A 1.3 million VND Vietnamese meal with crab soup and eggplant revives a restaurant in Germany

(Dan Tri) - During difficult times, the owner of Nampan restaurant in Germany boldly changed the menu, serving Vietnamese meals worth millions of dong, attracting a large number of customers.

Enjoy Vietnamese music and eat Vietnamese food in Europe

At 7 p.m., night fell in Berlin, Dang Mai Hong and her husband (living in Germany) went to Nampan restaurant for dinner. Before that, she happened to see pictures of Vietnamese dishes served here so she took the opportunity to stop by and enjoy them.

Stepping through the door, the sound of Hue royal court music echoed, making the woman feel the atmosphere of her hometown.

The restaurant space is cozy with two ceramic vases with banana leaves, next to a picture of the whole family gathered around the dinner table.

From the open kitchen, the aroma of braised fish, roasted meat, stir-fried vegetables... wafted out. Looking at the menu, Hong and her husband decided to order a Northern-style meal for two, priced at 45 Euros (more than 1.3 million VND).

Ms. Hong and her husband enjoyed the delicious food at the restaurant (Photo: Provided by the character).

"After 15 minutes, the restaurant owner personally brought the food tray to the table to serve the customers. The restaurant owner kindly advised on the dishes and asked about life, making me feel the closeness of fellow countrymen," said Ms. Hong.

In front of Ms. Hong, bowls and plates were arranged on an aluminum tray like a traditional meal in her hometown. She gently scooped rice, picked up a piece of golden roasted meat, dipped it in fish sauce, and then leisurely enjoyed a plate of stir-fried vegetables with the fragrant smell of garlic. Among the dishes, the thing that impressed the woman the most was the bowl of crispy pickled eggplant, the sour taste spreading gently on the tip of her tongue.

Living abroad for 4 years, every time she misses her mother's cooking, Ms. Hong often visits some restaurants in Germany but the taste is not complete. She thinks that other restaurants often use broccoli to stir-fry, serve claypot rice with meat so it does not have the rich taste of Vietnam.

"The meal at Nampan made me feel satisfied after enjoying it. Besides the crispy roasted pork, I like the eggplant and pickled cucumbers the most... It's been a long time since my husband and I have enjoyed these rustic dishes," Ms. Hong confided.

The 45 Euro (1.3 million VND) meal that Ms. Hong and her husband enjoyed (Photo: Character provided).

At the end of dinner, Ms. Hong and her husband listened to the melodious music and sipped a glass of sour plum juice. In the early winter weather of Berlin, the familiar taste reminded her of her days in Hanoi.

On the train back to Hamburg - 300km from Berlin - Ms. Hong's husband, a German of Chinese origin, praised the food for its delicate preparation and well-seasoned taste. In addition to the food, the restaurant owner's friendliness and thoughtfulness made the couple feel satisfied.

"This restaurant will definitely be a familiar destination for my family every time we return to Berlin. Next time, I want to try the vermicelli with shrimp paste and vermicelli with crab and mantis shrimp here," Ms. Hong shared.

Vietnamese food "save" the restaurant

Mai Hong and her husband are just two of thousands of customers who have come to Nampan restaurant to enjoy Vietnamese meals in the past five months.

The person who came up with the idea of ​​arranging individual dishes on a tray, reminiscent of a traditional family meal, is Mr. Vo Ta Luc - the restaurant manager.

Sharing with Dan Tri reporter, Mr. Luc said that before serving the 3-region meal, many people were skeptical. Because, in the capital Berlin, many restaurants have built a brand with Vietnamese dishes over the past decades. If entering this segment, the restaurant owner must face fierce competition.

Southern style meal (Photo: Character provided).

At that time, Nampan restaurant was having difficulties due to the decrease in customers after many years of selling Japanese food. The owner thought that it would be difficult to continue operating.

"The restaurant owner told me that if he didn't change, Nampan wouldn't survive. Every day, seeing the restaurant empty, he felt a heavy pressure," Mr. Luc recalled.

According to the guy from Nghe An , what Nampan needs is not to renew the space or launch promotional programs, but to create a breakthrough by changing the menu.

Understanding the restaurant owner's concerns, he came up with the idea of ​​making Vietnamese-style family meals to serve overseas Vietnamese and promote culinary culture to foreign guests.

Northern-style meals are served at the restaurant (Photo: Character provided).

