The butterfly pork chop

At the end of the day, Thanh, 28, stops by a small rice stall on Tung Thien Vuong Street. It is her third visit, even though the shop has only been open for a few months.

She says the food suits her taste perfectly, especially the grilled pork chop - juicy, tender and richly marinated.

Another customer, Bich, 50, also praises the dishes, particularly the grilled pork patty and the bowl of soup filled with chunks of pork bone.

Many younger diners are drawn in by the hand-painted sign reading: “Com tam Que Mai. Since 1995. Mother’s youth. Special: butterfly pork chop.”

The stall is run by Dang Tien Du, born in 1987, who explains that the eatery dates back to 1995, when it was first operated by his mother, Le Thi Bich Dao, commonly known as Thu Hien, born in 1955.

The business closed more than a decade ago and has only recently been revived. In reopening it, Du has preserved the original flavors, with the butterfly pork chop remaining its signature dish.

He shared: “Before 1975, this area was home to the Que Mai maternity clinic. Afterward, it no longer existed. Later, someone ran a rice stall here, and in 1995 it was passed on to my mother.

Because of its location, regular customers began calling it com tam Que Mai.

Back then, my mother sold grilled pork like many others. But one family always ordered two pieces of pork per plate.

Noticing this, my mother asked the butcher to prepare double pork chops with a bone in the middle, splitting the meat into two sides.

When grilled, the shape resembled butterfly wings, so she playfully named it butterfly pork chop.”

Hien recalled that the small stall once supported her family, helping raise four children through school. In 2012, when life had become more stable, her children encouraged her to rest. She agreed and closed the stall that had defined nearly two decades of her life.

A “miracle cure” for his mother

In November 2025, Hien was suddenly diagnosed with acute polyneuropathy, leaving her nearly paralyzed. During her time in intensive care, she could neither move nor speak. When she regained slight movement in her fingers, she wrote two words: “com tam.”

Du understood immediately - his mother wanted to reopen the stall that had once been her life. When he asked again, she nodded in confirmation.

“I thought that if I fulfilled her wish, it would bring her joy and give her strength to overcome this critical period,” Du said.

At the beginning of 2026, he resigned from his position as a marketing director at a Taiwanese company to bring the stall back to life.

“At first, I only planned to film videos of selling rice and show them to my mother in the hospital,” he added.

Since his mother was unable to speak, Du had to rely on memory to recreate the recipes, drawing from the 11 years he spent helping her at the stall as a child.

While preserving traditional methods, he also refined techniques to improve quality. In addition to grilled pork, the stall now offers grilled pork patties.

The dish has a distinctive flavor - crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, rich and aromatic. Customers can pair the pork chop with various sides such as shredded pork skin, Chinese sausage, meatballs and fried eggs, with prices ranging from VND37,000 to VND48,000 (US$1.50 to US$1.90). The butterfly pork chop rice is priced at VND50,000 (US$2.00) per serving.

Du shared that since reopening the stall, his mother’s health has improved remarkably, even surprising doctors.

“With this condition, patients usually need at least three months in hospital, but my mother was discharged after just 65 days.

Typically, it takes around five months to stand again, but she managed it in just over a month. Recently, she has been able to sit in a wheelchair and look down at the stall from the balcony. If her recovery continues like this, in about another month she may be able to stand in front of her shop again,” he said.

Every night, Du brings a plate of the food he has cooked to his mother, asking for her feedback.

“For me, it’s a form of emotional connection.

Older people sometimes feel they are no longer useful. When her wish to return to selling rice was fulfilled, she became very happy. That happiness became motivation - a kind of spiritual medicine that helped her recover faster,” he shared.

Ha Nguyen