Traditional vermicelli noodles are always crowded in the old town

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HANOI – Noodles with snails on Nguyen Sieu Street sell hundreds of bowls a day, the most crowded in the time frame from 7 am to 9 am and 12 pm to 13 pm.

Located on Nguyen Sieu Street (Hanoi), Co Hue snail vermicelli is a restaurant that many patrons come to. The shop is 35 years old, formerly a street vendor. Now the owner has moved into the house with a spacious space. The restaurant has about 10 tables, can serve about 50 people at the same time. In addition to eating at the restaurant, many people also buy and take away.

Around 6:30 a.m. every day, after the ingredients are prepared and displayed on the counter, the shop begins to open to serve customers. Ms. Hue’s counter is located in a small corner at the entrance, where she displays the prepared ingredients.

Every day, Ms. Hue sells hundreds of bowls of vermicelli. In particular, the morning from 7 am to 9 am and noon from 12 pm to 13 pm are the two most crowded times. At these hours, the restaurant is packed with people to eat, and all the tables are full. Workers do not rest.

The restaurant’s menu has hot snail noodles (pictured) and cold snail noodle soup (snail dot). Depending on the season and weather, diners have the right choice. Snail noodles are served with raw vegetables, those who want to increase the richness can add shrimp paste.

The special feature of Co Hue snail vermicelli is the mild sour broth, only snails, not eaten with many other dishes, standard flavor of traditional Hanoi snail vermicelli. It is the rustic, simple and traditional that is the factor that holds many diners. “Enjoying Ms Hue’s snail vermicelli is inhaling the traditional flavor,” said one diner.

The broth is cooked from snail broth, mixed with vinegar and red tomatoes, so it has a sour taste, not too harsh, and the water is clear. The broth does not add the main noodles, always boiling, smoking.

Snails are of two types, large and small. The snails are directly selected by Ms. Hue from suppliers she has known for decades. The owner’s criterion when choosing ingredients is to be fresh, shiny, crunchy, fragrant and fatty when chewing. Ms. Hue further shared, after being brought home, snails will be preliminarily processed, shelled, cleaned, soaked with alcohol to remove the fishy smell before boiling. Boiled snails to keep their crispness and freshness.

In addition to snails, the shop also has snail rolls, which is a dish created by the owner herself. Snails are pureed, molded into balls and then deep fried. Each bowl of vermicelli is added a few snail balls. Diners can request more snail rolls if desired.

Each bowl of snail vermicelli vermicelli costs from 40,000 to 100,000 VND depending on the amount of accompaniment. Colorful vermicelli bowls of tomatoes, snails, and snails mixed together.

The restaurant has many patrons. Ms. Tra My and her family (Hai Ba Trung district) have been eating vermicelli noodles with Ms. Hue since more than ten years ago. My sister shared: “The reason I like Ms. Hue snail vermicelli is because of the light and rustic taste. Among the ingredients in the noodle bowl, I like the broth and snail the most. The broth is sour and mild. The snail is fresh, crunchy, chewy. In addition, the owner is friendly, always smiling and talking even though the restaurant is crowded.”

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