3-generation family-run restaurant attracts customers in HCMC, 'sold out' more than 400 servings each night

No signboard, nestled on the sidewalk, the 3-generation rib rice restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City attracts a large number of diners, selling out half a quintal of ribs every night.

At the end of the day, the small sidewalk restaurant of Mr. Phong and Mrs. Thanh is crowded with customers coming to choose their dishes. Photo: Ha Nguyen

3 generation restaurant

At the end of the day, the sidewalk of Co Giang Street (District 1, Ho Chi Minh City) opposite Nhon Hoa Temple is crowded again. They stop by the unsigned rib rice restaurant of Mr. Tran Tan Phong (54 years old) and Mrs. Nguyen Ngoc Thanh (53 years old).

Small restaurant, neatly located on the sidewalk. Familiar dishes such as: Grilled ribs, fried eggs, egg rolls, salted egg meatballs, lemongrass fried chicken, lemongrass fried tofu, braised pork with eggs, Chinese sausage... are arranged on clean stainless steel trays.

Dishes are arranged on clean, shiny stainless steel trays. Photo: Ha Nguyen

Standing next to the restaurant, Mr. Phong quickly flipped the pork ribs being grilled on the red charcoal stove, the aroma wafting across the street corner. As the afternoon wore on, more and more diners came to the restaurant.

On the other side of the street, the number of diners gradually increased, continuously ordering food. The restaurant's 5 staff were busy preparing food for the guests without a break.

Ms. Thanh said the restaurant has been around since her grandmother's time. Initially, the restaurant only sold broken rice at night. During Ms. Thanh's mother's time, the restaurant added some new dishes. However, it wasn't until Ms. Thanh took over that the restaurant had as many dishes as it does now.

Ms. Thanh said the restaurant has been around since her grandmother's time. Photo: Ha Nguyen

Years ago, the couple sold rice on Co Bac Street (District 1, HCMC). Here, the restaurant was famous for its fragrant, tender, and juicy grilled ribs. At that time, they sold nearly 100kg of ribs each night.

Later, when the premises were taken back, they moved to sell on the sidewalk of Co Giang Street. It didn't take them long to regain customers and quickly became one of the most popular nighttime rib rice restaurants.

Here, the grilled ribs are delicious, tender and sweet. Photo: Ha Nguyen

Ms. Thanh shared: “After getting married, we followed our mother to sell rice until now. All the dishes at the restaurant are prepared by my husband and I based on our family's experience and recipes.

Every day, we wake up early, go to the market to prepare ingredients, and cook together. Having gone to the market for many years, I have the experience of only buying enough to cook and sell during the day and not leaving food overnight.

I specialize in stir-fries, my husband specializes in braised dishes, fried and marinated dishes, and grilled ribs. In the afternoon, we push the cart out to the sidewalk to sell. Once there, my husband grills the ribs to ensure the dish is always hot and fresh.

One night sold half a quintal of ribs

The restaurant not only attracts workers and office workers but also foreign tourists . Photo: Ha Nguyen

Currently, the customers of Mrs. Thanh’s restaurant include not only workers but also office workers and foreign tourists. Most of the customers choose to eat the restaurant’s famous and delicious grilled pork chop rice dish.

Mr. Phong marinated the ribs according to his own recipe. When eaten, the ribs were not dry or tough, but soft, sweet, juicy, and rich in flavor. The ribs were well-seasoned, to the point that diners did not need to use dipping sauce to still find it delicious.

Mr. Phong was responsible for marinating and grilling the ribs according to his family's traditional recipe. Photo: Ha Nguyen

Mr. Phong shared: “Each person has a different secret to marinating and grilling meat. Some people marinate meat with honey, fresh milk, etc. I do not marinate with these spices and ingredients. I marinate meat according to my family's own recipe.

I marinated the meat until it was well seasoned, then grilled it over good charcoal. When grilling, I paid attention to the temperature and turned the meat regularly to ensure it was cooked properly.

This helps the meat not to be dry and burnt but soft and juicy. So when eating, it feels like the meat is still full of nutrients and spices that I marinated before.

The dishes here are rated by diners as delicious, tasty, and hygienic. Photo: Ha Nguyen

Dishes at the restaurant cost from 35,000 VND to over 50,000 VND/plate. The restaurant opens from 4pm to midnight.

Mr. Phong said that although the restaurant is no longer as "in shape" as it was in the years when it sold on Co Bac street, it still sells 40-50kg of ribs and about 400-500 plates of rice every night.

The later it gets, the more crowded the restaurant becomes. Photo: Ha Nguyen

The woman, a regular customer of the restaurant, said that there are many reasons why people know about this restaurant. But the first and main reason is still the quality of the dishes.

“The dishes here are delicious, especially the grilled ribs which are very fragrant, tender and sweet. In addition to workers and office workers, I see tour guides also bring foreign tourists here to experience the rib rice dish,” she said.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/quan-com-gia-truyen-3-doi-hut-khach-o-tphcm-moi-dem-chay-hang-hon-400-suat-2414555.html