Customers shocked by... 'super big pig's feet'

The story behind this popular noodle shop is warm and family-friendly, having been passed down through two generations.

Raised 5 sisters

After 11am, this noodle shop in Phu Lam A residential area (District 6) just started to open to welcome customers and that was also the time I went there. Even though it was the middle of the week, as soon as it opened, customers continuously came to eat and buy take-away as if they were too familiar with the time here.

The pork leg noodle soup restaurant in Phu Lam A residential area (District 6) is known by many diners.

Inside this warm family restaurant, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Kim Thoa (59 years old) and her sisters and children are busy preparing dishes to bring out hot bowls of noodle soup to customers early, so no one has to wait long.

Ms. Thoa confided that her parents started this noodle shop in 1972, also in the Phu Lam residential area, to make a living. At first, it was just a small noodle stall that her parents carried everywhere, cooking with charcoal. Because of the delicious taste of the noodle, it was loved by many people and the number of customers increased day by day.

"At that time, I was still very young, and I still remember the image of my parents carrying rice noodles to sell on the street to support my sisters. I was the second oldest sister in the family, so I often helped my parents sell rice noodles. Thanks to this rice noodle stall, we have today's rice noodle shop and our five sisters were raised by our parents," the woman recounted.

Later, when business was good, Ms. Thoa's family opened a restaurant in this area to welcome customers more conveniently and thoughtfully. It is thanks to the support of customers that the restaurant exists until today.

The restaurant was inherited by Ms. Thoa's sisters (right) from their parents.

Customers keep coming to support

Mrs. Thoa said that currently, out of her 5 sisters, 2 have settled in Australia, only 3 sisters accompany their parents to continue selling this noodle shop. After 2 generations, the taste of the noodle shop has not changed because her sisters have learned from their parents how to cook to suit the taste of customers.

Looking at Mrs. Nguyen Thi Kim Dung (53 years old), Mrs. Thoa's fourth sister, standing at the kitchen counter cooking, the older sister said that Mrs. Dung was the first to inherit her parents' restaurant. Mrs. Thoa lived in Germany for a while, then came back to sell this restaurant with her siblings, almost 30 years ago.

Why are there so many customers?

During the last days of the year, while many shops are "slow to sell", Mrs. Thoa's family's noodle shop is always crowded, which surprised me a bit. The owner said that this time of year has more customers than usual. Selling from 11am to 8:30pm every day, the woman said that the most customers come in the late afternoon.

Here, each portion of banh canh costs between 50,000 and 60,000 VND depending on the customer's needs. The special feature here is the slightly cloudy broth with a rich flavor. Although selling many different types of banh canh, the restaurant is famous for its banh canh with pork leg, lean ham and tendon ham.

[CLIP]: Half a century of Banh Canh by 3 sisters in Ho Chi Minh City

Mr. Le Khiem (34 years old, living in District 8) said that since he moved to work near Phu Lam A residential area, he accidentally learned about the restaurant through a colleague's recommendation and often stopped by to eat. He has been a customer for nearly 3 years now.

"I still remember the first time I came here to eat and ordered a portion of lean ham. The restaurant brought out a bowl of noodles with a super large portion of ham that almost finished the bowl, so I was a bit shocked. When I asked, I found out that this is the style here. I had a super filling lunch, even though the price was higher than other restaurants, the quality was worth it," the customer shared.

Another customer said he has been eating here since his school days, and has been working for many years now but still likes the taste of the noodles here so he often comes back. According to him, the noodles here are soft, chewy but "not industrial" like the restaurants he used to eat at, which makes him feel satisfied.

In addition, the rich and flavorful broth and the quiet residential area make him feel at peace every time he comes to the restaurant to enjoy. For the customer, the noodle shop is not only a restaurant, but also a memory of his childhood.

The price of the noodles here ranges from 50,000 - 60,000 VND depending on the type. The restaurant is famous for its noodles with "huge" sized pork legs.

Mrs. Thoa’s happiness every day is to work with her sisters to bring the hearty meals from their parents’ generation to diners from near and far who have come to support them for many years. They will sell until they no longer have the strength to do so…

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/banh-canh-nua-the-ky-cua-3-chi-em-o-tphcm-khach-soc-vi-gio-heo-sieu-to-185241226161919764.htm