Not too unfamiliar, that is the broken rice restaurant of aunt Bay's sisters (58 years old), located in front of an alley on Nguyen Tri Phuong street (District 10), a familiar destination for many "night owls" in Ho Chi Minh City.
"A 200,000 VND plate of rice also has..."
It was getting dark when Aunt Bay's broken rice shop turned on the lights. The food counter was arranged in an attractive shape, the smell of grilled ribs wafted out, making the nose full of aroma. The restaurant had just opened, but it was already regularly visited by customers.
Broken rice with pork ribs, pork skin and ham costs 125,000 VND at the restaurant.
I noticed that many people came here and chose the broken rice with pork ribs dish for 115,000 VND. Many people also ordered pork skin and sausage to eat with it, so the price of each plate of rice was 125,000 VND, which surprised me a bit. Because the customers happily ate and no one complained about the high price.
“Here, the prices vary. From a 35,000 VND portion to a 200,000 VND portion, we can satisfy all customers,” said the cousin who helps sell at Aunt Bay’s restaurant, smiling.
Aunt Bay stood at the counter, her hands quickly making rice dishes according to the customers' requests, as if she had been familiar with this job for a long time. The woman said that she had to work quickly, because she had been attached to this job for nearly ten years.
My aunt told me that back then, her mother also sold broken rice. Later, she passed the job on to her two sisters. This restaurant has been around for more than 15 years, and it has been open at the same place without changing. The restaurant is called Com Tam Tai, after my aunt's older sister, who is now over 60 years old.
Aunt Bay and her sister sell at the shop.
[CLIP]: Broken rice at night in Ho Chi Minh City 115,000 VND/portion, sold until 3am.
While busy cooking, Aunt Bay confided that her sister would come to the restaurant later, after finishing all the housework. Just like that, her sisters and relatives, the employees, sold broken rice and this job has become the bowl of rice to feed the family over the years.
Curious, I asked about the price of the 115,000 VND rice dish: "With that price, why are there so many customers eating this dish?". The owner smiled gently, confiding that you get what you pay for, it is not by chance that the restaurant sells the rice dish at this price. The quality ribs, marinated and grilled according to the restaurant's own recipe, are the "key" and also the secret to making customers happy to pay that price.
The restaurant for "night owls"
Curious, I ordered a full portion of rice with ribs, pork skin, and sausage to enjoy. And really, the owner was not exaggerating, as the ribs here were marinated to the right taste, rich in flavor, and kept soft. Eaten with pork skin, sausage, pickles, and sweet and sour dipping sauce, the broken rice portion deservedly scored 8.5/10.
Mr. The Hao (34 years old, living in District 10) said he has been a regular customer here for 4 years, since moving house. Because he lives near the shop, he usually comes here 2-3 times a week in the evening.
The customer said that besides the broken rice with ribs priced at 115,000 VND, he also liked the grilled ribs at a cheaper price at the restaurant, which were also marinated just as well. "This restaurant is really delicious, I feel like the money I spent is worth it, not expensive. If it was expensive, the restaurant wouldn't be so crowded. The restaurant is even more crowded at night," the customer commented, looking around the restaurant.
The ribs here are marinated well.
Ms. Lan Anh said that although she doesn’t often visit the restaurant because her house is in Go Vap District, every time she has a chance to go to District 10 for work, she stops by to eat or buy take-out. What she likes most here is the taste and quality of the food, so she is willing to spend more than 100,000 VND to enjoy her favorite dishes.
Aunt Bay said that customers who eat after 1am the next morning are usually people who come home late at night or people with special jobs that require them to start a new day early. Despite the strange opening hours, the restaurant still has regular customers, so the owner decided to maintain these opening hours throughout the years.
“It’s tiring, but I’m used to selling at this time. When there are many customers, complimenting the food and being satisfied, I feel happy,” Aunt Bay confided with a smile. Every night, Aunt Bay’s restaurant is still lit up, welcoming customers until dawn the next day…
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