff members prepare rice noodles, vermicelli, and glass noodles as requested, while Ms. Yen is in charge of preparing the mixed goose meat.
Mrs. Yen mixed the sliced onions with vinegar, garlic, chili, and sweet and sour fish sauce, made from local fish sauce. The mixed onions were then mixed with the boiled and sliced duck meat. Mrs. Yen drizzled soy sauce and sprinkled coriander on top.
The owner said that he boils and sells about 15-20 geese every day. The bones after being cleaned are used to make broth with some spices, creating a pot of broth with a light yellow color and a mild sweet taste.
The restaurant serves rice noodles and duck meat separately with raw vegetables. The rice noodles absorb the broth, becoming clear, soft, sweet, and easy to eat. The sweet and sour duck meat is served with crispy and slightly spicy onions.
A full bowl of mixed duck rice noodles costs 40,000 VND, rice noodles with extra meatballs costs 50,000 VND.
During the week, the restaurant mainly sells breakfast and lunch to local people. Mr. Nguyen Van Thanh (photo), over 60 years old, Hong Bang district, visits the restaurant for breakfast three times a week. He said "the duck meat is of good quality, mixed with just the right amount of sweetness and chewiness, goes well with rice paper and water."
The restaurant sells about 300 bowls each morning. On weekends or holidays, when many food tour customers come, the number can increase to more than 600 bowls.
Pham Van Dung, Vice President of the Hai Phong Professional Chefs Association, said that mixed duck rice noodles is a dish that shows the creativity of the people and is currently not sold by many restaurants in Hai Phong. This combination, although not strange to locals, brings a new culinary experience to out-of-town guests, enriching the food tour list and helping to attract customers.
To enjoy all kinds of duck meat, diners should come to the restaurant before rush hour, from 8am to 9am. The restaurant is located in a small alley, without a sign or directions, so first-time visitors may have a hard time finding it. But thanks to social media and "good news travels fast", many diners from far away still know about the restaurant and come back many times, Ms. Yen shared.
Article and photos: Quynh Mai
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