Controversy over the expensive 2.7 million VND artisan feast for 6 people in Bat Trang

(Dan Tri) - A guest in Hanoi shared a feast ordered from a culinary artisan family in Bat Trang for 6 people for 2.7 million VND, receiving many mixed opinions on culinary forums.

While many people think that the price of 2.7 million VND is too expensive for a group of 6 people, many others disagree, saying that it is necessary to consider the ingredients, decoration and culinary cultural values ​​embedded in each dish.

What's on the 2.7 million VND tray in Bat Trang?

Last weekend, Ms. B. (in Hanoi ) and her family visited Bat Trang pottery village. After visiting the pottery workshops and architectural works there, Ms. B. took her family to a restaurant for dinner.

Before that, Ms. B. learned that Bat Trang village has a number of very famous culinary artisans. These are people who have made important contributions to preserving and promoting the traditional culinary values ​​of the craft village with elaborate dishes.

She decided to have lunch at the restaurant of artist Pham Thi Hoa. The restaurant announced a menu of 10 dishes, priced at 2.7 million VND for a 6-person tray (450,000 VND/meal).

“I was quoted the price in advance by the restaurant and found it quite high. However, I still decided to order the meal because I was curious to enjoy a dish of artisans that has created the brand of Bat Trang cuisine.

I think if the food is delicious, the price is completely reasonable. I am passionate about cooking so I really want to experience the specialties to learn", Ms. B. shared her expectations.

The dishes on the tray that Ms. B. ordered included: bamboo shoot and squid soup, boiled chicken, grilled shrimp rolls, pigeon spring rolls, stir-fried shrimp with mixed vegetables, peanut salad, fish soup, sticky rice, and sweet rice.

However, when enjoying the dishes, Ms. B. felt that the taste was not as excellent as expected and the money spent. "My family and I were quite disappointed, thinking that when enjoying the food, we would be amazed, but it was not like that," she said.

According to Ms. B., squid bamboo shoot soup and stir-fried kohlrabi are two famous dishes here, but the taste is quite normal, not highlighting the sweetness. In the squid bamboo shoot soup, there is quite little squid but a lot of shredded ham and shredded bamboo shoots.

Nem chim dou has no obvious bird flavor. Cha tom is meat cake with 1 shrimp added. Soup of clean fish is made from small river fish, minced and shaped into balls like meatballs in sour soup.

The feast that Ms. B's family enjoyed (Photo: Character provided).

Ms. B. said that the ingredients used to cook the feast include squid, pigeon, shrimp, etc. These ingredients are expensive but not used in large quantities in the dishes.

Bat Trang food trays are one of the unique cultural features of Hanoi cuisine. To serve tourists , many restaurants often include these trays in their menus.

The 10-dish feast costs 2.7 million VND (Photo: Character provided).

Previously, on many culinary groups, the price of the dishes here has also become a hot topic of discussion many times.

Some people say that a Bat Trang set is never under 2 million, this level is "too expensive", with that amount of money "it's better to eat seafood". However, many people also defend themselves, saying, "a delicious set", "an artisan set has a different price".

Account Ha Tran shared, once bought a delicious Bat Trang tray of food but cooked by villagers, the price was much cheaper. Buying at a branded place will make it difficult to avoid price differences because in addition to the ingredients, the tray of food may have many other costs.

Phung Linh account once ordered a meal from the artisan restaurant where Ms. B. dined. This customer shared the same feeling that the price of the meal was quite high, the quality was stable.

How elaborate are Bat Trang trays and what is the common price range?

It is known that two dishes are considered the soul, never absent from the tray of food of Bat Trang people, which are bamboo shoot and squid soup and kohlrabi stir-fried with dried squid.

Among them, the squid bamboo shoot soup is considered the highlight that makes the difference. The soup's broth is elaborately prepared from chicken broth, mushroom broth, shrimp broth mixed together and seasoned with spices according to standards.

The dried squid chosen is the best Thanh Hoa squid. The cook prepares it by removing the bib and tentacles, taking only the body, soaking it and then cleaning it to remove the fishy smell.

The dried bamboo shoots must be both crunchy and chewy. After being soaked and boiled, the bamboo shoots are shredded into small pieces, dried, and stored for later use. Before cooking the soup, the squid and bamboo shoots are stir-fried to absorb the spices. Another difference is that this soup does not use green onions to preserve the full flavor.

Similarly, the stir-fried dried squid with kohlrabi is also considered a unique combination. The dried squid is grilled lightly for fragrance, then shredded into bite-sized pieces. The kohlrabi is cut into bite-sized pieces and stir-fried until cooked to retain its natural crispness and sweetness.

To find out the price of a traditional feast in Bat Trang, Dan Tri reporter conducted a quick survey at some restaurants serving in the area.

Accordingly, a traditional feast for 6 people will cost from 1.9 million VND to 2.7 million VND. Of which, 2 indispensable dishes of Bat Trang people are stir-fried kohlrabi with squid and bamboo shoot and squid soup.

Ms. H., representative of a family that specializes in cooking for guests in a 130-year-old house in Bat Trang, said that the establishment currently has two price levels for guests to choose from.

That is a 1.9 million VND feast for 6 people including 9-10 dishes with steamed chicken, stir-fried kohlrabi with squid, black pepper beef, shrimp spring rolls, fruit salad, stewed bird, meatball soup, squid bamboo shoot soup, shrimp spring rolls, sticky rice, white rice. The 2.2 million VND feast is similar, only with the addition of salt-roasted shrimp.

Some other establishments also quote similar prices with a feast of 2 million VND for 6 people. If the number of guests is small, about 2-3 people, the restaurant can choose to make some special dishes to serve separately including squid bamboo shoot soup, stir-fried dishes and fried spring rolls. The average price is about 300,000 VND/person.

A bowl of squid and bamboo shoot soup served at Mrs. Hoa's restaurant (Photo: Chu Chu).

When the reporter contacted Ms. Pham Thi Hoa to discuss the price of the 2.7 million VND tray of food, the culinary artist seemed quite surprised.

She said all customers know the price before ordering food. She accepts no more than 20 trays of food each day. Customers must order 1 to 2 days in advance. All ingredients are prepared on the day, ensuring freshness.

She also believes that each person has different tastes, so she does not comment on customers finding the food to be less than excellent in taste.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/du-lich/tranh-cai-mam-co-nghe-nhan-o-bat-trang-6-nguoi-gia-27-trieu-dong-dat-do-20251113202327399.htm