Big ‘n Brutal
Forever Famous
Modern ‘n Industrial
Com Tam Thuan Kieu 9 114 Yersin, Q1 Price: VND36,000 for com tam suon, VND4,000 extra for each bowl of pickles You want a place not just resting on its laurels? Only Thuan Kieu will do. The original location, just round the corner from Cho Ray Hospital — what better dish can you think of to uplift the spirits of injured bodies and souls — has become so ingrained in the com tam annals of the city that there are now nine (or is it 10?) branches around Saigon. The secret? The softest, sweetest tasting barbecued pork you’ll ever have the pleasure to put your teeth into, a range of super tasty pickles on the side (including Vietnamese kim chi), and prices that while not cheap avoid extortion. And don’t forget the bowl of canh, pork broth, on the side. A nice palate-cleansing touch. I went to branch number nine to see just how far down the food chain Thuan Kieu could extend their reach. Despite the in-your-face colour scheme — garish, it’s decorated in green and yellow — it was just as good as the first.
Grillbar 122 Le Thanh Ton, Q1 Price: VND95,000 for Grillbar-style suon For the aircon version, I was going to head to the chain, Com Tam Moc, but an online Vietnamese reviewer had already put the multi-store eatery in its place. “Expensive and you have to wait for ages,” she wrote. “Only suitable for foreigners.” Hmmm. So instead I headed to Grillbar, a little favourite of mine, a place that really does attract foreigners. In the com tam stakes this place is expensive — just under VND100,000 for the barbecued meat with rice. But then here you’re paying for quality — have you tried their Vietnamese bacon? — the Ben Thanh Market location and most importantly, setting. The setting is New York and Londonindustrial, rolled into one. There are nice little touches here, too. The com tam comes with salad — a departure from the typical tomato and cucumber — and hearing music over the sound system rather than being aurally bombarded with the rough and tumble of a typical Saigon eatery is a pleasant change.
Old ‘n Saucy
January 2014 Word | 107