Customers fill up a blood cockle porridge restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City: What makes it so appealing?

"The number of customers was unbelievably large!"

One weekday evening, on my way home from work, I stopped by a blood cockle porridge restaurant on Nguyen Tri Phuong Street (District 5) and was quite shocked to see dozens of tables inside packed with customers, and a long line of customers waiting outside.

Every evening, the blood cockle porridge restaurant at 207 Nguyen Tri Phuong Street is very crowded.

[CLIP]: The restaurant is sometimes full.

I wondered, "What's so special about this porridge shop that it's so crowded, even on a weekday, while many other shops I know are complaining about lower customer numbers compared to previous years due to the economic downturn?" I asked someone working at the shop about this, and received an even more surprising answer: almost every evening, the shop is just as crowded.

Hong Nam (27 years old) often brings his friends to eat blood cockle porridge in the evening. He said he has been a regular customer here for many years, because he loves the way the owner cooks the porridge, which has a distinctly Western Vietnamese flavor.

"Usually, the restaurant is crowded with customers every night, so I'm used to it. The porridge she makes is delicious; it's made from roasted rice, so it's soft and fragrant. Eating blood cockle porridge with other ingredients is also quite nutritious. My house isn't too far away, so I come here to eat 3-4 times a week," the customer said.

Each serving of blood cockle porridge at the restaurant costs between 45,000 and 80,000 VND, depending on the customer's needs.

At the restaurant, each bowl of porridge costs between 45,000 and 80,000 VND, depending on the customer's needs. Besides the signature blood cockle and minced beef porridge, customers can also enjoy it with abalone, shrimp, squid, scallops, snakehead fish fillet, etc.

I ordered a bowl of blood cockle porridge and a side of minced beef, as I was starving. Just as Mr. Nam had described, the way the restaurant cooked the porridge reminded me of my hometown in the Mekong Delta, with its rich flavor and the distinctive aroma of roasted rice.

Furthermore, the ingredients here are fresh and delicious. A steaming hot bowl of porridge, topped with a little scallion, pepper, fried onions and garlic, served with fresh vegetables and a signature dipping sauce, is truly an amazing combination.

The restaurant has been around for over 10 years.

Like me, Ms. Ngoc Thanh (22 years old, residing in Binh Thanh District) visited this restaurant for the first time out of curiosity, wondering what was so special about it that customers lined up in front of the shop. After enjoying a bowl of blood cockle porridge, she commented that she would become a regular customer here from now on.

"After I finished eating, I understood why the restaurant was so crowded, unbelievably so. The most outstanding thing is the fresh ingredients. The blood cockle porridge is very nutritious. I think that's one of the reasons why so many people come here to eat," Ms. Thanh commented, looking at the customers in the restaurant.

From love for a father…

The owner of this porridge shop is Ms. Le Thi Cuc (60 years old), a woman from the Mekong Delta. More than 10 years ago, she opened this porridge shop in Ho Chi Minh City, thanks to a special circumstance. In a conversation with a reporter, she shared that at the time, she came from Hau Giang province to Ho Chi Minh City to care for her father, who suffered from chronic kidney disease.

At that time, she was staying at her older brother's house. Normally, she would cook blood cockle porridge to nourish her father because it was a nutritious dish. It was from this experience that she came up with the idea of ​​selling this dish to earn extra income to support her sick father.

Mrs. Cúc's blood cockle porridge stall started as a small cart on the sidewalk. Thanks to her delicious cooking and knack for business, the cart gradually built up a stable customer base. Three years later, she decided to rent the space behind the cart, which was her brother's house, to make the stall more spacious for customers to sit and eat, and she has been selling porridge there ever since.

Customers crowded in front of the shop.

Ms. Cúc thanked the customers for their support over the years.

The owner has four children; one currently lives in the United States, and the other three live in Vietnam. She is happy that after nearly a decade in business, she is still loved and supported by her customers, precisely because of her conscientious business practices. Now, her children have inherited and helped run the porridge shop, which makes her feel proud.

"For me, this job is my calling, my love. When I stop selling, I miss my customers and my job so much. I will continue selling until I no longer have the strength. I believe that when you do business with a sincere heart, you will receive support and love from your customers," the owner confided.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/khach-ngoi-kin-quan-chao-so-huyet-o-tphcm-co-gi-hap-dan-185240129144655316.htm