Simple ingredients for diners to season and adjust for porridge - Photo: DANG KHUONG
Under the drizzling rain of Binh Duong late afternoon, anyone driving on Bach Dang street will easily come across a small house full of guests.
This is the nearly 30-year-old minced quail porridge shop of Mrs. Pham Thi Tue and her husband.
Currently, in addition to Mrs. Tue who is the main processor, Ms. Thao, Mrs. Tue's daughter and granddaughters are the assistant sellers, because the couple are now old and weak.
The taste depends on the eater
A few decades ago, Mrs. Tue and her husband worked as salaried employees at a printing company to support their family. Although they worked hard, the salary they earned gradually became insufficient to cover their expenses.
The small house is where Mrs. Tue and her husband have been selling porridge since 1995 - Photo: DANG KHUONG
They decided to find a better job for themselves. In 1995, the couple opened a white porridge shop with minced quail meat. This is a dish they learned from their neighbor.
Over the past 30 years, the porridge shop has become increasingly crowded. At first, people came to eat out of curiosity because the porridge seller let customers season it according to their own preferences. Later, customers came back because this cooking method pleased many people, "whoever likes to eat it, they season it themselves".
Moreover, the restaurant's ground quail meat is also a highlight, bringing a unique experience to diners.
Pick up and put a piece of ground quail meat in your mouth after it's cooked, diners will easily feel the sweetness and softness of the meat. "Here, my mother carefully selects quail meat and has only bought from one supplier for more than twenty years, and that place has even had two owners," said Ms. Thao.
Because ground quail meat is an indispensable dish, Ms. Tue begins meticulously preparing and grinding the meat at 7am every day.
Quail meat is carefully processed, soft and sweet when eaten with porridge - Photo: DANG KHUONG
After grinding the first time, Ms. Tue adds spices and puts the meat in the grinder for the second time to mix well and absorb. The ground quail bones will create a crunchy feeling in the meat.
The rest will depend on how each customer adjusts the spices, including salt, pepper, salt and MSG, to decide whether the porridge is delicious or not. Many people who have eaten here often pass on a very funny saying: "The porridge here is delicious or not depends on the eater, not the seller."
A familiar restaurant still finds it difficult to please customers
The "uniqueness" of the restaurant over the years has received many mixed opinions. Some people are excited about this "make-it-yourself, eat-it-yourself" restaurant model, but a few customers rate the restaurant as needing to improve many points.
Mr. Thanh Long, a regular customer of the restaurant, expressed his love: "As a resident of Thu Dau Mot (Binh Duong), surely everyone knows this quail porridge restaurant. The restaurant sells simple but delicious food. What I like most is the porridge that you season to your taste."
Spices for diners to season to their liking, including salt, MSG, salt and pepper - Photo: DANG KHUONG
"The quail is fragrant and delicious", "the price is quite cheap compared to the present", "the porridge is simply seasoned so you can feel the sweetness and aroma of the quail, add a piece of spicy pepper and eat it in this rainy weather, it's great"... Those are the compliments that regular customers give to the restaurant on social networking platforms.
However, there are still some comments: "The restaurant is too small and narrow", "the quail meat has rough bones, not yet soft", "if you season it yourself, why go to a restaurant to eat it"...
"9 people, 10 opinions", however, the self-seasoned white porridge with minced quail This taste has existed for decades, still a simple but familiar way of eating, close to the people here.
Ms. Thao choked with happiness when recalling: "There were some children who had not come back for a long time, bringing their children, and boasting: Teacher, I have eaten at your restaurant since I had no children until now".
Thanks to that motivation, from the generation of mothers to children, then to grandchildren, they still strive to serve diners the best. "In the future, when my parents are not strong enough, I will continue to sell this dish" - Ms. Thao said.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/co-quan-chao-trang-cut-bam-dong-khach-qua-ba-thap-ky-20240815101327045.htm
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