Ba Am's Bun Thang dish made the world-famous billionaire eat 2 bowls in a row

(Dan Tri) – After enjoying 2 bowls of bun thang and 2 cups of iced black coffee in Hanoi, famous billionaire Jensen Huang exclaimed: "I have traveled all over the world but have never had such a delicious breakfast."

On the morning of February 27, 2019, many diners came to 37 Cua Nam to enjoy the famous Ba Am vermicelli soup but had to regretfully leave because the shop was temporarily closed that day.

At the same time, in the food court of the International Press Center of the US-North Korea Summit (located at the Vietnam-Soviet Friendship Cultural Palace), Mr. Doan Van Lai, the shop owner, was nimbly slicing meat and pouring broth.

In front of him was a colorful table with golden egg strands, green scallions, shredded chicken with shiny fat, bright red chili and full of spices... The characteristic aroma of Bun thang spread throughout the space, making the line of people waiting for their turn to receive a hot bowl of noodles grow longer and longer.

“My counter is four times larger than other counters, 15 people are always on hand but still can’t serve enough. There are reporters who come here for four days but eat up to eight meals and each time they praise the food,” the shop owner recalls the memory of serving his family’s food to 3,500 international and domestic reporters at the US-North Korea Summit.

Mr. Doan Van Lai is the third generation descendant of Ba Am's vermicelli soup.

At that time, Vietnam became the center of attention of the whole world – the place where the meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean President Kim Jong-un took place. Many reporters from a series of major international news agencies “flocked” to the Vietnam-Soviet Friendship Cultural Palace to report on this important event.

To welcome 3,500 reporters, the Hanoi People's Committee coordinated with departments and branches to prepare free shuttle buses and arrange food stalls for reporters to experience and feel the country, people and culture of Vietnam.

Famous dishes of Hanoi such as: Pho Thin, Miss Lan's banh khuc, bun cha, Giang egg coffee, West Lake lotus sweet soup, Ba Am's bun thang... are selected to introduce to international guests.

The third generation descendant of Ba Am's bun thang said that the day before, he received a call from a representative of the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports about participating in a traditional food stall at the press center.

Because of the urgency, Mr. Lai mobilized all of his family's 20 staff to prepare. Five people stayed at home to prepare the ingredients and took turns transporting the broth to the press center. The remaining dozen people were present at the booth from early morning to late afternoon.

Many international reporters were surprised when they first tasted this dish, which is as beautiful as a five-color flower and has the sweetness of bones, the aroma of shrimp, and is served with chicken, pickled radish, onions, and Vietnamese coriander.

Some people ate two bowls in a row and called their colleagues to come enjoy it. Many guests were curious about the name of the dish, read the word “thang” out loud and gave compliments to the owner.

They stood for a long time in front of the beautifully decorated counter like a colorful feast, attentively watching the chef's presentation. Many people praised Ba Am's bun thang, even calling the bowl of noodles "the ultimate bun thang".

To help international reporters understand more about his family's traditional dish, Mr. Lai printed introductions about Ba Am's vermicelli soup in English, Vietnamese and Japanese and placed them at the booth.

During the two days of the US-North Korea Summit, he estimated that he served nearly 3,000 bowls of bun thang. The dish, which was prepared as a side dish, became the main meal chosen by international guests.

Many international television stations have not missed the opportunity to record footage of the beautiful and sophisticated dishes of Hanoi people.

Mr. Doan Van Lai received a certificate of merit from the Hanoi People's Committee for his participation in serving at the US-North Korea Summit.

Not only present in important international events held in Vietnam, Ba Am's bun thang also conquers gourmets such as billionaires and many international tourists.

One morning in 2023, Mr. Lai received a call to reserve a table for 12 guests. Through the brief phone call, he only learned that the group was an international group.

30 minutes later, the neighborhood security was tightened. A convoy of 3-4 cars parked in front of the store. A customer wearing a leather jacket and glasses stepped out of the luxury car.

