The Soviet pan from the subsidy period is still used by Hong Trang bread shop to serve pan bread.
Located at 170 Trieu Viet Vuong, Hong Trang Banh Mi is one of the oldest banh mi shops in Hanoi, dating back to the subsidy period and moved from 116 Mai Hac De about 7 years ago.
The signboard is small and unremarkable, located next to two banh mi shops, so it's easy for diners to get confused.
The shop is open from 6am to 22pm daily. There are two areas for guests to eat, a small space in the alley, two plastic tables for 4 people. The outdoor space is both a place to arrange about two or three sets of tables and chairs, as well as a parking space.
A special feature of Ba Trang's pan bread (67 years old) is the Soviet pans with an age of more than 40 years. According to her share, during the subsidy period, she had the opportunity to enjoy European steak, beautifully presented and fancy. Based on that, she created a sandwich with a similar presentation but using familiar ingredients at an affordable price that everyone can enjoy.
Ms. Trang bought about 50 sets of pans, including knives and forks, from an acquaintance who went to the Soviet Union to bring back. Over time, the shop now has more than 10 pieces left, only brought out to serve when the customers are too crowded and have used up the additional plastic rolling pans. Although the pan is old, it is polished, clean, and feels nostalgic for a while.
Pan bread is made with the restaurant's 40-year-old Soviet pan.
The shop sells two types of pan bread with different prices. The set of 35.000 VND includes: omelet, meat skewers, pate, red sausage, spring rolls, cotton balls. The price of 50.000 VND for an extra beef ball is spread with a special sauce made by Mrs. Trang. The shop also sells sandwiches with fillings made from the above ingredients, with prices ranging from 20.000 to 25.000 VND.
When customers order, Mrs. Trang has just started to cook, so the pan bread is always served while it's still hot. The first is to beat the chicken eggs into the hot pan, then in turn add the skewers, pate, red sausage, spring rolls and finally the cotton balls. The pate and meat skewers are homemade by Mrs. Trang, while other ingredients are carefully selected to ensure hygiene.
"The processing stage is not difficult, but serving is quite difficult," Ms. Trang shared. In the old establishment, the restaurant uses up to five coal stoves, making the space hotter in the summer. After coming here, the restaurant has changed to use two electric stoves, the service speed has improved. Each pan takes less than five minutes to prepare.
Each serving is served with crispy toast and sour vegetables. Unlike other restaurants, Mrs. Trang's banh mi pan does not have sauce, but soy sauce instead.
Tear a piece of crispy bread, spread with thick egg yolk, put pate, skewers, ham and fried rice on top and enjoy. "The egg yolk is soft, the pate and ham are soft and fatty, and the skewers have a sweet taste thanks to being well seasoned," a customer shared at the restaurant.
However, because the ingredients are high in protein, the dish is easy to get bored. Diners can order iced tea, bare filling or bean milk to neutralize the taste. Before adding soy sauce to the pan, diners should taste it to adjust according to their taste, to avoid being salty.
A serving of pan bread usually costs 35.000 VND.
About 2, 3 sets of plastic tables and chairs are placed on the sidewalk next to the shop.
The space inside the alley.
When customers order, the owner has just started processing, so the pan bread is always served while it is still hot.
A serving of pan bread usually costs 35.000 VND.
About 2, 3 sets of plastic tables and chairs are placed on the sidewalk next to the shop.
Customers of the shop are of all ages and classes, including tourists from other provinces, cities and foreigners. When she was still at Mai Hac De, her shop sold about 700-800 breads every day, in winter it could be up to nearly 1000. However, after changing the new address, the number of visitors is only about 40-50% before.
Ngo Thi Van Anh (Hanoi) said that this was her real-life restaurant when she was in high school. At that time, a pan cost only 3 VND. Minh Huyen (10.000 years old), whose grandmother's house is in Mai Hac De, said that pan bread has been around since she was not born.
Chu Van Duong (Hanoi) was often brought here by his father to eat pan bread when he was a child. “In the old days, it was difficult, seeing this pan bread is craving. Now going to the restaurant is mainly to rediscover the feeling of childhood," he said. The taste of the dish was different from before due to the change in ingredients. Mr. Duong advises diners to come enjoy and evaluate because everyone's taste is different.
The space of the shop is not too large, at most there are about 7, 8 sets of tables and chairs, so at peak hours, guests who come later will have to wait for a table. On weekdays, the busiest time is at noon, and on weekends, it's crowded in the evening. The restaurant does not have its own parking space, some outside tables are arranged right next to motorbikes, causing inconvenience to diners.
Vnexpress.net
