Crowded with customers at 'strange hours', the single owner is funny

Nestled in a small alley on Nguyen Huu Hao Street, the noodle shop of Aunt Mai (real name Nguyen Thi Mai, 67 years old) - a woman who claims to be single and cheerful - is still a familiar place for many diners who love this dish in Ho Chi Minh City.

"Aunt Mai likes it so she sells it!"

At noon, I went to Aunt Mai’s noodle shop. The shop was small with a few tables and chairs, full of customers. Looking at the steady flow of customers coming and going, Aunt Mai warmly introduced that although the shop was open from 8am to 4pm, noon was the busiest time.

Aunt Mai's noodle shop is located in an alley on Nguyen Huu Hao Street (District 4, HCMC).

[CLIP]: Aunt Mai's noodle shop is over 3 decades old in Ho Chi Minh City.

Small noodle stall, but has captivated diners for decades.

Aunt Mai and three other women, each with their own job, were busy preparing food to bring out to the customers as soon as possible, not making anyone wait too long. A regular customer came to eat, and when he saw me asking the owner, he smiled and said jokingly: “This restaurant is full of ladies, no men in sight. There are no women!”. Hearing that, everyone in the restaurant and I burst out laughing.

There were people who ate at my restaurant when they were young, then grew up, got married, and had children, and brought their wives and children to eat there. They said they were addicted to the taste of Aunt Mai's noodles, so they had to come back and couldn't give it up. Hearing customers say that, I was both happy and touched, and it was also the motivation for my sisters and I to be able to sell this restaurant as long as possible.

Aunt Mai, Owner of the noodle shop

Aunt Mai introduced that the shop was opened more than 30 years ago, when she was over 30. Among countless jobs, the reason the owner chose to sell this dish is simply because: "Aunt Mai likes it, so Aunt Mai sells it!", there is no special reason.

Aunt Mai blanchs the noodles before putting them in the bowl.

“Thanks to this restaurant, you must have raised your children and grandchildren to be good people, right?”, I asked, Aunt Mai replied: “Yes! I have raised many children!”. The restaurant owner with a kind smile just finished speaking then quickly explained that she was just teasing me.

Actually, Aunt Mai lives alone, has no children, and has been running this shop with her youngest sister and two female assistants for almost a dozen years. Everyone here considers each other as a family, helping each other with business and making a living.

The dry noodle soup that customers love at the restaurant is meticulously made by Aunt Mai.

The happiness of Aunt Mai and the other waitresses here is preparing dishes together every day, making the most dedicated meals for their customers.

“There are people who ate at my restaurant when they were young, then when they grew up, got married, and had children, they also brought their wives and children to eat here. They said they were addicted to the taste of Aunt Mai's noodles so they had to come back, they couldn't give it up. Hearing customers say that, I was both happy and moved, and it was also the motivation for my sisters and I to be able to sell this restaurant as long as possible," Aunt Mai expressed.

From 3,000 VND, now 30,000 VND/bowl

Recalling the time when this restaurant first opened, Aunt Mai sold for about 3,000 VND/bowl, if I remember correctly. But at that time, business also encountered many difficulties because the restaurant had just opened and did not have many regular customers yet.

Each portion of noodles at the restaurant costs from 30,000 - 50,000 VND/portion.

The food is delicious and filling enough for a day's work.

Gradually, her profession taught her, and her dishes became more and more suitable to customers' tastes thanks to her ability to listen to opinions and make changes. The restaurant also had its own loyal customers, who have been with her for decades.

The restaurant currently sells noodles at a price ranging from 30,000 to 50,000 VND per bowl depending on the customer's needs. When a customer orders, Aunt Mai quickly takes a portion of noodles or vermicelli, and sometimes both, and blanches them in boiling water to soften the noodles.

Then, she puts it in a bowl, adding more ingredients such as chicken, chicken skin, chicken gizzards, pork… according to the customer’s request. Don’t forget to add green onions and fried onions before pouring a ladle of hot, rich broth.

The broth is rich.

If customers choose to eat dry, the restaurant also has a special sauce made by the aunt herself. Customers eat the noodles with a pre-mixed dipping sauce to balance the somewhat "bland" flavor of the noodles.

In the hot noon heat of Ho Chi Minh City, I was sweating and eating a bowl of hot noodles from Aunt Mai was a truly "strange" experience. The noodles were chewy, the chicken, gizzards, chicken skin... were all chewy, the meat was not mushy and the broth was rich. The dish deserved an 8/10 from me and I would definitely come back to eat it when I have the chance, but maybe on a cool day or in the afternoon.

A regular customer "addicted" to noodles at Aunt Mai's shop.

Aunt Mai said she will sell until she can no longer sell.

Ms. Thuy (52 years old, living in District 4) has been a regular customer of the restaurant for many years and also said that she loves the noodles here because of the owner's "indulgence" of customers. Every time she comes here, she only orders chicken skin noodles because this is her favorite dish.

“I only eat the skin, but everyone here accepts it. The broth is delicious and rich, and I really like the chewy noodles. I have to come here 2-3 times a week, sometimes more, because the price is reasonable and the food is delicious. The dish is a bit bland, so I have to add a little more or dip it in fish sauce to balance it out,” the customer commented.

The pre-mixed dipping sauce balances the somewhat "bland" flavor of the noodle bowl.

Customers kept coming and going, mainly ordinary workers in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City. Aunt Mai’s bowl of noodles filled the stomachs and warmed the hearts of countless diners during the sunny and rainy afternoons…

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/quan-hu-tieu-tphcm-chi-toan-phu-nu-dong-khach-gio-la-ba-chu-doc-than-vui-tinh-185230607154149869.htm