Ba Lia broken rice, the 'most expensive' in Hoc Mon, stopped accepting customers after 2 hours

Ba Lia ribs are quite special because they are not too dry, well marinated and crispy on the outside - Photo: HO LAM

Tuoi Tre Online visited Ba Lia broken rice restaurant at 7am, the time the restaurant first opened. Customers started to gather and the tables were full.

Ms. Tuoi's restaurant has 4 employees but they still work tirelessly. Ms. Tuoi takes on the most important role. That is... grilling meat.

After much persuasion, Ms. Tuoi finally took some time to chat with the writer. She smiled apologetically: "Please understand! Because it is not good to keep customers waiting for a long time. Some people are easy-going, but some are difficult. It is not proper for me to keep them waiting."

Pot of fragrant sticky rice - Photo: HO LAM

Is Ba Lia broken rice in the memory of Ba Diem people?

Ms. Tuoi said her broken rice restaurant has been present in Hoc Mon since the 1970s, nearly half a century now.

Pointing to the shop, Ms. Tuoi said: "This is my home. I used to sell here and I still sell here. I think, perhaps everyone in Ba Diem has heard of Ba Lia at least once."

In the past, the owner of Ba Lia restaurant was her grandmother. At that time, the restaurant had no name, just called it broken rice restaurant. Later, in her generation, many broken rice restaurants opened. To make it easier for customers to distinguish and find, and to remember her grandmother, she named the restaurant after her grandmother, Ba Lia.

"My restaurant has many regular customers. Many people in their 70s and 80s have been eating since my grandmother's time. She told me to pay attention and remember what people like to eat and what they are afraid of so I can serve them well," Ms. Tuoi happily said.

Even with many regular customers, she can prepare meals in advance without asking.

The cheapest part is broken rice with pork chops for 60,000 VND - Photo: HO LAM

A plate of Ba Lia broken rice costs the most at 100,000 VND with ribs, pork skin, and sausage. Of which, the crab sausage is made with great care and according to Ms. Tuoi, broken rice with crab sausage is only sold on the weekends because those are the days when it sells the most.

On many forums, many controversial opinions have arisen surrounding the price of a plate of broken rice, considered the most expensive in Hoc Mon.

Ba Lia is a familiar breakfast stop for many Hoc Mon residents - Photo: HO LAM

Someone humorously commented: "Restaurants like this are expensive because of their brand. Being expensive creates a highlight, creating a 'you get what you pay for' mentality among people who rarely eat elsewhere. If the restaurant lowers its price to around 40,000 - 50,000 VND, few people will know about it."

Some people say: "On the surface, all the meat looks the same, but with the ingredients, the restaurant owner probably bought the best ones so they dare to sell them at that price. You get what you pay for, you have to taste it to know."

Tuoi Tre Online asked Ms. Tuoi what she thought about Ba Lia's nickname "the most expensive broken rice restaurant in Hoc Mon".

Scallion oil is an indispensable ingredient in every plate of broken rice. The same is true in Ba Lia - Photo: HO LAM

She explained: "From my grandmother's time until now, I have been selling at the same price. Back then, I sold for about 20,000 - 30,000 VND per plate of rice, then later the price increased to 60,000, 100,000 VND, then I stopped. Because my work is also hard, that's why I have such a price."

For Ms. Tuoi, the most difficult step in grilling meat in Ba Lia is because it is only grilled when it is sold, and the fire must be carefully watched and turned evenly, otherwise it can easily burn.

Every day, the shop opens at 7am and stops accepting customers before 9am. Ms. Tuoi said that in one morning, she sells about 6-7kg of meat.

Ms. Tuoi continuously grills and cuts ribs on a smoky charcoal stove - Video: HO LAM

It would be a waste if no one followed in my footsteps!

Ms. Tuoi has been following her grandmother's profession since she can't remember. She only knows that when her grandmother was 80 years old, she gradually started selling it until now.

"I like my family's traditional profession, so I want to maintain it. If I don't continue this profession, I'm afraid no one will run the business anymore. It would be a waste to lose a long-standing restaurant!", she said.

Many times the writer had to interrupt the conversation so she could grill the meat and put it on the rice plate. The owner and the assistants were all busy grilling ribs, serving rice, and welcoming customers, but there was still no end to the work.

Customers can also order the pork skin to eat with rice - Photo: HO LAM

She said: "Some people who have been in America for many years, come back to visit their homeland or the elderly stop by my restaurant to eat to find the old way and taste. Or there are customers from District 1 and District 7 who also make the trip to Hoc Mon to eat."

Many people say that in Saigon, you can see 2 or 3 broken rice restaurants at every step. In fact, there are many famous restaurants, named by Michelin, such as: Ba Ghien broken rice.

When asked if Ba Lia is afraid of competing with Ba Ghien or many other restaurants and how to differentiate themselves, the restaurant owner said: "I think each person has their own taste, each restaurant has its own way of doing things. I only know that when the rice and meat reaches the customer, it must always be hot and crispy.

I am also a consumer, so as a seller, I tell myself to put my heart into the food so that customers will remember it and feel it is worth the money they spend to enjoy it."

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/com-tam-ba-lia-mac-nhat-hoc-mon-sau-2-tieng-da-ngung-nhan-khach-2024061411055768.htm