Customers who want to eat Indian curry have to arrive early… and wait.

Báo Thanh niên•22/09/2022

The owner was enthusiastic and friendly.

Tucked away in an alley at 476/47 Huynh Van Banh Street (Phu Nhuan District), there's a curry restaurant bustling with customers every afternoon. Many people from far away, from other districts, still make the effort to come to the restaurant to enjoy Indian curry. The owner is Ms. Nguyen Thi Phuong (45 years old).

Ms. Phuong has owned the curry restaurant for about 5 years.

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I visited Mrs. Phuong's restaurant at 4 PM. It was very crowded at that time, with customers ordering chicken curry and goat curry. The owner quickly served pieces of meat, potatoes, and sauce onto plates. She was happy to provide extra bread, white rice, or fried rice for anyone who wanted more. Next to it, the steaming pot of curry looked very appetizing.

After 4 PM, the restaurant was bustling with customers.

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Ms. Phuong said that her husband's older brother had been selling Indian curry for over a decade. Before that, he sold it at 67 Dang Van Ngu Street. Every day, she and her husband diligently worked for him. Five years ago, before he passed away, her husband's brother passed on his secret recipe, and she and her husband decided to continue the business, moving to their current address to continue selling curry.

Chicken curry served with bread.

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“I only survive if customers find my curry delicious; if business was too slow, I wouldn't have been able to stay afloat until now because of the high cost of ingredients and rent. After the lockdown, I reopened and customers flocked in. I have to maintain cleanliness in both my business and cooking. I cook the goat, chicken, and beef until tender, adding potatoes and tomatoes to make it less greasy. My husband passed the trade down to my husband and me; he used to be a soldier, but now he's finally become a business owner,” Mrs. Phuong said.

Goat curry is a popular choice among customers visiting Mrs. Phuong's restaurant.

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Normally, Mrs. Phuong sells from 3:30 PM to 9:00 PM, but when I arrived, it was just after 5:00 PM and she had already run out of goat and chicken curry. She explained that there were many customers eating in and taking away that day, so everything ran out early. Some customers had traveled a long distance hoping to enjoy the goat curry, but they had to turn back disappointed. Mrs. Phuong apologized, asked for the customers' understanding, and promised that there would be curry available for them to eat next time they returned.

Cucumbers, tomatoes, and fresh greens are placed on the table by the owner to be eaten with the curry.

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"Everyone knows the secret to cooking curry. Goat curry requires more spices, meticulous preparation, and a little wine for aroma; otherwise, it will have a strong smell. The longer the curry cooks, the softer it becomes, but goat meat can be difficult to eat if you're not used to it. My family doesn't sell online, but we sell to anyone who calls so they can take it home. Every day I sell about 10kg of goat meat, 7-8kg of beef, and chicken," Mrs. Phuong said.

The more customers eat, the more addicted they become.

I ordered a chicken curry at Mrs. Phuong's restaurant, served with bread, tomatoes, and cucumbers. The chicken was tender but not mushy, well-marinated, and blended perfectly in the rich, sweet broth. The side dishes prevented the curry from being overwhelming, even though a portion contained 3-4 large pieces of chicken.

Besides bread, many people order fried rice or plain rice as a side dish.

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“Customers who come to eat curry get free iced tea. Actually, I sell iced tea for 1,000 dong, but if you have change, give it to me, otherwise just drink it. One time, a customer said, ‘I’ve searched all over Saigon and haven’t seen anyone selling iced tea for 1,000 dong,’ and I told them it was cheap, so just drink it. Earning a living to support my family is one thing, but seeing customers praise the food makes me happy. I especially remember that couple who came all the way from Binh Duong in the rain to eat two portions of goat curry and buy some to take home; I felt so sorry for them,” she confided.

Ms. Phuong quickly prepared the curry so that the customers wouldn't have to wait long.

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She said that selling food is hard work, but she gets appreciated by her customers and gets used to it after a while. Every day, she wakes up at 7 a.m. to prepare the ingredients, pre-process them, and cook the curry. At 3 p.m., she sets up her stall and sells until there are no more customers. Each portion costs between 40,000 and 80,000 VND.

Each serving of chicken curry costs 40,000 VND.

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Mr. Bui Minh Thanh (47 years old, residing in Tan Binh District) and his wife visited Mrs. Phuong's restaurant to eat goat curry. Mrs. Phuong said that although they live far away, they always stop by the restaurant whenever they pass by because she believes cooking goat curry is very difficult.

Students also frequently eat curry at Mrs. Phuong's restaurant.

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"Unlike chicken or beef curry, goat curry can smell bad and be inedible if you don't know how to cook it properly. I've eaten here many times, and the owner has always been very welcoming. I eat the curry with white rice; they also have a very delicious salted fish fried rice dish," he said.

Ms. Phuong happily posed for commemorative photos with the guests.

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Ms. Pham Thu Trang (23 years old, residing in District 3) shared: “The curry here is just right, not too sweet, the meat is tender and fragrant, and the spices are rich. The owner provides plenty of side dishes like cucumber, tomatoes, and herbs. Every time I come to the restaurant, I try a different type of curry and eat it with bread.”

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