In Nam Dinh, those who want baked food come to Nguyen Thanh Binh’s restaurant.

Sitting at the entrance of Alley 92 one day, Binh was seen fanning the fire while inviting customers to come inside to choose a table. Customers who wanted more space and fresh air could book tables on the sidewalk.  

There were only two workers seen at the entrance to the restaurant, and one was his son. But there are actually 12 workers in total and most were working inside the restaurant.

In general, diners need to wait 30 minutes to be served. On weekends and winter days, diners have to wait nearly an hour. However, diners are willing to wait to be able to enjoy the taste of grilled chicken feet offered by Binh. 

One of the most special things which makes the restaurant different from others is that the chicken feet are grilled manually.

Binh serves five dishes, including grilled chicken feet, grilled chicken wings, grilled pork ribs, grilled stomach and honey butter toast.

Unlike other restaurants, Binh doesn’t use electric fans to fan the fire. He grills everything by hand: his left hand continuously turns the chicken feet or meat sides, while his right hand vigorously fans a bamboo fan. He does this from 4 to 10pm every day.

“You have to fan like that to make the fire even, so chicken feet cook nicely both inside and outside. If you use an electric fan, the chicken feet will burn but will not cook yet,” he explained.

Asked about his income from grilled chicken feet, Binh said the income is high enough for him to go to Japan once every three months to "replace his shoulder", referring to the arm that fans 5-6 hours a day.

Binh said he learned how to make grilled chicken feet when he was an army officer. After he returned from military service, he decided to earn his living by selling food.

His restaurant has become better known in HCM City. Of course, he uses the recipe he learned during the army service years, but has modified the recipe to make the food more attractive.

To survive for 29 years, Binh said he follows a principle that most people do not adhere to. “In the morning, three workers have to go to markets in the city to collect ingredients, rather than stay at home and place orders online,” he said.

Nguyen Thao - Trong Tung