Going to Australia for 6 months, selling for 6 months because of pity for customers

The owner sells for… joy

For many people in Ho Chi Minh City, broken rice is an indispensable part of this city. In addition to its unique flavor, the hospitality and generosity of the restaurant owner also makes diners fall in love with this dish.

Broken rice restaurant No. 1 Nguyen Trai (Ben Thanh Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City) with more than 50 years of history is one of them. The lovely owner is Mrs. Lan (67 years old).

Mrs. Lan always smiles when guests come.

orchid

At noon, the broken rice restaurant was packed with people. Among the customers I visited, I recognized a few famous people such as People's Artist Viet Anh, Meritorious Artist Thanh Loc, etc. A woman took off her mask and asked Ms. Lan: "Do you remember me? Thao used to live on the other side of the street and often came to eat at your restaurant." Ms. Lan shook hands and happily recognized her old acquaintances and invited them to sit at the table. It turned out that the woman who used to visit the restaurant often moved to another place for a long time.

Even though she is nearly 70, she still sells rice and runs the restaurant herself.

orchid

Although Ms. Lan is in her 70s, she still sells rice and manages everything in the restaurant herself. She always smiles and chats happily with customers whenever they come. She said she just reopened the restaurant in early September. Before that, she went to Australia to visit her daughter, but the Covid-19 outbreak left her stranded until now.

The sausage is pre-cut into even pieces.

orchid

“My children are abroad, so I stay home and sell rice for fun. During the pandemic, I had to take a long break and now I’m selling again. I went to visit my grandchild and my child refused to let me go home. I’m old, so I can’t book a plane ticket to go home, so I had to act grumpy to go home. When I come back, I sell rice again, mainly to make customers happy. Some people said they waited for me for a long time, so when I come back, they had to stop by to eat broken rice,” Ms. Lan shared.

While serving rice to customers, the owner recalled memories of the restaurant that had been with her all her life. She said that in the year of Mau Than (1968), her mother started selling rice.

Thinly sliced lean meat served with broken rice

orchid

In the past, her mother was still "backward" when she only had a pair of shoulder poles full of rice, pork skin, eggs, etc. Every day, she helped her mother sell in the morning and went to school in the afternoon. Thanks to that, her mother taught her the way of doing things and her own secrets little by little.

After the country was unified, she finished school and didn’t know what to do, so she decided to follow her mother’s footsteps and stick with the broken rice restaurant. Half her life had passed, and the broken rice restaurant coincidentally happened to be at house number 1, so everyone labeled it as the number 1 broken rice restaurant. Since then, it has been famous far and wide, and has been supported by everyone until now.

Broken rice with pork skin and grilled pork is a dish that many people order when they visit the restaurant.

orchid

“I am old now, and my daughter is abroad. She does not let me sell and keeps saying, “Why do you keep selling?” but I cannot stand it when I stay home and do nothing. The greatest joy is meeting customers, very important customers. I remember each and every one of my regular customers, even the food they eat. Customers come here and eat until they are full,” said Ms. Lan.

Talking about the anecdote that customers gave her: 6 months selling, 6 months going abroad, Ms. Lan laughed and explained that it was not true, she only occasionally went to Australia to visit her daughter's family. Since 2020, the Covid-19 epidemic appeared, she went to Australia and was "stuck", moreover, her daughter was afraid that she would have a hard time selling so she did not agree to let her return to Vietnam. Since the beginning of September 2022, she has reopened the shop. Every time she goes abroad, she usually stops selling and stays to visit her children and grandchildren for a few weeks.

Irresistible delicious broken rice!

Mrs. Lan's broken rice dish mainly consists of pork skin, sausage, ribs, fried egg and side dishes such as meatballs, braised eggs, and Chinese sausage. I ordered a portion of rice with pork skin, sausage, served with ribs and shredded lean meat.

Mrs. Lan's broken rice restaurant has been open for a long time.

orchid

The meatloaf is soft, the ribs are marinated just right, grilled not too dry and still have a smoky smell. Unlike many other restaurants, the broken rice here is mixed with shredded lean meat and pork skin. Drizzle with fish sauce and a little scallion oil, I am sure that even the most fastidious people will nod in agreement with the broken rice here.

In addition, the restaurant also has taro soup, bitter melon, and watercress for diners to eat with. Mrs. Lan sells it for 50,000 - 80,000 VND/portion.

Each portion costs from 50,000 - 80,000 VND depending on the dish.

orchid

The restaurant at No. 1 Nguyen Trai opens from 6am to 12pm. Although she is happy, she admits that it is quite hard work because she is no longer as young as she used to be. Every day, she wakes up at 2:30am, prepares ingredients, stands to sell and sets up the stall until 3pm before she can rest. She hires about 10 people to work with her, helping with serving and welcoming customers.

Customers who regularly visit and support the shop are Mrs. Lan's joy.

orchid

“I know how to take care of my health. After preparing the ingredients at around 5am, I go up to do yoga and then go downstairs to sell. I don’t eat starch, I only eat vegetables, and I still maintain this habit when I live abroad with my children. At this age, I want nothing more than to be healthy to continue serving customers,” she confided.

Meatballs are also sold with broken rice.

orchid

At 11am, Ms. Le Thi Kim Hoang (56 years old) stopped by a broken rice shop to buy 3 portions to take home. According to her, the best dish at the shop is broken rice with pork skin and grilled pork, so she often chooses this dish.

The broken rice restaurant is crowded at lunch time.

orchid

“This restaurant has been around for decades. Before I got married, I worked here all the time. After that, I quit when I had a family, but when I had a chance, I would come back here to eat. This restaurant is not open for business, but when it does, it is crowded. The food is delicious, so the price is a bit higher, which is understandable,” said Ms. Hoang.

Although there were many customers, people did not have to wait long.

orchid

Mrs. Thao (60 years old) and her family stopped by the broken rice restaurant for lunch. She said that although she moved away from the restaurant a long time ago, every time it was convenient or she had a chance, she still stopped by to eat because she missed the taste of broken rice here.

Mrs. Thao is a regular customer of the restaurant, having eaten here for decades.

orchid

“I have been a regular customer here for decades. Sometimes the owner doesn’t remember my real name because there are many people in my family eating here. The broken rice here is delicious, my favorites are the ribs, pork skin, and sausage,” she said.

Source link