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The special thing that makes Saigon sidewalk restaurant world famous, 1 decade still keeping the price affordable

After the pouring rain in the afternoon, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Thanh began to shake off the rain water on the roof and wipe the tables and chairs for guests. She took care of each jar of fish sauce, plate of lemon, jar of sugar…

Meticulous, hard-working and cooking with a mother’s heart, that’s what makes The Lunch Lady, Mrs. Thanh’s sidewalk restaurant famous and loved by customers for decades.

During that journey, Ms. Thanh has always been grateful to Anthony Bourdain, a famous American chef who devotes a lot of enthusiasm and love to Vietnamese cuisine.

“I didn’t know who Anthony Bourdain was”

Ms. Thanh grew up in Saigon in a family with a tradition of loving cooking. From a young age, her mother taught her sisters how to choose a bunch of herbs, season the pot of broth enough to push the flavor, how to make fried and fried dishes always attractive.

The special thing that makes Saigon sidewalk restaurant world famous, 1 decade still keeping the price affordable - Photo 1.

Mrs. Thanh at her restaurant

She embraced that passion and turned it into a sidewalk restaurant that rotates Vietnamese dishes: beef vermicelli, vermicelli, vermicelli, noodle soup, pho, banh cano… The small restaurant is nestled in. I am under 2 eagles at Nguyen Dinh Chieu apartment building (District 1), which didn’t even have a name at first.

“I only sell sidewalks, so I don’t have a name, customers always say “Bang tree shop”. At first, my customers were mainly residents of the apartment building, a few boys and girls worked in the office. nearby buildings.

In one incident, a reporter from AsiaLife magazine went to her restaurant to eat, chat and write an introductory article.

The special thing that makes the Saigon sidewalk restaurant world-famous, a decade of still keeping the price affordable - Photo 2.

Food at The Lunch Lady

After reading this article, American “king chef” Anthony Michael Tony Bourdain decided to go to Vietnam to do a culinary program about Ms. Thanh’s unique sidewalk restaurant.

“At first, I didn’t know who Anthony Michael Tony Bourdain was. When they offered to shoot, I accepted because of my hospitality. I myself did not expect that when the show was broadcast widely, his restaurant I became so famous.

I asked everyone in the crew who he was, they were surprised and answered that it was the “chef king” of America. Up to now, I am still very grateful to Anthony for helping people know more about Vietnamese cuisine. “The Lunch Lady” is the name that I gave to the restaurant after Anthony’s visit”, Ms. Thanh said.

The special thing that makes Saigon sidewalk shops world-famous, 1 decade still keeping affordable prices - Photo 3.

“Chef King” Anthony Michael Tony Bourdain

From the sidewalk toad shop, The Lunch Lady has been visited by thousands of tourists. Ms. Thanh has to rent more space opposite the shop. At the busiest time, the restaurant has more than 10 waiters and waitresses.

Famous around the world but still not increasing in price

After appearing on No Reservations, Ms. Thanh’s sidewalk toad shop has also been mentioned by foreign magazines such as New York Times, The Sydney Morning Herald…. Foreign guests from the US, Germany, France, Sweden, Mexico… began to come to the special restaurant of “Madam Thanh” more.

Next to the steaming pot of broth, Mrs. Thanh quickly arranges fried rice, wood, vegetables… into bowls for guests. She said: “I feel very happy because they love the traditional taste of Vietnamese people. Once, an American family brought their children here to enjoy. Believe it or not, she ate three bowls of food. Continuously and non-stop praising Vietnamese beef noodle soup. Even, she asked her mother if she could “bring me back to the US” because she liked the dish so much. Several times like that, I was happy and very happy.”

Famous around the world for more than 10 years now, but Ms. Thanh has always wanted The Lunch Lady to be a sidewalk restaurant, selling dishes with rich Vietnamese flavors. Currently, the shop still maintains a fairly affordable price of 40,000 VND/bowl.

She said: “Someone came to eat at the restaurant I liked. They expressed their desire to expand into a restaurant chain, taking the brand name The Lunch Lady. However, I asked for permission to refuse, I wanted my restaurant to be a restaurant. Eating on the sidewalk, street food, selling to workers and foreigners, that’s also why I didn’t raise prices.It’s weird, right? (laugh)”.

The special thing that makes the Saigon sidewalk restaurant world famous, a decade of still keeping the price affordable - Photo 4.

The Lunch Lady still keeps the affordable price

Over the years, “madam Thanh” has always been secretly grateful to Anthony Bourdain, who brought her sidewalk restaurant to international guests.

After learning that the “chef king” had passed away, she was extremely shocked and saddened. “I was devastated and couldn’t believe that he had passed away. He connected the hearts of people who love food together,” said Ms. Thanh.

https://soha.vn/dieu-dac-biet-khien-quan-via-he-sai-gon-noi-tieng-the-gioi-1-thap-ki-van-giu-gia-binh-dan- 20220523122013896.htm

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