Simple ingredients for diners to season and adjust for porridge - Photo: DANG KHUONG
Under the drizzling rain of Binh Duong late afternoon, anyone driving on Bach Dang street will easily come across a small house full of guests.
This is the nearly 30-year-old minced quail porridge shop of Mrs. Pham Thi Tue and her husband.
Currently, in addition to Mrs. Tue who is the main processor, Ms. Thao, Mrs. Tue's daughter and granddaughters are the assistant sellers, because the couple are now old and weak.
Good or bad depends on the eater
Several decades ago, Mrs. Tue and her husband worked for a printing company to support their family. Although they worked hard, their salary gradually became insufficient to cover their expenses.
The small house is where Mrs. Tue and her husband have been selling porridge since 1995 - Photo: DANG KHUONG
They decided to find a better job for themselves. In 1995, the couple opened a shop selling white porridge with minced quail meat. This is a dish they learned from their neighbor.
For 30 years, the porridge shop has been increasingly crowded with customers. At first, people came to eat out of curiosity because the porridge seller let customers season the porridge according to their preferences. Later, customers came and returned because this way of cooking pleased many people, "people seasoned the porridge however they liked".
Moreover, the restaurant's ground quail meat is also a highlight, bringing a unique experience to diners.
Pick up and put a piece of cooked ground quail meat in your mouth, and you will easily feel the sweetness and softness of the meat. "Here, my mother carefully selects the quail meat and has only bought from one source for more than twenty years, and that place has even had two owners," said Ms. Thao.
Because ground quail meat is an indispensable dish, from 7am every day, Mrs. Tue begins to meticulously prepare and grind the meat.
Quail meat is carefully processed, soft and sweet when eaten with porridge - Photo: DANG KHUONG
After grinding the first time, Ms. Tue added spices and put the meat into the grinder a second time to mix well and absorb the flavor. The ground quail bones will create a crunchy feeling in the meat.
The rest depends on how each customer adjusts the seasoning, including salt, pepper, salt and MSG, to decide whether the porridge is good or bad. Many people who have eaten here often pass on a very funny saying: "The porridge here is good or bad, it depends on the eater, not the seller."
Familiar restaurants still find it difficult to please customers
The restaurant's "uniqueness" has received mixed reviews over the years. Some people are excited by the "make your own food, eat it yourself" restaurant model, but a few customers say the restaurant needs to improve in many ways.
Mr. Thanh Long, a regular customer of the restaurant, expressed his love: "As a resident of Thu Dau Mot (Binh Duong), surely everyone knows this quail porridge restaurant. The restaurant sells simple but delicious porridge. What I like most is the porridge that you can season to your taste."
Spices for diners to season to their liking, including salt, MSG, salt and pepper - Photo: DANG KHUONG
"The quail is fragrant and delicious", "the price is quite cheap compared to the present", "the porridge is simply seasoned so you can feel the sweetness and aroma of the quail, add a piece of spicy pepper and eat it in this rainy weather, it's great"... Those are the compliments that regular customers give to the restaurant on social networking platforms.
However, there are still some comments: "The restaurant is too small and narrow", "the quail meat has rough bones and is not yet soft", "Why go to a restaurant if you have to season it yourself"...
"Nine people, ten opinions", however, this self-seasoned quail porridge shop has existed for decades, still serving a simple yet familiar way of eating, close to the people here.
Ms. Thao choked with happiness as she recalled: "There were some kids who came back after a long time, bringing their children, and boasted: Teacher, I've been eating at your restaurant since before I had a baby."
Thanks to that motivation, from mother to child, then to grandchild, we still strive to serve diners the best. "In the future, when my parents are no longer able, I will continue to sell this dish," said Ms. Thao.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/co-quan-chao-trang-cut-bam-dong-khach-qua-ba-thap-ky-20240815101327045.htm
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