Vegetarian restaurant near Vinh Nghiem pagoda exists for nearly half a century: Strange owner

The vegetarian restaurant near Vinh Nghiem Pagoda has existed for nearly half a century, serving generations of diners. The 'strange' thing about the owner surprises many people.

Opened in 1979, also on the occasion of the 15th day of the 7th lunar month with Vu Lan festival, the vegetarian restaurant of Mr. Le Ba Cuong's family located on Nam Ky Khoi Nghia street, next to Vinh Nghiem pagoda in Xuan Hoa ward, Ho Chi Minh City (old District 3) has existed for nearly 46 years.

From Mom's Vegetarian Restaurant

One afternoon, passing through the bustling Nam Ky Khoi Nghia street, I stopped by Mr. Cuong's vegetarian restaurant, right after it opened at 4 p.m. On the 15th day of the 7th lunar month, the restaurant, which is also the warm home of the owner's family, was busy welcoming diners from near and far, mainly regular customers who came to support him.

Mr. Cuong's vegetarian restaurant, opened in 1979, is a familiar place for many diners in Ho Chi Minh City.

PHOTO: CAO AN BIEN

The 60-year-old white-haired, "happily single" owner smiled brightly at the guests, then prepared the dishes. Mr. Cuong said that on normal days, he does everything by himself, but on vegetarian days when there are more customers, his family members will help. Even though he is alone, the speed at which the restaurant owner prepares the dishes must be called "super fast", because he has been so used to this job for decades.

Before 1975, this Chinese man's family was in the business of selling traditional Chinese medicine. After that, no one took over the family business. Pensive, the owner recalled the Vu Lan season of 1979, when his mother opened this small vegetarian restaurant to "test sell". At that time, he helped his mother sell the restaurant.

"My mother goes to the temple often and is a vegetarian, so she opened the shop to try. At first, she planned to sell it for a month to see how it went, but unexpectedly, people supported it so much that it kept selling. At that time, the shop was still here, the plastic tables and chairs were more affordable, and customers came to eat in large numbers, which was very fun," Mr. Cuong said.

The boss warmly welcomed the guests.

PHOTO: CAO AN BIEN

The vegetarian dishes at the restaurant are diverse and eye-catching.

PHOTO: CAO AN BIEN

In 2000, his mother suddenly passed away. His sister and he, as well as his siblings, inherited the restaurant and continued to maintain their mother's vegetarian restaurant since then. Working as a chef since 1990, for Mr. Cuong, cooking is not too difficult.

In 2010, Mr. Cuong went to work far away, leaving the restaurant to his sister to manage. After the Covid-19 pandemic, his sister suffered a stroke, and he continued to return to manage the family restaurant until now. According to the owner, this restaurant has been attached to his life like a special fate. Thanks to that fate, over the past 46 years, he and the restaurant have overcome events that at times seemed impossible to survive, to survive until today.

The "strange" thing about the boss

The vegetarian restaurant opens from 4pm to 9:30pm every day. However, according to the owner, the food is usually sold out by 8pm. The menu also changes depending on the day of the week, with dozens of different dishes.

Pho, vermicelli with spring rolls, pork skin rolls, mushroom porridge, Hue vermicelli, beef stew, wonton noodles, rice noodles, bamboo shoot noodles... are the extremely diverse dishes at the restaurant and are loved by many diners. Especially on the 30th, 1st, 14th and 15th of the lunar month, the restaurant also sells in the morning with vermicelli, stewed noodles and vermicelli with spring rolls.

The secret broth is cooked with charcoal, the sweetness is created entirely from vegetables and fruits.

PHOTO: CAO AN BIEN

The image of Mr. Cuong always going barefoot to serve customers has been too familiar for decades. However, to new customers, this is "strange".

"For decades, I've liked to go barefoot to serve customers in my shop. I'm used to it. I have a lot of shoes at home, but I only wear them when I go out. When I'm at the shop, I'm always barefoot. That's how I like to "cover the sky and step on the ground," the owner laughed heartily.

Mrs. Tam (65 years old) has been a customer of the restaurant since Mr. Cuong's mother was still operating, almost 30 years now. Every afternoon, she and her relatives come to the restaurant and order the familiar wonton noodle soup.

Many people are regular customers of this restaurant.

PHOTO: CAO AN BIEN

The customer said she herself is not a vegetarian, but at this vegetarian restaurant, the wonderful flavors and fresh ingredients made her satisfied. "The restaurant is near my house, and has been a familiar place for many years. Honestly, I have eaten at many vegetarian restaurants, but this one is the one that suits my taste the most," Ms. Tam commented.

Talking about the secret to cooking vegetarian food that makes many customers "fall in love", Mr. Cuong shared that the most important thing is to put your heart into the dish. Putting your heart into choosing ingredients, seasoning and even decoration will create a vegetarian dish that is not only beautiful and delicious but also good for your health.

The story of the words "house for sale"

In front of the restaurant there is a sign that says “house for sale,” written over a year ago. Mr. Cuong said that he planned to sell this house to divide it among his siblings, so that each of them could have their own lives.

As for the vegetarian restaurant, the owner shared that if there is enough chance, he might reopen the restaurant at a new location. Or maybe not. However, as long as he sells to customers, Mr. Cuong said he will be dedicated until the end of that day.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/quan-chay-gan-chua-vinh-nghiem-ton-tai-gan-nua-the-ky-ong-chu-la-doi-185250904184350922.htm