From mother's street stall to expensive facade in Ho Chi Minh City

One day after the Michelin Guide announcement, diners coming to Number One Chicken Sticky Rice Restaurant at 15 Nguyen Trung Truc Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City did not forget to congratulate the owner. This sticky rice restaurant was listed in the Michelin Selected category (restaurant recommended by Michelin Guide).

" On a street corner near Ben Thanh Market, this restaurant has only two dishes on the menu: xoi ga (sticky rice with chicken, eggs, giblets, and sauce); and xoi bap (sweet corn sticky rice with sugar and fat). Both are delicious," commented the Michelin Guide.

Great honor

Sharing with Thanh Nien , Ms. Le Thi Thinh (67 years old), the restaurant owner, said that this is an honor that not everyone can have. She continues to maintain the flavor and attentive customer service as before. The philosophy of "I feed the customers, the customers feed me" continues to be applied after decades of implementation. Customers eating well and remembering the restaurant is also the criteria she always aims for.

Mrs. Thinh is proud that her restaurant is included in the Michelin recommended category.

The photo of the old lady with beautiful black teeth and Mrs. Thinh was hung in the middle of the shop, where most people could see it. When asked about the photo, Mrs. Thinh proudly introduced it as her mother.

Going back in time, decades ago, Do Thi Tinh (who passed away in 2019) cooked sticky rice and sold it on the street. During her poor years, she had to "sell on the street" to support her family. In 1973, after getting married, Ms. Thinh decided to take over the business when she saw that her mother was old and could no longer work on the street.

The photo of Mrs. Thinh and her mother is placed in the middle of the shop.

"Back then, I also sold on the sidewalk like my mother. After 1976, Nguyen Trung Truc Street was still deserted, but thanks to regular customers, I was able to stay. I am grateful to my mother for passing on the famous sticky rice cooking profession, providing a livelihood for her daughter," said Ms. Thinh.

In 2000, after many years of saving and with the help of her family, she bought a house right on Nguyen Trung Truc street and continued to sell sticky rice until now. At that time, both families loved her so they each helped a little and she mortgaged the house she was living in at that time (Huynh Van Banh street, Phu Nhuan district) to buy this house.

Ms. Thinh sold sticky rice on the sidewalk before buying a house on Nguyen Trung Truc Street.

Passion for the profession for life

Explaining the name "Number One", the owner said it means the number 1 deliciousness. She currently manages the business at home, leaving the business to her son and staff. The job supports the family, so even though she is no longer young, she is still passionate and never takes her eyes off it. She has 5 children, all grown up, some of whom continue to follow in their mother's footsteps.

Chicken sticky rice costs from 30,000 - 40,000 VND

"I think there are many reasons why diners often visit the sticky rice shop and are recommended by Michelin. First, the sticky rice must be cooked until it is soft and not too mushy. Second, the sticky rice and chicken must be combined together, with the sauce seasoned to taste. Cooking sticky rice is very easy but also very difficult because if it is too mushy, it will not taste good, and if it is too salty or bland, it will not be good either," the shop owner shared.

Not only Vietnamese, foreign guests or overseas Vietnamese returning to the country also often come to this sticky rice shop. Looking back after decades of wandering, she still silently thanks customers for their enthusiastic support. Every day, Number One sticky rice shop sells about 30 kg of sticky rice, the shop is open every day, the staff still diligently brings the dedicated sticky rice to customers.

She is always grateful to her late mother.

"Now I have a house, although it's not big, only about ten square ^meters . Looking up, it's not as big as anyone else's, but looking down, I still feel blessed. I hope I will always have good health to continue doing business and find joy in life," Ms. Thinh confided.

Ms. Le Thi Khanh Linh (25 years old, living in District 10) visited the sticky rice shop late in the evening and enjoyed the corn sticky rice. She did not forget to buy an extra portion of chicken sticky rice for her roommate because the sticky rice here was very delicious.

"The sticky rice, well-cooked corn, and fragrant fried onions blend well with the rich flavor of mung beans. Honestly, I don't eat sticky rice often, but every time I pass by here, I stop by to buy some because I miss this flavor after a long time," Linh shared.

Each grain of sticky rice is soft and chewy at Mrs. Thinh's sticky rice shop.

Corn sticky rice is also chosen by many diners.

Shredded chicken is carefully selected by the owner.

The restaurant is famous for its chicken sticky rice.

Foreign guests often visit the restaurant to enjoy

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/quan-xoi-duy-nhat-o-duoc-michelin-vinh-danh-tu-ganh-hang-rong-cua-me-gio-thanh-mat-tien-dat-do-o-tphcm-185240629091207537.htm