The store owner was surprised to see Taiwanese-American billionaire Jensen Huang, the 11th richest person in the world and CEO of Nvidia (a chip company worth up to 1,000 billion USD), whom he had only seen on TV or in newspapers.

Billionaire Jensen Huang enjoyed taking pictures of the ingredients of the bun thang dish and took a souvenir photo with Mr. Lai.

A member of the delegation said that Mr. Jensen Huang was on a business trip to promote cooperation activities to promote the semiconductor industry in Vietnam. After the meeting ended early in the morning, knowing that the billionaire had not had breakfast, the Vietnamese representative suggested that he enjoy Bun Thang.

“That day, the group booked a table on the second floor, but when they arrived, the billionaire chose to sit on the first floor, right next to the noodle counter. He even went to the counter, observed carefully and used his phone to take pictures of the ingredients that make up the noodle dish.

After enjoying 2 bowls of noodles and 2 cups of iced black coffee from the restaurant, he exclaimed: "I have traveled all over the world but have never had such a delicious breakfast. That saying will always be in my mind," Mr. Doan Van Lai shared with Dan Tri reporter.

The owner of Ba Am Bun Thang restaurant said he was impressed by the billionaire’s simple and open style. When he learned that he was the third generation descendant of the quintessential dish he had just enjoyed, billionaire Jensen Huang even took the initiative to take a souvenir photo.

Previously, in 2016, Mr. Lai spent a lot of time preparing to welcome US President Barack Obama when he visited Vietnam. However, the event had to be canceled at the last minute due to changes in President Obama's schedule.

“About 10 days before Mr. Obama arrived in Vietnam, a representative of the Hanoi Party Committee called me to inform me that they planned to choose bun thang for the US President to enjoy dinner. Security forces came to check the store, and American chef Anthony Bourdain also came to discuss. The menu chosen was 1 bowl of bun thang, 1 chicken sticky rice and 1 bottle of Hanoi beer,” Mr. Lai recalled.

On the afternoon of May 23, 2016, security forces arrived early at the store. However, he later received news that the afternoon event had lasted longer than expected, so the schedule had changed. Mr. Lai could not help but regret missing the opportunity to introduce Hanoi bun thang to the US President.

Over the years, Ba Am's bun thang dish still retains its traditional flavor.

Bun thang is cooked according to the family secret recipe of Mr. Doan Van Lai, and has retained its traditional flavor for hundreds of years.

Mr. Lai said that in 1888, his grandmother, Le Thi Tho (also known as Mrs. Le Thi Hai), opened a bun thang stall on Cho Gao Street. Mrs. Tho's bun thang stall was also one of the first stalls at the old Dong Xuan Market.

After that, Mrs. Le Thi Tho passed on the bun thang stall to her daughter, Mrs. Dam Thi Am - Mr. Lai's mother. Among Mrs. Am's 10 children, Mr. Lai showed his passion for cooking from a young age, so his mother trusted him to pass on the secret to making bun thang with its "old-fashioned" flavor and aroma.

Since he was 10 years old, he helped his mother fry eggs and cut them into thin strips. While the other people in the family were only responsible for lighting the stove, simmering bones, picking vegetables, etc., he did everything.

When his mother took a nap or went out for a while and had guests, little Lai could arrange the noodles with the broth and present a complete bowl of noodles.

Bun thang has many sophisticated ingredients.

Remembering the days when he helped his mother sell bun thang at Dong Xuan market, the old man could not help but feel emotional.

“Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Tran Duy Hung really likes my bun thang. Like many others, he always waits in line for his turn. He is tall and thin, usually wears white glasses and a big shirt. Every time he comes, he calls out: “Miss Am, like always!”

Once, when I hadn't seen him for a long time, my mother prepared a bowl of noodles and put it in a lunch box for me to bring to his workplace," Mr. Doan Van Lai recalled.

