Com Tam Saigon

[Ericandblueboy]

This is another hole in the wall in the Saigon West portion of Eden Center. It's got a few tables and a steam table of food for carry-out purposes. Their special is Com Tam, described as:

Tấm refers to the broken rice grains, while cơm refers to cooked rice. It is usually served with grilled pork (either ribs or shredded) plus the Vietnamese dish bì (thinly shredded pork mixed with cooked and thinly shredded pork skin) over broken rice. The rice and meat are served with various greens and pickled vegetables, along with a prawn paste cake, trứng hấp (steamed egg), and grilled prawns. Typically, restaurants will serve this popular combination rice plate with a small bowl of nước chấm, as well as a small bowl of soup broth (canh) with garlic chives (to cleanse the throat).

I ordered the #1, which came with grilled pork, shredded pork mixed with shredded pork skin, fried egg, Chinese sausage, and some type of paste (maybe shrimp, could be fish, who knows) in solid form. It didn't really even sound appetizing to me but I tried it anyway. I neither liked it nor disliked it. The grilled pork was cooked well done, and not very sweet (which seems more common at other Vietnamese joints). The shredded pork/skin was unique, texture-wise, but not very flavorful. I don't really like Chinese sausage - too sweet. And the mystery paste was nothing special. The order also came with a bowl of peppery broth. I did get some fried fish (2 fish - maybe about 4 or 5 inches each without head) and stewed bamboo shoots. The fish was nicely fried but a bit salty. The bamboo shoots were braised with cured pork, so pretty tasty. $12 with tax - I didn't bother asking if they took credit card as English was not spoken there.