Co Hue snail vermicelli is popular with diners because of the traditional, standard-flavored broth. Every day, the shop sells hundreds of bowls, and the staff does not stop working.
Co Hue snail noodle shop located on Dang Dung street, Ba Dinh district, Hanoi has been around for 35 years. The space of the restaurant is quite modest but always crowded with customers. The shop is open from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily, except for the 1st and 15th of the lunar calendar.
The owner of the snail noodle shop is Ms. Bui Thi Hue (born in 1968, sister to the owner of the snail noodle shop, Ms. Hue on Nguyen Sieu Street). Every day, Ms. Hue wakes up at 3 am to go from her home in Hung Yen to Hanoi. Processing starts at 5am.
Every day, Ms. Hue’s snail noodle shop imports 105 kg of snails (including shells) as ingredients. Snails are taken from Hai Duong and are soaked overnight by Ms. Hue before processing. She said that the selected snails must be fresh and not too large in size.
Snails are cleaned and boiled. Snail boiling water is used as broth for vermicelli. When boiling, Ms. Hue boils the water first, carefully watching until the snails are cooked. The boiling technique makes snails crispy, fresh and delicious.
Co Hue snail noodle soup is made from snail broth, adding other ingredients such as tomatoes, vinegar, and seasoning with moderate spices, so it has a sweet and sour taste. When eating, depending on taste, vermicelli is added with shrimp paste to create a rich aroma. Snail vermicelli is also served with raw vegetables.
Each bowl of Co Hue snail vermicelli is priced from 25,000 to 55,000 VND depending on the type of snail and the number of snails. In addition to boiled snails, the highlight of Co Hue snail vermicelli is also fried snails.
The shop is most crowded in the early morning (from 7:30 to 8:30) and at noon (from 11:30 to 13:30). At these hours, guests are constantly coming in and out, the waiters of the noodle shop seem to be restless. Every day, the shop sells hundreds of bowls of vermicelli.
From the South to Hanoi, Nguyen Thi My Tien enjoyed the first time eating snail noodles. She said that she had enjoyed many dishes made from snails in her hometown (Southwest region), but she was quite impressed with Co Hue snail vermicelli, especially the strange snail cake, and traditional standard broth. Meanwhile, Mr. Duong Duc Hung and his wife live in Ho Chi Minh City. Having the opportunity to return to his hometown, he immediately took his wife to eat noodle soup. He said: “I have consulted on the internet, Ms. Hue’s snail noodle shop is highly appreciated by many people, so I come to enjoy it. Although I am a native of Hanoi, this is the first time I eat snail noodles with Ms. Hue. Standard snail noodle soup. Old taste, light bar, to me like that is very delicious.