Comedian Tran Thanh praises the restaurant's deliciousness, the hidden alley restaurant is crowded from morning to evening.

After being praised by comedian Tran Thanh for its delicious food, the small restaurant, hidden in an alley in Ho Chi Minh City, became even more crowded, always in a state of being in high demand from the time it opened until it closed.

Suddenly famous

At 10am, Mr. Toan (60 years old, Vietnamese American) took his foreign friend to a small alley on Street 6 (District 4, HCMC) to eat bun mam. It is called a restaurant but this place only has a kitchen in a small house located right next to the alley.

On the opposite side, the restaurant placed about 10 small tables along the alley for customers to eat. However, when Mr. Toan and his friend arrived, the restaurant was already full of customers. To enjoy their favorite bowl of noodles, he and his friend had to wait more than 15 minutes.

Mr. Toan (right) and his foreign friend came to Ms. Dao's bun mam restaurant and had to wait to enjoy their favorite dish. Photo: Ha Nguyen

In the kitchen, Ms. Huynh Ngoc Dao (the restaurant owner) was busy preparing the meals. Meanwhile, the restaurant staff took the opportunity to clear the tables, continuously apologizing, hoping that customers would understand that they had to wait.

Ms. Dao said that the bun mam restaurant has been around since her mother's time. After taking over the small restaurant 8 years ago, Ms. Dao rented a space on a main street to sell bun.

But when the rent kept rising, she decided to open her restaurant at home in a small alley. Even so, many regular customers still come to enjoy the restaurant.

Recently, the restaurant suddenly became famous after comedian Tran Thanh introduced it in a program on social media. During the program, the male artist said that he has loved Mrs. Dao's bun mam restaurant for a long time.

Artists Tran Thanh and Le Giang during their visit to experience Ms. Dao's restaurant. Photo: Ha Nguyen

Bringing artist Le Giang to enjoy the food, artist Tran Thanh did not hesitate to praise the quality of the food at the restaurant, which was suitable for his taste. The male comedian also commented that the restaurant owner was kind and humorous, adding to the goodwill of the restaurant.

Ms. Dao confirmed that, in addition to Tran Thanh, her restaurant has been visited by many famous artists such as Dam Vinh Hung, Phuong My Chi, etc., who praised the food as delicious. However, she did not record or take photos of the artists to promote her restaurant.

“I am very happy to have famous artists come to support me. However, to me, everyone who comes to my restaurant is a customer and is treated equally,” she shared.

Ms. Dao said the small restaurant has been around since her mother's time. Photo: Ha Nguyen

After being introduced by artists Tran Thanh and Le Giang, Ms. Dao's restaurant attracted a large number of diners to experience.

Although there were four waiters, the main steps such as blanching noodles, arranging food, and ladling broth were all done by Ms. Dao. Therefore, the speed of serving customers was slow.

Because the restaurant is small and located in an alley with only enough space for two motorbikes to pass each other, most customers choose to take away. However, customers who come to take away have to wait in line for quite a while to receive their food.

Many diners had to sit and stand to wait to be served. Photo: Ha Nguyen

Secret

Mr. Toan said he has loved bun mam since he was a child. Every time he returns to his country, he goes to famous bun mam restaurants to enjoy it.

Recently, he learned about Mrs. Dao's "alley" bun mam restaurant through social media. Seeing the number of customers, he decided to try it out. Right from the first time, he was attracted by the food at the restaurant.

He said: “This is the second time I have come here to eat bun mam. The bun mam here has a clear broth, rich in flavor, and more delicious than other places I have experienced.

So I brought my Chinese friend along to enjoy it. I want to introduce the delicious food of my homeland to my friend.”

Similar to Mr. Toan, a young couple from District 5 (HCMC) also came to Ms. Dao's restaurant to enjoy food after watching artist Tran Thanh's show.

After about 30 minutes of waiting, the two were able to enjoy a bowl of vermicelli with fish sauce with full side dishes for 85,000 VND.

The vermicelli with fish sauce at the restaurant is rated delicious and flavorful. The accompanying dishes are fresh and delicious. Photo: Ha Nguyen

The bowl of vermicelli with fish sauce includes shrimp, squid, fish, roast pork and other vegetables arranged harmoniously in a fragrant fish sauce broth. Both said the dish was rich in flavor and the side dishes such as fish, shrimp and squid were fresh and delicious.

“I especially like the restaurant’s tamarind sauce and pork rinds. The tamarind sauce here is thick, almost made from pure tamarind juice, giving it a moderate sweet and sour taste.

The pork fat is crispy and fragrant, and when eaten, it has a sweet taste of meat. The accompanying vegetables are also quite diverse, although a bit small, but very fresh and clean," the young man commented.

To have a quality broth that suits many people's taste, Ms. Dao mixes two types of fish sauce: linh fish sauce and sac fish sauce. She then cooks the mixture and filters it carefully to remove the bones.

Because the restaurant is located in a small alley, there is not enough space to sit and enjoy, many people choose to order in advance and buy to take away. Photo: Ha Nguyen

She has an additional secret of cooking the broth from the above two types of fish sauce with shrimp, squid, and fish broth to create a natural sweetness.

Mrs. Dao’s restaurant is open from 9am to 6pm every day. Each bowl of noodles here costs from 85,000 VND. This price varies depending on the amount of side dishes that customers request.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/danh-hai-tran-thanh-khen-ngon-quan-an-nup-hem-dong-khach-tu-sang-den-chieu-toi-2415397.html