Gà Nướng in Adelaide Chinatown: Bà Năm’s Grilled Chicken Rice Plate

★ As featured in Glam Adelaide — 2025 SA Restaurant & Catering Awards finalist

You’ll smell the lemongrass-marinated chicken hitting the chargrill before you reach the door at 65 Grote Street — Bà Năm’s Cơm Gà Nướng is the smoky grilled-chicken rice plate in Adelaide Chinatown: $20 with rice, vegetables, clear soup and chilli nước chấm.

What Is Gà Nướng?

Gà Nướng simply means grilled chicken, but in Southern Vietnamese cooking that undersells it. The chicken sits in a lemongrass-forward marinade before it goes anywhere near the heat, so the flavour is in the meat, not just on it. Then it’s grilled hard enough to pick up real char — those dark grill marks aren’t decoration, they’re where the marinade caramelises and turns smoky.

The result is chicken that’s juicy inside with edges that have a little bite and a little sweetness. It’s not battered, not deep-fried, not sauced after the fact. What you taste is marinade, smoke and chicken, in that order. A ramekin of chilli nước chấm on the side does the rest — a spoonful over the top sharpens everything up.

Gà Nướng vs Gà Da Giòn vs Fish-Sauce Wings

Bà Năm runs three distinct chicken plates, and they’re genuinely different dishes rather than variations on a theme. Gà Da Giòn is all about crispy skin — no glaze, no char, just crackling-crisp skin over tender meat. Cánh Gà Chiên Nước Mắm goes the other direction entirely: fried wings tossed in a sticky, savoury fish-sauce glaze that ends up on your fingers.

Gà Nướng sits between them and belongs to neither camp. It’s the smoky one — marinade-driven, char-kissed, grilled rather than fried. If you like your chicken with the flavour of an actual grill, this is your plate. If you want crunch, go crispy skin; if you want sticky, go the wings. All three rice plates are $20, so the choice is purely about what kind of chicken mood you’re in.

The $20 Cơm Gà Nướng Rice Plate

Cơm Gà Nướng is the grilled chicken built out into a complete meal, in the same family as broken rice plates across Southern Vietnam. The chicken arrives sliced, grill marks showing, alongside a mound of white rice topped with spring onion. Around it: tomato slices, cucumber and shredded carrot for freshness, a small clear soup scattered with coriander and spring onion to sip between bites, and that ramekin of chilli nước chấm to spoon over the rice. Add a fried egg (Trứng Chiên) for $3 if you want the full treatment.

Its siblings on the menu are worth knowing too. Cơm Sườn Bì Chả at $20 is the classic pork-chop version with shredded pork skin and steamed egg loaf, and plain Cơm Sườn on its own is also $20. Prefer noodles to rice? Bún Gà Nướng at $20 puts the same grilled chicken over vermicelli with herbs — same chicken, lighter frame. Want just the grilled chicken as a starter to share? That’s the dedicated Gà Nướng entrée guide ($16 on lettuce).

From Trảng Bàng to Grote Street

Bà Năm was opened in Adelaide in 2023 by founders Huynh Nguyen and Thi Gai Vo, cooking recipes from Bà Năm Lời, who has been cooking in Trảng Bàng, Tây Ninh since the 1970s. The Gà Nướng marinade and its nước chấm follow that lineage — the same unhurried treatment that shows up across the menu.

It’s the same kitchen that simmers an 18-hour bone broth for the sibling Phở Tái with its “red coin” rare beef — a different tradition on the same menu, and part of why Bà Năm was a finalist in the Vietnamese Restaurant category at the 2025 Hostplus SA Restaurant & Catering Awards. It’s not a luxury venue, just very genuine.

What to Order Alongside

Grilled chicken plays well with cold, fresh starters. Gỏi Cuốn Tôm Thịt rice paper rolls at $14 are the natural opener, or go crunchy with Hoành Thánh Chiên fried wontons, also $14 — as is Chả Giò Thịt if spring rolls are more your speed. To drink, a Cà Phê Nâu Đá at $8 is the classic finish, or the Trà Đào Cam Sả ($10) and Trà Tắc ($10) if you’d rather something cold and citrusy against the char.

If someone at the table is in a soup mood instead, the phở is the reason many people found this place — the Phở Tái with its paper-thin “red coin” rare beef, cooked in the bowl by the boiling 18-hour broth, runs $20 small or $22 large, with the stone-pot Phở Thố Đá at $25. The Bún Bò Huế ($20 small, $22 large) covers the spicy end of the menu.

Where to find Gà Nướng in Adelaide Chinatown and the CBD

Bà Năm sits at 65 Grote Street, in the heart of Adelaide Chinatown and an easy walk from anywhere in the Adelaide CBD. The $20 Cơm Gà Nướng rice plate shares the grill with its siblings — crisp-skinned Gà Da Giòn, the classic cơm tấm broken rice plates, and Bún Gà Nướng at $20 if you’d rather have vermicelli than rice. Want just the grilled chicken without rice? The $16 Gà Nướng entrée is served on lettuce. If it’s broth weather instead, start with our phở.

We’re open 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM daily (until 9:30 PM October–March), public holidays included. At peak lunch and dinner there’s an honest 15–30 minute wait — walk-ins are always welcome, or book through OpenTable; groups of 8+ please call ahead on (08) 8151 0106. Takeaway and pickup orders go through order.phobanam.com.au.

Prefer sticky-glazed to grilled?

If you want sweet-savoury fish-sauce lacquer instead of charcoal grill, the $20 Cơm Cánh Gà Chiên Nước Mắm plate is the wings rice sibling.

Frequently asked questions

What is Gà Nướng?

Gà Nướng is Vietnamese char-grilled chicken — marinated lemongrass-style, then grilled until the edges char and the marinade caramelises. At Bà Năm it’s smoky, marinade-forward and served with chilli nước chấm.

How much is Cơm Gà Nướng at Bà Năm?

The full Cơm Gà Nướng rice plate is $20, with sliced grilled chicken, rice, fresh vegetables, a small clear soup and chilli nước chấm. Gà Nướng on its own as an entrée or share plate is $16, and you can add a fried egg (Trứng Chiên) for $3.

What’s the difference between Gà Nướng and Gà Da Giòn?

Gà Nướng is char-grilled and marinade-driven — smoky, with grill marks and no crispy coating. Gà Da Giòn is the crispy-skin chicken, with no glaze and no char. Both rice plates are $20; it comes down to smoke versus crunch. See also our Gà Da Giòn guide.

Can I get the grilled chicken with noodles instead of rice?

Yes — Bún Gà Nướng ($20) serves the same grilled chicken over vermicelli noodles with fresh herbs, a lighter alternative to the rice plate.

Do I need to book at Bà Năm?

Walk-ins are welcome, though there’s an honest 15–30 minute wait at peak times. Bookings are available through OpenTable, and groups of eight or more should call (08) 8151 0106. Or order ahead at order.phobanam.com.au.

Where can I get Gà Nướng or Vietnamese grilled chicken in Adelaide CBD or Chinatown?

Bà Năm serves Gà Nướng at 65 Grote Street in Adelaide Chinatown, a short walk from most of the CBD. The Cơm Gà Nướng broken rice plate is $20, the rice-free Gà Nướng entrée is $16, and you can add a Trứng Chiên fried egg for $3. Open 11:00 AM–9:00 PM daily (until 9:30 PM October–March), public holidays included. Expect an honest 15–30 minute wait at peak times — walk-ins welcome, book via OpenTable, call (08) 8151 0106 for groups of 8+, or order pickup at order.phobanam.com.au.