Located in the old market on Ton That Dam Street, District 1, Mrs. Chanh’s noodle stall has been around for decades, a place frequented by many patrons.
More than 60 years ago, her uncle Chanh was the one who started this noodle stall. In 1991, when he decided to go abroad to settle down, his uncle handed over the stall to Ms. Chanh to take over and sell it to this day.
According to Ms. Chanh, because her family is of Chinese origin, at first, the stall only served typical Cantonese noodle soup with large fibers similar to pho noodles, served with lean meat with char siu. After that, to meet the needs of enjoying diverse dishes of Saigon people, stalls began to sell more noodles, noodles, wonton… Customers coming here can choose noodles, noodles in dry form or water as you like. As for wontons, where they sell, the stall owner will pack them there.
Every day, Ms. Chanh is at the stall at 4 o’clock to cook broth, boil meat, shrimp… and prepare other necessary ingredients. Noodles, noodles and wonton shells will be obtained from acquaintances. In particular, the broth is carefully stewed by the stall owner from the bones of the pig’s tube and neck and must be regularly skimmed, helping the water to be clear, fragrant and sweet.
The stall also impresses diners through each item such as the cabinet for noodles, meat, to the satay jar… which has existed for decades. “The old items and the typical flavor in the bowl of noodles at Mrs. Chanh’s stall give me a feeling of closeness. I can come here to enjoy the dish many times a week without feeling bored.” Ngoc Thy, District 1, shared.
The stall space is quite small, just enough to put a few chairs and 2-3 tables for diners to eat on the spot. Guests arriving at peak hours will have to wait. However, Ms. Chanh said that she has no intention of expanding, but still tries to maintain this classic stall as a way to keep the family tradition through the decades.
The stall starts to welcome customers from 7:30 am, the most crowded around noon 11am-13 pm. Most of the guests coming here are usually office workers and workers. A bowl of noodle soup with ingredients is quite suitable with liver, heart, sliced meat, shrimp, bean sprouts, chives, fat, fried onions… to be full, priced from 35,000 to 50,000 VND. The stall closes at 2pm every day.