Chuyen Ky rice pot restaurant, top-notch cuisine at affordable prices

1A few words about Chuyen Ky rice pot restaurant

– Address: 65-67 Ton That Dam, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City

– Hours of Operation: 11:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. | 5:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

– Reference price: 60,000 – 180,000 VND/ 2 people

Chuyen Ky Pot Rice Restaurant is one of the famous and long-standing culinary places in Saigon, with more than 70 years of history. Located at 65-67 Ton That Dam, District 1, the restaurant is located right in the middle of the bustling Old Market, offering a culinary space rich in history and culture.

The space of Chuyen Ky has the simple, rustic and ancient features of the Chinese. The area of ​​the shop is not large but is neatly arranged with wooden tables, chairs and shelves, all of which have been stained by time, creating a familiar and cozy feeling. On the walls of the shop, old pictures are hung everywhere, reminiscent of a bygone era, contributing to the nostalgic atmosphere.

Chuyen Ky specializes in serving traditional Chinese-style rice dishes. In particular, the rice here is cooked from sticky rice, cooked softly in a clay pot, bringing a characteristic sticky aroma and rich flavor. The side dish menu at the restaurant is extremely rich with many options such as chicken, shrimp, fish, and pork, prepared in many different methods such as stewing, stir-frying, and soup, helping customers enjoy a variety of flavors in just one meal.

Chuyen Ky rice pot restaurant is not only a place to preserve traditional Chinese culinary values ​​but also an ideal destination for those who want to find the old feeling in the heart of modern Saigon. With a cozy space, rich menu and rich flavors, Chuyen Ky will surely satisfy even the most demanding diners.

2What makes Chuyen Ky score points with Michelin?

2.1 Over 70 years of experience serving rice in a pot

Chuyen Ky Rice Pot Restaurant has been serving customers since 1948. This humble Chinese restaurant in the middle of the bustling streets of District 1 was founded by Mr. Chuyen – a son of Guangdong. After three generations of father-to-son succession, the restaurant is now managed by Ms. My My and Thuy Thuy to continue serving customers traditional culinary values.

From the outside, Chuyen Ky rice pot restaurant has a strong family-style restaurant feel. The sign “Chuyen Ky rice shop” is hand-painted with paint on bricks, a popular decoration style in Saigon before 1975.

When you step inside, you will see that the rice pot shop only has about 5-6 stainless steel tables, high plastic chairs and walls covered with small blue tiles from 1970. In particular, the rice pots at the shop were ordered from a pottery kiln in Binh Duong decades ago, which is no longer produced. All of these images create a classic and unique beauty for the space of Chuyen Ky.

2.2 Unique family recipe

The special feature at Chuyen Ky is the way of cooking rice in a clay pot using steam, a method that has been maintained for more than 70 years. Mrs. My shared that the family’s rice dish in Chinese is called “chung phan”, “chung” means pot, phan means rice.

After the rice is put into each bowl, water is added and it is put into the steamer to be steamed for about 30 minutes. Each steamer can hold about 80 bowls of rice. With this method, each bowl of rice from Chuyen Ky is evenly cooked, soft, sticky and stays hot for a long time.

In particular, according to Ms. Thuy, the rice used to cook the pots of sticky rice will be mixed in a ratio of half Tai Nguyen rice and half Nang Thom rice. This helps the cooked rice to have a delicious sticky texture and gentle aroma.

2.3 Bringing traditional flavors that are hard to find anywhere else

Chuyen Ky is famous for its dishes with traditional Chinese flavors, using fresh ingredients and richly marinated. One of the most popular dishes is braised chicken with rice in a clay pot with soft, well-seasoned chicken and served with fragrant sticky rice. In addition, the restaurant also serves other clay pot rice dishes such as braised shrimp with rice, braised fish with rice, braised pork with rice and many side dishes such as fried fish balls and quail eggs.

Thanks to those excellent flavors, by chance, Chuyen Ky rice pot restaurant was visited by a group of Japanese tourists and filmed and broadcast on television. According to Mrs. My, they filmed everything, from the cooking process to the presentation. Thanks to that, Chuyen Ky became more famous and attracted a large number of foreign visitors to come and enjoy those delicious flavors.

3Unique culinary experiences at Chuyen Ky

Chuyen Ky claypot rice restaurant is not only famous for its history of more than 70 years but also for its dishes with rich family flavors. Customers often order chicken claypot rice and beef and sausage claypot rice. The white rice on the bottom combined with the full layer of meat on top is steamed according to a family recipe to create an unforgettable flavor.

According to Vietnamtravelio’s research, the menu at Chuyen Ky has up to nearly 100 dishes, including dishes made from chicken, beef, shrimp, fish, crab, squid, intestines, pork kidney… The dishes are prepared in a variety of ways from stir-frying, sauce, soup, stewing, steaming, frying. In particular, the prices of the dishes range from 60,000 to 180,000 VND for a serving, suitable for 2-3 people. For stewed and stewed dishes, the restaurant will cook them in advance and keep them hot in a steamer, while other dishes will be prepared fresh when customers order to ensure that the dishes are always hot and delicious.

One of the restaurant’s signature dishes is braised chicken with rice in a clay pot. The chicken is braised until soft and well-seasoned, combined with fragrant sticky rice to create an extremely attractive dish. In addition, the restaurant also has other clay pot rice dishes such as braised shrimp with rice in a clay pot, braised fish with rice in a clay pot, braised pork with rice in a clay pot… Each clay pot of rice is equivalent to about a bowl of regular rice, creating a sufficient and delicious portion.

Although there are some opinions that the prices at Chuyen Ky are higher than the average, Ms. My My affirms that these prices are reasonable and the quality of the food that the restaurant offers is extremely worthy. Each meal at the restaurant is enough for 2-3 people, so when there are many customers, it will be very economical. In particular, the restaurant serves family-style meals, very suitable for groups of customers or families.

Chuyen Ky pot rice restaurant not only brings the traditional taste of Chinese cuisine but also is a part of the cultural memory of Saigon. With a cozy space, diverse dishes and rich flavors, Chuyen Ky is definitely an ideal stop for those who love traditional cuisine. Don’t forget to come to Chuyen Ky to enjoy delicious hot pots of rice and share your unforgettable culinary experience with Vietnamtravelio Travel Guide.