If you’re in Hanoi’s Long Bien district, there’s a must-visit restaurant that has been serving up unique dishes for almost 40 years. Mr. Son’s offal restaurant offers creative dishes like braised liver, offal salad, and stir-fried banana blossom with offal. Join us as we explore this one-of-a-kind eatery!
1 Introducing Mr. Son’s Offal Restaurant in Long Bien, Hanoi
Mr. Son’s Offal Restaurant in Long Bien, Hanoi
Restaurant Quality: 4.2/5 (Rated by Google)
Address: 112 Ngo 66, Ngoc Lam Street, Long Bien District, Hanoi
Opening Hours: 6:30 AM – 1:30 PM (Usually busy from 7 AM – 9 AM and 11 AM – 1:30 PM)
Price Range: 30,000 – 350,000 VND
Phone Number: 0362416890 – 0933591551
Facebook: Ong Son Quan
Delivery: No
Menu: Offal porridge, braised liver, offal hot pot, offal salad, stir-fried banana blossom with offal, fried sausage, offal stew, etc.
Signature Dishes: Braised liver, offal salad, stir-fried banana blossom with offal
Pros: Long-established restaurant, reasonable prices, diverse menu
Cons: Only open in the morning and afternoon, sometimes there’s a wait due to high demand
Located at 112 Ngo 66, Ngoc Lam Street, Long Bien District, this offal restaurant is also known as “Mrs. Ginger’s Porridge” or “Uncle Son Bac’s Porridge” to locals.
“The name ‘Mrs. Ginger’s Porridge’ dates back to the 1980s when my mother used to sell porridge at the beginning of the alley,” Mr. Son shared. “In 1986, we opened a shop at our house. I took over in 1998, and people started calling it ‘Uncle Son Bac’s Porridge.’ In 2021, I handed the reins to my son, Ha Nguyen Thanh Minh (commonly known as Son), while I focused on the kitchen. That’s when he renamed it ‘Ong Son Quan’ after me.”
Mr. Son’s offal restaurant is a longstanding establishment, nearly 40 years old, without a signboard, and with a spacious dining area that can accommodate around 40 guests at once.
The restaurant attracts diners with its unique dishes, like braised liver, offal salad, and stir-fried banana blossom with offal, priced between 30,000 and 2,000,000 VND.
Mr. Son’s offal restaurant attracts diners with its unique dishes, like braised liver, offal salad, and stir-fried banana blossom with offal, priced between 30,000 and 2,000,000 VND.
2 What Makes Mr. Son’s Offal Restaurant Special?
Three One-of-a-Kind Dishes
Initially, the restaurant served familiar offal dishes like offal porridge and plain offal. As Mr. Son gained experience, he created three unique dishes not found anywhere else: braised liver, offal salad, and stir-fried banana blossom with offal. The rest of the menu features common dishes made from various offal parts like young offal, liver, stomach, throat, strips, old offal, and tail tips.
According to Son, the braised liver is made from pork liver soaked in fresh milk to remove any unpleasant odors. After soaking, the liver is rinsed, squeezed to remove excess blood, marinated with a secret blend of spices, and then braised for 3-4 hours. This dish is only available after 8 AM due to its lengthy preparation.
Braised Liver Porridge
The second unique dish is the offal salad, made from cooked offal mixed with basil, bean sprouts, onion, cucumber, tomato, lemon, pepper, vinegar, sugar, and roasted peanuts. The restaurant uses fresh offal, cleaned with salt and sour alum to remove any slime, then rinsed and soaked in vinegar inside and out to eliminate any odors. Notably, the offal salad uses homemade apple cider vinegar to create a traditional sweet and sour taste of Northern Vietnam.
Offal Salad
The third dish, stir-fried banana blossom with offal, is made from banana blossom, young offal, meat strips, and raw liver, stir-fried with bean sprouts, banana blossom, and herbs. Just before the dish is done cooking, a bowl of fresh blood is added. To finish, fried shallots are sprinkled on top.
Stir-fried Banana Blossom with Offal
Diverse Menu and Affordable Prices
Mr. Son’s offal restaurant also attracts customers with its diverse menu and affordable prices. Offal porridge and braised liver cost around 30,000 VND per bowl. Offal salad and plain offal are priced between 120,000 and 250,000 VND per plate. Stir-fried offal, offal hot pot, and stir-fried offal with bean sprouts range from 150,000 to 250,000 VND. Fried offal, sausage, and tail tips have various price points, from 60,000 to 200,000 VND.
The restaurant goes through 35-40 kg of offal daily. On weekends, customers tend to arrive later, but there’s a steady stream of diners throughout the day, and the restaurant often sells out early.
Diverse Menu and Affordable Prices
That’s a glimpse into Mr. Son’s famous offal restaurant in Long Bien, Hanoi. With a diverse menu, meticulous preparation, clean ingredients, and unique, proprietary recipes, it’s no wonder this restaurant has thrived for decades. Be sure to pay them a visit!
