The owner reveals about the confusing name

In front of the old Thuy 94 restaurant, customers can easily see a tray of fresh soft-shell crabs, neatly arranged. The kitchen area is located right at the entrance, so customers can watch the chef fry and prepare the dishes. The restaurant has just been included in the list of Michelin Selected restaurants in 2024.

"This popular restaurant specializes in crab, with a menu focused on crab dishes - crab spring rolls, crab fried rice, salt-roasted crab, steamed crab... and many more. The crab vermicelli soup is full of crab meat and umami-rich crab roe. The broth has a rich, slightly sweet flavor. The soft-shell crabs are fried to order, with crispy shells and firm meat. Moreover, crab can be replaced with shrimp in most dishes ," the Michelin Guide commented on the restaurant.

Moved by Michelin recommendation

We visited the restaurant around 3pm. Although it was not peak hour, the restaurant was still crowded with both foreigners and Vietnamese.

Shrimp and crab dishes at Mrs. Mai's restaurant

Ms. Truc Mai (50 years old), one of the two restaurant owners, shared that she was happy and touched that the restaurant was included in the Michelin recommended list. This is also a great motivation for her to continue promoting the restaurant's strengths, hoping to make customers even more satisfied.

"I hope that not only Vietnamese but also foreign guests will know about dishes made from crab. The more guests I have, the happier I am because this proves that the dedication I put into the dishes is highly appreciated by diners," the woman said.

Ms. Mai said that the spring roll and crab vermicelli restaurant was opened in 1992. She and her sister, Thuy, co-founded and sold these dishes. When it first opened, the restaurant was located at 94 Dinh Tien Hoang (District 1) and was called "94 spring roll and crab vermicelli restaurant". After a few years of business, the landlord took back the premises so she had to move. The new location of the restaurant is not far away, at 84 Dinh Tien Hoang. However, because she still wanted to keep the restaurant name with the number 94 as a distinctive feature, she did not change it to number 84 like the current address. Still not satisfied with the restaurant name and hoping that customers would be more familiar with it, she decided to name it "Old Thuy 94 restaurant".

Crab spring rolls are cylindrical, thin-skinned, and filled with many ingredients.

In the past, Mrs. Mai's grandmother sold crabs in the Ben Thanh market area. Mrs. Mai and Mrs. Thuy helped her sell and decided to open a crab restaurant to serve customers. Being a person who also had a passion for food, she devoted all her heart to the dishes with the hope that customers would be most satisfied. When she was alive, her grandmother constantly encouraged her grandchildren in doing business and preserving the family profession.

Crab soup costs 100,000 VND at the old Thuy 94 restaurant.

"When we first opened, only Vietnamese people came to eat because at that time, foreign tourists did not travel to Vietnam much. Later, in the era of integration and opening up, more tourists came to the restaurant. We prepared a variety of dishes, so we have been supported by everyone until now," said Ms. Mai.

Why is it popular with diners?

Mr. Van Thanh (54 years old) and his family came to the restaurant to eat the dishes and rated them delicious and suitable for their taste: "I find the crabs here very fresh, different from other places, so I often come here to enjoy them."

Fresh crabs are sold in front of the restaurant.

Mrs. Mai's restaurant has a menu specializing in crab and shrimp. Spring rolls cost 210,000 VND, are wrapped in a cylindrical shape, thin skin, lots of filling, eaten with raw vegetables, dipped in diluted fish sauce, and sliced ​​kohlrabi. Fried soft-shell crabs, including 2 crabs cut into 4 pieces, fried until golden brown, cost 290,000 VND. Crab fried rice with lots of crab is sold for 210,000 VND, crab soup is 100,000 VND... Each dish has a different flavor, presented quite attractively by the restaurant, so diners do not have to wait long.

"Over 30 years of ups and downs, I have had many happy and sad memories with my business, but thanks to "good people are rewarded with good things" and living positively, sad things easily pass and joy comes again. I also don't compete much, only during the Covid-19 pandemic did I have to stop for a few months. I am always grateful for the support and recognition of the restaurant's dishes from customers," the restaurant owner confided.

The owner has been in the profession for over 30 years.

The restaurant is crowded from 11am to 6pm. The restaurant opens from 9am to 9pm. Having been in the business for decades, the woman can easily choose fresh ingredients. "Just by looking at the face of a Ca Mau crab, I know which one is good and which one is fresh to choose from," the restaurant owner said.

The restaurant is quite crowded with foreign customers.

The staff are people who have been with the restaurant for a long time. Some have worked for more than 20 years, some have gotten married, taken maternity leave and still come back to work. "Ms. Thuy and I always love each other, share difficulties with each other to continue developing the crab vermicelli brand after decades of dedication," Ms. Mai confided.

Many people often visit the restaurant because of the delicious food.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/quan-mien-cua-duoc-michelin-de-xuat-chu-quan-tiet-lo-ve-cai-ten-de-nham-lan-185240628214101746.htm