When he was still a shipper in Vietnam, every time he delivered food to customers, the young man dreamed of one day selling simple meals that would warm the hearts of people living far from home.

"I never expected to have the opportunity to realize my idea in the heart of Europe. Meeting the owner of Nampan restaurant was like a lucky coincidence," Luc said.

Although he got the approval of the restaurant owner, it was not easy for the Vietnamese man to approach foreign customers. The transition from selling Japanese food to providing Vietnamese-style meals needed more time to gain people's trust.

Before serving the meals, he and his team had to research ideas, recipes, presentation and preparation methods to impress diners. Previously, many restaurants in Germany sold Vietnamese rice but only stopped at individual dishes. The mark that helped Nampan conquer diners was the whole meal with many dishes full of the flavors of home.

After 2 months of thinking, Luc came up with 4 menus for each week of the month. Weeks 1, 2, and 3 of the month will sell Northern, Central, and Southern dishes, respectively, and the last week of the month will sell mixed dishes.

Southern style meal (Photo: Character provided).

Nampan used to specialize in Japanese food, so the bowls and plates had different styles. To create a traditional Vietnamese meal, Luc and his staff carefully selected each bowl and pair of chopsticks. The bowls and plates were shipped from his home country to Germany with simple lines and colors, while the aluminum trays were purchased from a store in Germany.

To launch the menu from June, the chef had to prepare each dish in advance. Luc invited acquaintances and friends to enjoy it. Carefully recording each review and experience, after 2 months, the young man and the chef chose the most standard recipe.

"When we officially started selling the dishes to customers, people loved them more than expected. The number of customers increased every week. Many Western customers came to enjoy the food, even though they had a little difficulty holding chopsticks," he said.

Each meal tray at the restaurant has a savory dish, vegetables, soup, peanuts, eggplant, and pickles priced at 45 Euros - 65 Euros (about 1.4 million VND - 1.6 million VND) for 2 or 3 people or more.

Central Vietnamese style meal (Photo: Character provided).

On the Northern Vietnamese meal tray, there will be crispy fried pork belly, tofu with tomato sauce, crispy roast pork, crab soup, stir-fried water spinach with garlic, eggplant and pickled cabbage, roasted peanuts... The Central Vietnamese meal tray has braised mackerel, braised pork, crispy roast pork, chrysanthemum greens soup with minced meat, stir-fried cabbage with mushrooms...

Southern Vietnamese meals typically include braised snakehead fish in clay pot, braised chicken, crispy roast pork, sour soup with snakehead fish, stir-fried mustard greens with mushrooms... Mixed meals are served on the last week of each month with braised fish sauce, sweet and sour ribs, crispy roast pork, squash and shrimp soup, boiled vegetables...

Although the restaurant’s chef is Vietnamese, meticulously preparing each dish on a tray is not an easy task. The chef must prepare all the ingredients 3-4 hours before opening. Some elaborate dishes, such as braised fish, are prepared the night before.

"We bought all the ingredients at the Asian market in the heart of Berlin. The pickled eggplant and braised fish sauce were made by the chef according to his own recipe, conquering many picky diners," the young man shared.

In the beginning, the restaurant sold 10-15 trays of food per day. Currently, on average, 20-30 trays of food are served to customers each day, of which foreign customers account for 30-40%.

Nampan Restaurant serves food in 2 time slots from 11:30 to 22:30 and from 17:00 to 22:00, afternoon slot sells coffee and cakes.

Many Western guests come to enjoy food at the restaurant (Photo: Character provided).

Often present at the restaurant, the young man feels happy when seeing diners smiling and chatting happily around the meal.

"Many guests praise our dishes and come back often. A male student even burst into tears after enjoying them, because it had been a long time since he had eaten his mother's authentic cooking in a foreign land," Mr. Luc shared.

After 5 months of struggling with the dishes and how to satisfy customers, Mr. Luc felt that the path that he and the restaurant owner chose was completely correct. Nampan did not disappear, instead a new path was opening up.

He believes that, for many people, a meal is no longer just a way to fill the stomach but becomes a journey of cultural experience - the flavors, presentation and atmosphere contribute to telling the story of the homeland.

Talking about upcoming plans, the young man said that the restaurant will continue to serve meals, improve service quality and add to the menu dishes with rich Vietnamese flavors.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/du-lich/mam-com-viet-13-trieu-voi-canh-cua-ca-phao-vuc-day-mot-nha-hang-o-duc-20251103214954524.htm