One of my friends suggests me to review the top 3 (or even top 5) of the best street food in various categories such as top 3 of best "broken rice", best "Saigon bread", "beef noodles". And he's willing to do that for me. It's a good idea but - thousand people, thousand taste, so it could be challenging to select which one is the best. Anyway I just give it a try for a very first selection - "Top 3 of the best broken rice" - one of the most favorite street foods in Saigon. Early morning, late at night, everywhere - in a small quiet alley or right in the corner of busy streets, we always can find this fabulous dish.
We have quite popular brands as Kiều Giang, Mộc, Cali, Thuận Kiều, An Dương Vương...but according to many foodies, including my friends, these brands already go too far with their fantasies by creating unusual things with broken rice, like rice burger at Cali or too much side dishes which, to me, destroyed the original flavor of "broken rice" at An Duong Vuong eatery.
Grilled pork rib - one of most favorite side dishes to go with broken rice.
Most traditional broken rice with "pork skin" and "egg cake", simply we call "bì chả"
To me, the good broken rice should meet at least three things: good rice - not dry, flavorful, good fish sauce - not too sweet, not too savory, spicy enough and good "mở hành" (green onion stirred in fat). Just imagine a hot flavorful broken rice, topped with good "mở hành" and what we need is just to pour a spoon of good fish sauce...the combined flavors of these three could win the heart of any tough judge in any cooking shows on TV these days!
As I shared with you in my first review about "cơm tấm", I really don't know since when people created so many dishes to go with broken rice: from grilled chicken, braised pork meat, fried fish, to fried Chinese sausage, stirred veggies...by doing this, the original flavor of "cơm tấm"has lost. Nowadays people prefer more choices but then "cơm tấm" became as an usual family meal at home.
My friend who suggested me to select the top 3 of broken rice, has in his mind: broken rice Ba Ghiền, broken rice Bà Hạt...and now he is surely looking for No 3. Will be glad to share with you when we have that info.
So if you want to try this broken rice, please come here after 5:00PM, right at the corner of Bà Hạt and Sư Vạn Hạnh street, district 10. We've been there around 6:00PM, it was not crowded and we were informed they also serve in the morning but at another place not far from there. The morning business is run by another family members, also broken rice. I don't have a chance to make any judgment for morning flavor.
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