A snack in Hanoi's Old Quarter is shaped like a mushroom growing on the ground, attracting many curious young people to enjoy it.
Opened for nearly two years, the milk tea shop of Ms. Thu Huyen, 33 years old, on Hang Vai Street, Hoan Kiem District, attracts customers with some popular snacks such as milo ice cream, flower-shaped skewers, and Yunnan grilled milk tea.
A week ago, the shop opened selling mushroom cacao (milo mushroom) and quickly attracted customers because of its unique appearance, resembling a mushroom growing from the ground.
When looking at some pictures of mushrooms on the Internet, Ms. Huyen came up with the idea of combining them with the shop's best-selling cocoa dish to make a "cute snack".
Cacao mushrooms are contained in a bamboo steamer, about 15 cm in diameter. The bottom of the steamer is lined with a layer of cellophane to help keep it clean.
In the first step, the staff makes shaved ice, lines it at the bottom of the steamer, then spreads a layer of condensed milk on top to sweeten the dish.
Cocoa powder is the main ingredient in this snack. In each steamer, the staff puts two packets of mixed cocoa powder, about 40 grams, then uses a spoon to spread evenly on the surface of the ivory-white condensed milk layer.
The final layer of dough to complete the surface is made from ice cream sandwich cookies. After using a knife to remove the cream in the middle, the staff put the black cookie shells into a blender to make a powder. The base is completed with 4 layers of shaved ice, condensed milk, cocoa powder and cookie dough.
The final step is to shape the mushroom. The mushroom is made up of two puddings of different textures, shapes and colors.
The stem is white, cylindrical, and flares out at the bottom. The stem is denser than the cap so that the mushroom stands firmly.
The brown mushroom cap is also pudding but has a looser texture than the stem. Both the stem and cap are shaped in a silicone mold for easy removal and to keep their shape.
The mushroom stem and cap are attached to each other by a small bamboo skewer about 7 cm long. The attachment process requires skill because the pudding is a soft jelly that can easily fall off and break, Ms. Huyen said.
With its shape resembling a mushroom growing from the ground, mushroom cocoa attracts the curiosity of many diners. Many people are interested in ordering to try it and taking pictures to share on social networks, attracting many other diners to come. Diners also like to use a spoon to tap the mushroom cap, watching the mushroom "shake" without falling over.
Seeing the new dish on social media, Diem Quynh, 21, and Minh Tuan, 20, came to the restaurant on February 13 and had to wait an hour to enjoy the mushroom milo. According to Quynh, the plus point of the dish lies in its "funny" appearance and affordable price, 35,000 VND per portion.
"As soon as you cut it, the pudding rolls down, the crumbs stick to it, it's both soft and crunchy, quite enjoyable to eat," Quynh said. However, the dish is sweet and gets boring quickly. Quynh recommends that if you go with two people, you should order one portion and can order water or fruit tea to go with it.
On average, Huyen's shop sells about 300 - 400 chocolate mushroom puddings a day. Due to the loose texture of the pudding, the shop only sells on-site, not online.
The restaurant only has outdoor space, can arrange about 6 tables, and welcomes about 30 guests at the same time.
The shop opens from 9am to midnight, with 4 staff members, 2 of whom are in charge of making mushroom cocoa at the counter and 2 of whom are cooking milk tea on a charcoal stove in front of the shop.
As a popular snack, many customers have to wait quite a long time to be served. According to Ms. Huyen, the jelly trays used to make the mushrooms take about 4-6 hours to freeze. When customers order, the staff will start to shave the ice and mix the powder because if prepared in advance, the bottom layer of shaved ice will melt, not ensuring the flavor of the dish.
The restaurant does not have a fixed place to park motorbikes. Customers can park their motorbikes at some houses about 10 meters away from the restaurant for 5,000 VND per motorbike.
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