Crowded with customers at 'strange times', the single owner is funny

Nestled in a small alley on Nguyen Huu Hao Street, the noodle shop of Aunt Mai (real name Nguyen Thi Mai, 67 years old) - a woman who claims to be single and cheerful - is still a familiar place for many diners who love this dish in Ho Chi Minh City.

"Aunt Mai likes it so she sells it!"

Early in the afternoon, I went to Aunt Mai's noodle shop. The shop was small with a few tables and a few chairs, and was full of customers. Looking at the steady flow of customers coming and going, Aunt Mai warmly introduced that although the shop was open from 8am to 4pm, noon was the busiest time.

Aunt Mai's noodle shop is located in an alley on Nguyen Huu Hao Street (District 4, Ho Chi Minh City).

[CLIP]: Aunt Mai's noodle shop has been around for over 3 decades in Ho Chi Minh City.

Small noodle stall, but has captivated diners for decades.

Aunt Mai and three other women, each with their own task, were busy preparing food to bring out to the customers as soon as possible, so that no one had to wait long. A regular customer came to eat, and when he saw me asking the owner, he smiled and said: “This restaurant is full of ladies, no men. There are no women!”. Hearing that, everyone in the restaurant and I burst out laughing.

There are people who ate at my restaurant when they were young, then grew up, got married, and had children, and brought their wives and children to eat there. They said they were addicted to the taste of Aunt Mai's noodles, so they had to come back, they couldn't stop. Hearing customers say that, I was both happy and touched, and it was also the motivation for my sisters and I to be able to sell this restaurant as long as possible.

Aunt Mai, Owner of the noodle shop

Aunt Mai introduced that the shop was opened more than 30 years ago, when she was over 30. Among countless jobs, the owner chose to sell this dish simply because: "Aunt Mai likes it, so Aunt Mai sells it!", there is no special reason.

Aunt Mai blanchs the noodles before putting them in the bowl.

“Thanks to this restaurant, you must have raised your children to be good people, right?” I asked, Aunt Mai replied: “Yes! I have raised many children!” The restaurant owner with a kind smile just finished speaking and quickly explained that she was just teasing me.

Actually, Aunt Mai lives alone, has no children, and together with her youngest sister and two female assistants, they have been running this shop for nearly a dozen years. Everyone here considers each other as a family, helping each other with business and making a living.

The dry noodle soup that customers love at the restaurant is meticulously made by Aunt Mai.

The happiness of Aunt Mai and the other ladies working at the restaurant here is preparing dishes together every day, making the most dedicated meals for their customers.

“Some people ate at my restaurant when they were young, then grew up, got married, and had children, and brought their wives and children to eat there. They said they were addicted to the taste of Aunt Mai's noodles, so they had to come back and couldn't stop. Hearing customers say that, I was both happy and moved, and it was also the motivation for my sisters and I to be able to sell this restaurant as long as possible," Aunt Mai expressed.

From 3,000 VND, now 30,000 VND/bowl

When this restaurant first opened, Aunt Mai sold for about 3,000 VND/bowl, if I remember correctly. But at that time, business was quite difficult because the restaurant had just opened and did not have many regular customers yet.

Each portion of noodles at the restaurant costs from 30,000 - 50,000 VND/portion.

The food is delicious and filling enough for a day's work.

Gradually, the profession taught, the dishes she cooked became more and more suitable to customers' tastes thanks to her ability to listen to opinions and make changes. The restaurant also had its own loyal customers, and they have been with her for decades.

The restaurant currently sells noodles at a price ranging from 30,000 to 50,000 VND per bowl, depending on the customer's needs. When a customer orders, Aunt Mai quickly takes a portion of noodles or vermicelli, and sometimes both, and blanches them in boiling water to soften the noodles.

Then, she puts it in a bowl, adding more ingredients such as chicken, chicken skin, chicken gizzards, pork... according to the customer's request. Don't forget to add green onions and fried onions before pouring a ladle of hot, rich broth.

The broth is rich.

If customers choose to eat dry, the restaurant also has a special sauce made by the aunt herself. Customers eat the noodles with a pre-mixed dipping sauce to balance the somewhat "bland" flavor of the noodles.

In the hot noon heat of Ho Chi Minh City, I was sweating and eating a bowl of Aunt Mai's hot noodles was a truly "strange" experience. The noodles were chewy, the chicken, gizzards, chicken skin... were all chewy, the meat was not mushy and the broth was rich. The dish deserved an 8/10 from me and I would definitely come back to eat it when I have the chance, but maybe on a cool day or in the afternoon.

A regular customer "addicted" to noodles at Aunt Mai's restaurant.

Aunt Mai said she will sell until she can no longer sell.

Ms. Thuy (52 years old, living in District 4) has been a regular customer of the restaurant for many years and also said that she loves the noodles here because of the owner's "indulgence" of customers. Every time she comes here, she only orders chicken skin noodles because this is her favorite dish.

“I only eat the skin, but everyone here accepts it. The broth is delicious and rich, and I really like the chewy noodles. I have to come here 2-3 times a week, sometimes more, because the price is reasonable and the food is delicious. The dish is a bit bland, so I have to add a little more or dip it in a dipping sauce to balance it out," the customer commented.

The pre-mixed dipping sauce balances out the somewhat "bland" flavor in the noodle bowl.

Customers come and go, mostly ordinary workers in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City. Aunt Mai's bowl of noodles fills the stomachs and warms the hearts of countless diners in the middle of a sunny or rainy afternoon...

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/quan-hu-tieu-tphcm-chi-toan-phu-nu-dong-khach-gio-la-ba-chu-doc-than-vui-tinh-185230607154149869.htm