Selling more than 500 servings a day, the famous Nam Dinh bun cha restaurant reveals its century-old secret

The Nam Thanh vermicelli and grilled pork restaurant of Mrs. Tran Thi Chin's family (94 years old) is quite small, simple and old, but every day there are many customers coming to eat.

Mr. Chin, who is keeping the family business going, said that the shop was opened by his great-grandfather more than a century ago. Since he was 13 years old, he has helped his parents sell the shop.

Initially, the restaurant was located on Vai Man Street (now Hai Ba Trung Street, Nam Dinh City), and moved to its current location in 1991. Although passed down through many generations, the restaurant's way of preparing the sausage has remained the same, creating a unique and distinctive flavor that cannot be found anywhere else.

Hundred-year secret

A portion of bun cha here costs 40,000 VND, including a plate of vermicelli noodles, a bowl of grilled meat sprinkled with thinly sliced ​​onions, and a bowl of sweet and sour dipping sauce. The restaurant also serves raw vegetables and pickles made from thinly sliced ​​papaya, soaked just enough to be crispy, helping to balance the fatty taste of the meatloaf.

A portion of Nha Tho Bun Cha costs 40,000 VND.

The dipping sauce is delicious, but the grilled pork roll is the "memorable" thing that any diner must nod in agreement.

The fragrant patty is made from fresh pork, the shoulder part mixed with fat, marinated with spices according to a traditional recipe. Then, the meat is grilled over charcoal, creating a crispy outer layer while the inside is still soft and sweet.

Ms. Vu Hong Hai (customer, residing in Nam Dinh City) shared: “The restaurant only has pork patties, no minced pork patties. The pork patties are very delicious, very different from the restaurants I have eaten. The meat is fragrant, not dry, and the dipping sauce is also very tasty.”

Mr. Chin revealed: “Instead of slicing, the meat is sliced ​​with a knife to make the meat very thin, so when grilled it won't dry out, and it retains its natural fat and sweetness.

In addition to the special spices, the meat is also marinated with eggs, which helps the meat to be soft and fragrant. When grilling, the fire must not flare up and the meat must be turned evenly.

Meat is clamped with bamboo sticks, the ends tied tightly with banana leaves.

According to Mr. Chin, besides the way of marinating the meat, the restaurant still retains the old way of clamping the meat with bamboo sticks, the ends of the sticks tied tightly with fresh banana leaves instead of a steel grill.

He said that bamboo skewers not only help the meat to cook evenly but also enhance the natural flavor, thanks to the light aroma from the bamboo that permeates the meat when grilled. In addition, clamping meat with bamboo skewers makes it easier to control the heat, helping the meat to cook evenly, lose less water, and be more tender.

The process of clamping meat onto bamboo sticks is still done by Mr. Chin.

Sold more than 500 portions per day

Mr. Chin's family starts making goods at 8am, starts selling at 11am and stays open until 7pm. The busiest time is from 11am to 1pm.

The restaurant has 7 people working, each person has a job, everyone is busy. Because they keep the traditional way of grilling meat as they are sandwiched, and only use a bamboo fan to fan, at noon, customers sometimes have to wait 20-30 minutes for their turn.

However, diners are still willing to wait to enjoy this special bun cha dish.

Mrs. Tran Thi Yen (64 years old), granddaughter of Mr. Chin, is gradually taking over the restaurant.

Ms. Tran Thi Thu (living in Hanoi ) shared: "Every time I go back to my hometown, I definitely have to stop by Nha Tho to eat bun cha. Many times I come around noon, the restaurant is crowded and I have to wait a long time but I never feel uncomfortable.

I found the delicious, soft patty with the perfect dipping sauce worth the wait.

Small restaurant but always crowded

According to Mr. Chin, the restaurant sells about 500-600 servings of noodles every day, and even more on weekends and holidays. Not only serving at the restaurant, many customers also buy to take away to other provinces.

At the age of 94, Mr. Chin is still very lucid and regularly goes down to the restaurant to help and guide his children and grandchildren to keep the profession. Every detail from how to marinate the meat to how to grill it, how to mix the dipping sauce is carefully instructed by him to his successors.

“For nearly a year now, I have gradually handed over the work to my nephew, but as long as I am healthy, I will continue to work. I have been attached to this job my whole life, so not being able to work or talk to customers makes me miss and feel sad,” he said.

Mr. Chin added that this location has been associated with the restaurant’s name and this is also the family’s home. If the conditions are right, his family will rebuild the restaurant to be more spacious to serve customers better, instead of moving to another location.

Vietnamnet.vn

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/ngay-ban-hon-500-suat-quan-bun-cha-noi-tieng-nam-dinh-tiet-lo-bi-quyet-tram-nam-2352015.html