Not too unfamiliar, that is the restaurant of Ms. Nguyen Thi Le Hoa (69 years old, living in District 10) located on the frontage of Vo Van Tan Street (District 3), over 40 years old and a familiar lunch spot for many people in Ho Chi Minh City.
crowded
At noon, hungry, I stopped by Mrs. Hoa's restaurant not far away from work. Although it officially opened at 11am, by 10am, the owner and her staff had prepared more than 30 dishes, arranged attractively on a large table. The aroma of the food wafted out, and customers could freely choose from it.
Mrs. Hoa's "rich family rice" restaurant.
Seeing me, Mrs. Hoa greeted me warmly, saying that today there were few dishes like that, because on days when she went to the market and saw delicious food, she could buy and prepare more than 40 different dishes to sell to customers. Looking at the eye-catching food counter, to be honest, I also had a hard time choosing a dish, because every dish looked very attractive.
However, when hearing the price, many people like me, coming to eat for the first time, "paused" for a moment. Ms. Hoa said that each portion of food, the lowest price is 60,000 VND, the most expensive portion is 200,000 VND, depending on the customer's choice. The dishes here are diverse in preparation methods, from braised, fried, stir-fried, soup... to ingredients such as fish, shrimp, squid, meat...
That is also the reason why Mr. Nam Tran (34 years old), an office worker in District 3, comes here every day of the week to eat. According to him, because of the diversity of dishes, he can change the dishes here for a whole month, eating a different dish every day, so he is not afraid of getting bored.
Variety of dishes.
“The price is a bit higher than the average, but I don't think it's for nothing that people sell at that price. Whatever dish I eat here, the ingredients are extremely fresh and delicious, the way the owner seasoned it is delicious, like eating at home. Of course, my wallet also "hurts", but I feel like the money spent is worth it," said a regular customer for the past 4 years, explaining the reason for often coming to support.
At noon, the restaurant is crowded, with customers filling all the tables in the spacious restaurant. Customers continuously come and go, including Ms. Nhu (27 years old), who also visited this restaurant with her colleagues this afternoon.
The customer said that she usually only orders dishes priced at 60,000 - 70,000 VND to fit her budget. However, for her, that is still a high price. That is the reason why this customer often comes by 1-2 times a week to change the taste.
135 kg owner tries to lose weight
“Why are you selling at such a high price?”, hearing my question, the owner smiled and said that she has always sold at a higher price than the average price of the surrounding restaurants.
“It’s all about my heart. When selling food, I want to sell the best quality food, so I always go to the market early, choose the freshest, tastiest ingredients, and prepare them in the most hygienic way. Of course, the price is also more expensive. But you get what you pay for, and customers will feel that!”, Ms. Hoa added.
Ms. Hoa's restaurant is also affectionately called "Mrs. Fatty" by customers, partly because of the owner's plump appearance. She said she currently weighs 135 kg, and because she felt her health was getting worse, she decided to try to lose weight.
Fresh ingredients, well cooked.
[CLIP]: 40-year-old 'rich people's rice' restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City: Most expensive is 200,000 VND/portion, runs out in 2-3 hours
The owner said that the reason she has her current weight is partly because she has been cooking for the past 42 years. At first, she sold white porridge, then switched to selling broken rice and then to selling rice dishes like she does now. As if she had a knack for selling many dishes, she decided to develop the restaurant in this direction and has a stable number of "regular" customers like she does now.
“In the past, I had a hard time raising two children. Later, thanks to selling rice, my life became more stable. My children are now grown up, mature, have stable jobs and do not follow their mother to work. Selling food and drinks is very hard. At 5 o'clock, I go to the market and cook food to sell on time," the owner said.
On busy days, she sells out by 12pm. On quieter days, it’s 1pm. For Ms. Hoa, the restaurant is the passion she has built throughout her youth, so no matter what, she will stick with it until she no longer has the strength to sell…
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