HO CHI MINH CITY | This city was the first place that I tried cơm tấm. It’s was back in 2013, and it’s been one of my go to Vietnamese dishes ever since. On this trip, my quest to find the city’s best led me to Cơm Tấm Ba Ghiền.
It’s an unpretentious spot not far from Tan Son Nhat International Airport, popular with locals who appreciate its consistently delicious food, great value, and friendly service. When you’ve been consistently busy since opening in 1995, you’re clearly doing something right.
Cơm tấm, at its most basic, is broken rice with grilled pork ribs and assorted sides. At Cơm tấm Ba Ghiền, there’s six base sets that you can customise as you like, along with freshly cold pressed juices made using fruit from.the nearby market.
I opted for combo #6 ‘cơm tấm bì chả sườn trứng ốp la’, which gets you a bit of everything. That’d be a large, tender, soy sauce and sugar marinated, on-the-bone charcoal grilled pork rib cutlet, with broken rice, shredded pork skin, pork meatloaf, pork meatball, sweet and sticky pork sausage, pickled vegetables, a fried egg, and nước chấm (fish sauce) for dipping on the side.
The pork chop is the highlight of the plate, but all of the components really are wonderful. With the runny yolk coating the ingredients, and nước chấm adding the final touch, it’s a plate of goodness that’s well deserving of its reputation. Sure, you could go for one of the other combos, but trust me, you want it all.
Cơm Tấm Ba Ghiền
84 Đặng Văn Ngữ
Phú Nhuận
Ho Chi Minh City
Vietnam
Telephone: +84 2838 461 073
E-mail: n/a
Website
Open
Mon – Sun: 7:00am to 9:15pm