Back then, the stall of the mother and son was just a bamboo bed with a few wooden benches. However, every day, customers were bustling from morning to noon. Many people still jokingly said, “If you haven’t eaten Miss Am’s bun thang, you’re not a native of the capital.”

Even the writer Bang Son in one of his articles described the restaurant's popularity: "There are couples who, when they were young, came here to eat bun thang. When they had children and grandchildren, their heads were already filled with smoke and mist, but they still followed the custom and went to Dong Xuan market to find Mrs. Am's bun thang."

Bun thang is an unforgettable memory for many people living far away from home. When Mr. Lai reopened his shop in Cua Nam, he welcomed many overseas Vietnamese guests.

“There was an old man over 80 years old, who had lived abroad for 30 years and returned to Dong Xuan market to find Ms. Am. Following the advice of people in the market, he walked from Dong Xuan to Cua Nam and ordered a special bowl of bun thang. After finishing the meal, the satisfied customer shared that he had found the taste of bun thang that he had “missed” for many years living abroad,” Mr. Lai shared.

Bun thang served with pickled radish is prepared according to a traditional recipe.

Through many changes and the proliferation of many industrial spices, Mr. Lai’s family still maintains the traditional way of cooking Bun Thang. According to Mr. Lai, his passion and love for this quintessential dish has helped him preserve its wonderful flavor.

Bun thang is special from its name to the way it is prepared. The reason it is called bun thang is because the word “thang” refers to many ingredients combined in a bowl of noodles like a traditional medicine. Some researchers also believe that the word “thang” in Chinese means soup, and “bun thang” means “noodles served with soup”.

Therefore, an important ingredient that determines the deliciousness and clarity of Bun thang is the broth. The broth is the soul of Bun thang, simmered from pork and chicken bones. In addition, Bun thang has up to 12 ingredients, chicken ordered specifically from the farm, plump Thanh Hoa shrimp grade 1 that has been dried, fresh herbs of the day, specialty shiitake mushrooms, Hanoi pork roll...

The meticulousness and ingenuity from the family's secret recipe makes the broth of Ba Am's vermicelli soup clear and golden like honey, sweet, not fishy but with a faint scent of shiitake mushrooms and characteristic dried shrimp.

When it comes to the diners, the bowl of noodles is beautifully decorated like a flower, with a little shrimp paste and water bugs added. Traditional noodles are served with pickled radish, onions, dill, and chopped coriander.

According to Mr. Lai, traditional bun thang is elaborate and complicated to prepare, so it is not as popular as regular dishes. The chef must be careful in every step, from choosing ingredients, preparing to presenting.

Bun thang business is costly, requires meticulousness and the need to preserve the secret to ensure the traditional taste, without chasing after profit, which is an obstacle that prevents Mr. Lai from promoting bun thang more widely.

“There are many parties who want to cooperate to open a bun thang restaurant abroad, in central areas. I really want this dish to reach a large number of diners, but because I still have difficulty in controlling the quality, I have not cooperated with anyone. Currently, I still personally stand in the kitchen every day to cook the broth, prepare the ingredients…”, Mr. Lai said.

Mr. Lai serves bun thang in his restaurant, which is open all day to serve customers from far away.

Previously, the restaurant only served bun thang for breakfast. However, realizing the increasing demand from customers, especially tourists and foreigners, Mr. Lai decided to open the restaurant all day.

Coming to the shop, in addition to Bun Thang, diners also have the opportunity to enjoy many other delicious dishes of Hanoi. The spacious space of the restaurant is decorated in a simple, cozy style, suitable for enjoying traditional dishes and feeling the beauty of the thousand-year-old capital.

Photo: Nguyen Ha Nam, Character provided

Dantri.com.vn

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/du-lich/mon-bun-thang-ba-am-khien-vi-ty-phu-noi-tieng-the-gioi-an-lien-2-bat-20241016145522147.htm