The crab noodle shop says no to 2 familiar toppings, located deep in a small alley but always crowded, turns out it was once famous in the Cho Gioi area in the 198x.

(Fatherland) - Many customers often joke that Ms. Lua's vermicelli soup restaurant is a "3 no" restaurant: No fried tofu, no beef, and no blanched vegetables.

Located deep in a small alley on Huong Vien Street, Hai Ba Trung District, Hanoi , but from morning to noon, the bun rieu shop named Ms. Lua is always crowded with people coming and going. Up to now, Bun Rieu Co Lua has been around for 40 years and is a favorite place for many people.

The vermicelli shop does not have the familiar fried bean topping, does not blanch vegetables for customers, if anyone wants to eat beef, bring it yourself and the shop will blanch it for you.

For those who like the "full-topping" vermicelli soup with everything from fried tofu, beef, fish cakes, ribs..., they may be a bit confused when coming to Ms. Lua's vermicelli soup. Because the vermicelli soup here only has 2 main toppings: pig's ear and duck eggs. It's that simple, but it still makes many people fall in love.

A full bowl of vermicelli with crab soup at Ms. Lua's vermicelli with crab soup shop.

When asked why there is no fried tofu, a familiar topping in the vermicelli soup, the owner, Ms. Anh, said that it is simply because customers do not like to eat it. There was a time when she added fried tofu but regular customers did not like it, so she stopped. Until now, the vermicelli soup sold by Ms. Anh is simply made of vermicelli, crab soup, a little fried onion and pork rind. If you like, you can add pig's ear and duck eggs.

The familiar toppings here are only duck eggs, pig's ear and pork rinds.

Her duck eggs and pig's ear are both delicious, but the crab tofu and homemade fried shallots must be praised. The tofu is fragrant and has a strong crab flavor, the shallots are crispy on the outside and fatty on the inside, and the onions are Vietnamese onions, so they are also very delicious. The broth here is rich, not sour, and the broth is a bit greasy, but it is that type of broth that creates the restaurant's unique flavor.

Customers who want to eat beef can buy it and bring it to Ms. Anh and she will blanch it for them.

Speaking of beef, a familiar topping of many crab noodle shops today, it is not available at Ms. Lua's crab noodle shop. Although it is not on the menu, the shop is still willing to blanch the meat for customers if they bring it. Ms. Anh said: "Blanching the beef in the broth will cover up the smell of the crab soup, so if customers bring it, I will blanch it for them." That's why, besides the fragrant broth with pig's ear, Ms. Anh also has another pot of water specifically used to blanch beef.

The broth is for those who like it strong.

In addition, Ms. Anh's vermicelli soup shop does not serve blanched vegetables. If customers ask to eat blanched vegetables, she will gently tell them to put the vegetables in the vermicelli bowl to eat together, it will be very delicious. Therefore, many customers often joke with each other that Ms. Lua's vermicelli soup shop is a "3 no" shop: no fried tofu, no beef and no blanched vegetables.

The price for a bowl of crab noodle soup here is 23,000 VND, a bowl with duck eggs or pig's ear is 30,000 VND. A bowl of crab noodle soup with both pig's ear and egg is 37,000 VND. Customers who want to add pig's ear or egg will have to pay 7,000 VND more. This price is considered quite reasonable by customers.

Ms. Anh, the owner of the restaurant, is the one who directly makes noodles for customers.

Turns out it's a famous vermicelli soup shop in Cho Gioi, which has been open for 40 years, explaining the interesting name "Miss Lua".

In the alley on Huong Vien street for about 3 years, but in fact, Ms. Lua's vermicelli soup with crab has been sold since 1984, up to now it has been sold for 40 years. Previously, Ms. Lua's vermicelli soup with crab was sold in the Cho Gioi area and was also a famous vermicelli soup restaurant there.

The shop is called Miss Lua because that's what people at Cho Gioi call Miss Anh.

I thought that the name "Bun Rieu Co Lua" was taken from the owner's name, but it turns out that the owner's name is Anh, not Lua. Ms. Anh confided: "When I used to sell at Cho Gioi, people would jokingly call me Lua, so that name became the name of the restaurant."

Recalling the time when she sold at Cho Gioi, Ms. Anh shared: "In the past, we sold on the sidewalk, there were only chairs, no tables, customers had to carry and eat by themselves. Because selling on the sidewalk like that, there was no place to put vinegar and chili, so I would put it right in the customers' bowls."

Yet many diners love the experience of eating on the sidewalk, squatting on a low plastic chair, holding a bowl of hot noodles and blowing on it while eating. Now the restaurant has moved to a small alley, but regular customers still come back because they have fallen in love with the flavor of this crab noodle soup.

"I'm old now, and there's no one working at the market. My legs have degenerative arthritis, so I can't sit and sell like that anymore. Sitting here for decades, sitting with my legs folded like that also affects my legs. Now I sell here, it's my house, customers also have spacious tables and chairs. On busy days, customers come inside to sit" - Ms. Anh confided.

Ms. Anh said that every day at 4:30 am she wakes up, at 5 am people bring vegetables and she starts washing and cutting them. Then at 6 am the shop opens to serve breakfast customers. The shop will be open until about 1-2 pm then close.

Ms. Quynh Anh, a regular customer of Ms. Lua's crab noodle shop, said: "I've been eating crab noodle soup since the shop was still on the sidewalk near Cho Gioi. Back then, I had to squat, so if I accidentally wore a short skirt or high heels, I didn't dare eat. Since moving here, I can sit and eat more comfortably, no longer having to hold a bowl to eat. I like to have a little more beef, so I always buy 1-2 pounds of meat and have her blanch it for me. The broth of Ms. Lua's noodle soup is a bit fatty and greasy, but once you eat it, you'll be addicted."

The restaurant is located in a small alley but customers still come to eat.

Bun rieu is probably a familiar dish to many people in Hanoi. Each restaurant may have a different way of cooking bun rieu, simply finding a delicious bun rieu restaurant that suits your taste, then people just go eat it out of habit.

Source: https://toquoc.vn/quan-bun-rieu-noi-khong-voi-2-thu-topping-quen-thuoc-nam-sau-trong-ngo-nho-nhu-luon-dong-khach-hoa-ra-tung-nuc-tieng-mot-thoi-khu-cho-gioi-nhung-nam-198x-2024121015384343.htm