很高興soho bánh mì位於淺水灣海灘道28號The Pulse商場205舖的分店近期開幕營業了，並再次選用iCHEF做他們的點餐系統，Walter幾天前為他們完成安裝系統後，立刻約了我們昨天去現場回訪，因為他知道我特別想儘快去認識兩位老闆Diana與Farah及品嚐他們的美食。
Soho Bánh Mì’s new branch, located at Shop 205, The Pulse Mall, 28 Beach Road, Repulse Bay, has recently opened. Once again, they chose iCHEF as their ordering system. A few days ago, Walter completed the system installation for them and immediately scheduled a follow-up visit with us yesterday because he knew I was eager to meet the two owners, Diana and Farah, and taste their delicious food.
我多年來與越南朋友結下不解之緣，第一次是我20多歲時有三年在泰國出入越南船民營協助越南難民申請往美國定居，每次入營工作就獲越籍委員們煮越菜給我與同伴做午餐，感到非常溫暖，緊隨這三年就到了美國替剛定居的越南移民找工作，讓他們儘快融入主流社會。這一年時間過得特別快，亦算有點成績吧！但命運安排下我決定回到香港開始我的就業生涯，在便利店管理行業發展。奇妙地由於我在便利店的實戰經驗，多年後獲邀往越南加入發展另一品牌的便利店連鎖行列，這是我與越南人長時間相處的第二次，一做就七年了，將來有機會與大家分享這段日子遇到的趣事。希望以上往事的足跡能令大家容易想像到我為什麼對拜訪兩位越籍店家與試食越菜特別感興趣。
Over the years, I’ve formed a strong bond with my Vietnamese friends. My first encounter was in my twenties when I worked for three years in Thai refugee camps helping Vietnamese boat people apply for resettlement in the U.S. Every time I visited the camps, the Vietnamese representatives would prepare Vietnamese meals for me and my colleagues, which made us feel incredibly warm and welcomed. After those three years, I moved to the U.S. to help newly settled Vietnamese immigrants find jobs and integrate into mainstream society. That year passed quickly and was quite rewarding. However, due to a twist of fate, I decided to return to Hong Kong to begin my career in the convenience store industry. Interestingly, thanks to my hands-on experience in convenience stores, years later I was invited to Vietnam to participate in the development of another convenience store chain. This was my second long-term experience with the Vietnamese, lasting seven years. I hope to share some interesting stories from that time with everyone in the future. These past experiences likely explain why I was so excited to visit the two Vietnamese owners and try their cuisine.
昨天一行四人（Walter、芯、Rocky同我）按原定時間抵達分店作回訪，其中一位老闆Diana很熱情地歡迎我們，安頓我們在店前打開大門面對海灘的8座位房間，我立刻表明要點他們一些招牌菜一同分享，我們就開始從餐牌中找出最想試的幾款菜：bánh mì法包、蝦加牛油果夏卷gỏi cuốn（皮不炸的卷）、還有bún salad bowl （沙律加越南檬粉）配燒雞肉切片。三道菜的賣相、味道、口感及配搭醬汁都達到我們期待的水準，大家都非常滿意！飲品方面，除了芯點檸檬蘇打外，我們三人都選了蘇打水。
Yesterday, the four of us (Walter, Sum, Rocky, and I) arrived at the branch as scheduled. One of the owners, Diana, warmly welcomed us and seated us in an eight-seat room at the front of the store, facing the beach. I immediately expressed my wish to try some of their signature dishes to share among us. We began browsing the menu and picked a few dishes we were most eager to try: bánh mì baguettes, shrimp and avocado summer rolls (gỏi cuốn, non-fried), and a bún salad bowl (vermicelli salad with sliced grilled chicken). The presentation, flavor, texture, and dipping sauces of all three dishes met our expectations, and we were all very satisfied! As for drinks, Sum ordered a lemon soda, while the rest of us chose soda water.
等待食物送來時，我與Diana用英語交流，知道她本來移居德國，二十多年前來到香港，認為這是她熱愛的地方，希望在香港定居，但打趣地說認識太多語言了，選擇扮不操廣東話，有人廣東話對話時可以休息一下說少幾句，其實我聽到她說過幾句，發音不錯。她並簡述了他們這越南餐廳的發展經過，起初在Soho區，後來搬到皇后大道中99號中環中心1樓2D舖，跟著在灣仔秀華坊開了一間小小的分店，一直到現在才添加了淺水灣分店。
While waiting for the food, Diana and I chatted in English. She shared that she originally moved to Germany and came to Hong Kong over twenty years ago, falling in love with the city and deciding to settle here. Jokingly, she mentioned that since she knows too many languages, she sometimes pretends not to understand Cantonese so she can “rest” during conversations. However, I’ve heard her speak a few phrases in Cantonese, and her pronunciation is quite good. She also gave us a brief summary of the restaurant’s history: they started in Soho, then moved to 2D, 1/F, The Center, 99 Queen’s Road Central, followed by opening another small branch in Wanchai’s Sau Wa Lane, and now the latest branch in Repulse Bay.
正在享受美食時，Diana的合資夥伴Farah從外邊進來，她說剛在中環店忙完午飯後過來與我們見面。Farah與我好像一見如故地傾談起來，可能因為她知道我的背景和對越南文化與生活的認識吧。為了其他人可更輕鬆地參與對話，她大部份時間都是用純正廣東話與我交流。原來她早年移民到英國，亦已搬到香港很多年，對在香港發展現有餐廳品牌有雄心壯志，問了我一些有關開辦加盟店的問題，我答應了她遲些約她詳談，可免費與她分享我在便利店零售與特許經營的實戰經驗。
While we were enjoying the food, Diana’s business partner, Farah, arrived from outside. She mentioned she had just finished lunch service at the Central branch before coming to meet us. Farah and I immediately hit it off, perhaps because of her knowledge of my background and my familiarity with Vietnamese culture and lifestyle. To make it easier for everyone else to join the conversation, she spoke mainly in fluent Cantonese with me. She shared that she had immigrated to the UK years ago but has since relocated to Hong Kong for many years. She is ambitious about developing their restaurant brand in Hong Kong and even asked me some questions about franchising. I promised to meet her later to share my hands-on experience in convenience store retail and franchising, free of charge.
凡事都親力親為的Farah，邊談邊包春卷，後來還安排同事炸了幾條她新鮮包好的春卷給我們試食，非常美味可口！得到她的同意後，我們拍了店的照片及短片，傳過去台灣給海外GM Ceci看，她立刻答應下星期來香港時往淺水灣拜訪Diana與Farah。現在他們已有兩間店採用iCHEF，既然他們認為這是最合適的系統，我們可提供一個優越的計劃為他們引入iCHEF到今年之內會開的兩間新店。
Farah, who is hands-on with everything, wrapped spring rolls while talking to us. She later arranged for her staff to fry a few freshly wrapped spring rolls for us to taste. They were absolutely delicious! With her permission, we took photos and videos of the restaurant and sent them to our overseas GM, Ceci, in Taiwan. Ceci immediately agreed to visit Diana and Farah in Repulse Bay when she comes to Hong Kong next week. Currently, they are using iCHEF in two branches, and since they believe it’s the best system for their needs, we are preparing a special package to implement iCHEF in the two new branches they aim to open within this year.
這時Walter已完成與Diana一同優化系統運作，我們一同到店前拍了團體照後，就帶著喜悅的心情踏上回家路程。
By then, Walter had completed optimizing the system operation with Diana. We took a group photo in front of the store before heading home with joyful hearts.
