'Living should know enough'

The broken rice restaurant of Ms. Nguyen Thi Phuong Oanh's family (38 years old) has become a familiar address for many people in District 8 in particular as well as diners in Ho Chi Minh City for many years.

“No unique, no charge!”

Knowing that the restaurant opens at 11:30 and only stays open for about an hour, I tried to get there on time. Because if I arrived too late, many customers might have to go home hungry.

A plate of rice with ribs at Ms. Oanh's restaurant.

Oanh’s family restaurant is located in a small corner on Pham The Hien Street (Ward 1, District 8). The restaurant is divided into two areas, the outside is airy and the inside has an air-conditioned room, which is also the owner’s family’s house. When I arrived, I was surprised to see customers filling all the tables and constantly coming in and out to buy take-out.

Most of the customers who come here to eat are office workers and laborers. For 45,000 - 70,000 VND, customers can have a plate of rice with a very large piece of ribs. The restaurant also has a 35,000 VND portion with pork skin and sausage.

Mr. Tran Hai Thanh (58 years old, living in District 8) said that he has been a regular customer of this restaurant for more than 15 years, since the time when Mrs. Thang (the owner's biological mother) was still selling. Talking about the restaurant, he commented that "the only thing that is unique is that it doesn't charge". The ribs are marinated well, the dipping sauce is sweet and sour, which is why no matter where he eats, he cannot leave this broken rice restaurant.

The restaurant is located at 47 Pham The Hien Street (District 8, Ho Chi Minh City). Mr. Thien (left) and Ms. Oanh grill ribs, continuously while the youngest sister cooks for the guests.

Ribs are marinated according to a special recipe, rich in flavor and retain moisture.

“This restaurant has delicious ribs, rich in flavor, not dry. The ribs are very big. I come here every week, at least 2-3 days, at most every day. In general, I'm used to eating here, it's close to home so I stop by at noon after driving a motorbike taxi. But you have to eat here on time, watch the time to eat, if you come late, there might not be any left," he laughed happily.

As Mr. Thanh commented, I ordered a portion of egg ribs for 55,000 VND and felt that the ribs were the "soul" of this rice dish. The ribs served with fried eggs, pickles, and fish sauce were truly delicious. Many customers even "played big" and ordered another piece of ribs from the restaurant to satisfy their cravings. Personally, I rate the rice dish here 8.5/10, worthy of being the "favorite" restaurant of many customers.

[CLIP]: Strange broken rice shop sells in 1 hour in Ho Chi Minh City.

Why only sell for 1 hour?

Asked about the reason why the restaurant only operates for 1 hour at noon, Ms. Oanh said that this time frame has been operated by 3 siblings in her family for more than ten years, since their mother passed away in 2012. According to the owner, in 2002, her parents, who were both cooks, opened this restaurant to earn a living for the family.

The shop opens at noon.

At that time, the shop opened in the afternoon, around 2pm until sold out. Since the 3 siblings in the family inherited the shop, they have changed the opening hours to the current ones.

Many people say that if I sell, why don't I sell more? But I think selling for 1 hour is enough. You should know when to live! I say sell for 1 hour, but there are some days when sales are slow, so I sell a little longer!

Ms. Oanh, Owner

The three siblings each divided up their work. The second brother grilled the ribs, while Oanh was in charge of the overall work, sometimes helping him grill, sometimes going to the food counter to help her youngest sister sell. Besides, the restaurant also had a few helpers, all of whom were cousins.

Huge plate of rice and ribs at the restaurant.

Inheriting the restaurant and the broken rice recipe from their parents is the happiness and pride of the three siblings in Ms. Oanh's family. Mr. Nguyen Chi Thien (40 years old) - the eldest brother in the family said that the restaurant is the memory of his siblings with their parents, the days when they were young and came home from school to help the family. Thanks to this restaurant, their parents raised them to have the life they have today.

Every day, without anyone telling anyone, everyone tries to do their part well to maintain the restaurant that has been open for more than 2 decades, also to not let down their parents and the customers who have supported the restaurant for all that time...

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/quan-com-tam-o-tphcm-ban-chi-1-tieng-cua-3-anh-em-ruot-song-thi-nen-biet-du-185230720134023267.htm