On weekend evenings, Dong Thinh eel vermicelli restaurant, located on Hang Dieu Street (Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi) is crowded with diners. Ms. Quach Kim Dung (67 years old, owner of the restaurant) quickly pours vermicelli, adds eel, soy sauce, vegetables to accompany ... and urge employees to focus.
According to Ms. Dung, the shop has been open for sale for more than 40 years, so there is a stable number of patrons. Recently, after being awarded the Bib Gourmand by Michelin , the number of new visitors has increased. Strangers and patrons who come to the restaurant all ask: "Is it true that the restaurant is honored by Michelin?" and send congratulations.
The restaurant's menu is diverse with dishes made from eels such as mixed eel vermicelli, water eel vermicelli, stir-fried eel vermicelli, eel soup, eel porridge, and eel rolls. In which, 2 dishes of mixed eel vermicelli and water eel vermicelli are the most loved by many diners.
With the mixed dish, the vermicelli is just cooked and retains its chewiness and crispiness. Each bowl of vermicelli will have crispy fried eel meat, drizzled with soy sauce, served with cucumbers, bean sprouts, perilla, basil, mint... sprinkle more roasted peanuts and fragrant fried onions. Mixed eel vermicelli will be eaten with a bowl of rich broth, adding spinach and green onions.
Water eel vermicelli - a popular dish on cool, chilly days, with ingredients similar to mixed eel vermicelli but filled with hot and rich broth. "Broth is an important factor that creates the unique taste of the restaurant," Ms. Dung said.
All eels at the restaurant are fresh eels imported from Nghe An and Bac Ninh, then brought back to be carefully processed and deep-fried at home. This ingredient is stored and sold out on the same day, not the next day, to avoid the eel from becoming weak and losing its crispiness. Eels must choose moderate, not too big or too small, smooth skin, and evenly rounded bodies. When bringing eels back, they must be carefully processed with granulated salt, to clean the viscosity and remove the fishy smell.
After that, cut the eel into pieces, breaded with a mixture of many spices, according to a special recipe and then fried. When frying, the chef must be very careful, wait until the eel is firm, turn yellow, crispy, and fragrant before it is ready.
A bowl of eel vermicelli costs 45,000 VND, mixed eel vermicelli costs 55,000 VND. Other dishes range in price from 30,000 to 65,000 VND. In addition, the shop also sells dried eel by weight for more than 1 million VND/kg. Dried eels are stored in vacuum-pressed bags to keep them longer. Eels can be carried everywhere, at home and abroad.
The shop is open from 6 am to 10:30 pm. The busiest hours of the restaurant are lunch (11:30 - 13:00) and dinner (19:00 - 20:30). Some items may run out early. Eel soup is also a highly appreciated dish at the restaurant.
Sharing her feelings when honored by the Michelin Guide, Ms. Dung could not hide her pride and happiness: "This award is not only a recognition for more than 40 years of preserving traditional flavors, but also a great motivation for us to continue to improve the quality of food and service".
The space of the restaurant is quite spacious, with two floors, accommodating about 20 tables. The restaurant is crowded, but there is no situation of having to queue or wait for a long time. In addition to regular customers, the restaurant also attracts quite a lot of foreign tourists to try this Vietnamese specialty.
Photo: Kim Ngan
Source: VNN