Cơm Sườn in Adelaide Chinatown: Grilled Pork on Broken Rice at Bà Năm

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

Walk past 65 Grote Street around lunchtime and you'll smell it before you see it — lemongrass-marinated pork chop charring over the grill, ready to land on broken rice with nước chấm on the side. This is Cơm Sườn the way Adelaide Chinatown does it at Bà Năm.

What Is Cơm Sườn?

Cơm sườn is one of southern Vietnam’s most loved rice plates: a pork chop marinated in the sweet-savoury register — fish sauce, sugar, garlic, a little lemongrass character — then grilled hard enough to catch and caramelise. It belongs to the broader family of cơm tấm, the broken-rice tradition that grew out of Sài Gòn’s street stalls and market corners, where fractured rice grains once sold cheap became the perfect bed for smoky grilled meat. (We’ve written a fuller history of broken rice over in our cơm tấm guide if you want to go deeper.)

At Bà Năm, the plate arrives the way it does across the South: the chop resting whole on white rice, a slice of tomato, shredded carrot and cool cucumber on the side, a small dish of chilli nước chấm for spooning over, and a bowl of clear green-onion soup — served in our BA NAM bowls — to sip between bites. The nước chấm is what ties it together. Bright, salty-sweet, a little heat. Pour it over the rice, not just the meat. That’s how it’s done at home.

Plain Cơm Sườn vs Cơm Sườn Bì Chả

Both plates are $20, so this isn’t a budget decision — it’s a temperament one.

The plain Cơm Sườn is the focused order. One chop, one flavour story, nothing competing with the char. If grilled pork is the reason you came, this is the plate that gives it the whole stage.

Cơm Sườn Bì Chả is the classic Sài Gòn trio: the same grilled chop joined by bì (shredded pork and skin tossed with toasted rice powder) and chả (a savoury steamed egg loaf). It’s the plate for people who like variety across the plate — three textures, three temperatures, one spoon of nước chấm binding it all. Plenty of regulars alternate between the two depending on the day.

Simple rule of thumb: purists go plain, maximalists go Bì Chả. There’s no wrong answer at the same price.

The $20 Plate, the $16 Entrée, and the $3 Egg

Cơm Sườn — $20. The full plate as described: whole char-grilled chop, rice, fresh vegetables, nước chấm, green-onion soup on the side. It’s a proper meal, not a small one.

Sườn Nướng (entrée) — $16. The same caramelised grilled pork, cut into pieces and served on lettuce — no rice, no trimmings. This is the sườn as a shared starter, and it earns its place on the table when a group is ordering phở or bún and someone still wants that grilled-pork hit going around. It’s also a quiet favourite of people who order a bowl of Phở Bò and want something charry alongside the broth.

Trứng Chiên — $3. A fried egg on top of your Cơm Sườn. Runny yolk over grilled pork and rice is not a controversial upgrade. Three dollars well spent.

If You Love This Plate, Meet Its Siblings

The rice-plate section at Bà Năm runs deeper than pork. All at $20:

• Cơm Gà Nướng — grilled lemongrass chicken over rice
• Cơm Gà Da Giòn — crispy-skin chicken, for the crackle devotees
• Cơm Cánh Gà Chiên Nước Mắm — fish-sauce-glazed fried chicken wings over rice

And if you want the same grilled pork in a lighter, noodle-forward format, Bún Thịt Nướng ($20) lays it over cool vermicelli with herbs and nước chấm — a warm-weather favourite.

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 Cơm Sườn here follows that lineage — the same marinade logic, the same insistence that the chop earns its char before it touches the rice.

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

The plate is complete on its own, but if you’re building a table: Gỏi Cuốn Tôm Thịt ($14) keeps things fresh to start, Hoành Thánh Chiên ($14) and Chả Giò Thịt ($14) go the crispy route. To drink, a Cà Phê Nâu Đá ($8) is the classic sweet-bitter 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 wants soup instead of rice, the phở is the reason many people found this place — the Phở Tái with its paper-thin “red coin” rare beef 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 Cơm Sườn 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 plain broken rice plate with grilled pork chop is $20, the loaded Cơm Sườn Bì Chả is also $20, and if you just want the chop on lettuce without rice, the Sườn Nướng entrée is $16. Prefer noodles under your grilled pork? There’s Bún Thịt Nướng at $20 too.

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, and if it’s broth you’re after instead, start with our phở.

Want Just the Grilled Pork?

If you're building a share table and don't need the full broken-rice plate, order Sườn Nướng as a $16 starter — the same char-grilled pork on lettuce, no rice. Keep the cơm sườn when you want the complete plate to yourself.

Frequently asked questions

What comes on the plain Cơm Sườn plate at Bà Năm?

A whole char-grilled pork chop over rice, topped with spring onion and fried shallot, served with tomato, shredded carrot, cucumber, a small dish of chilli nước chấm, and a bowl of clear green-onion soup on the side. It’s $20 and does not include bì or chả — those come on the Cơm Sườn Bì Chả plate.

What’s the difference between Cơm Sườn and Cơm Sườn Bì Chả?

Both are $20. The plain Cơm Sườn features the grilled pork chop on its own over rice, while Cơm Sườn Bì Chả adds shredded pork with toasted rice powder (bì) and a savoury steamed egg loaf (chả) for the classic three-topping Sài Gòn combination.

What is Sườn Nướng and how is it served?

Sườn Nướng is Bà Năm’s grilled pork as a $16 entrée — pieces of char-grilled, caramelised pork served on lettuce without rice. It works well as a shared starter, especially alongside a bowl of phở or bún bò Huế.

Can I add a fried egg to my Cơm Sườn?

Yes. Trứng Chiên, a fried egg add-on, is $3 and can be added on top of any rice plate, including Cơm Sườn.

Where is Bà Năm and do I need to book?

Bà Năm is at 65 Grote Street in Adelaide Chinatown, open seven days 11:00 AM–9:00 PM (until 9:30 PM October to March). Walk-ins are welcome and bookings are available via OpenTable; groups of eight or more should call (08) 8151 0106. Expect a 15–30 minute wait at peak times, or order ahead at order.phobanam.com.au.

Where can I get Cơm Sườn or grilled pork broken rice in the Adelaide CBD or Chinatown?

Bà Năm serves Cơm Sườn at 65 Grote Street in Adelaide Chinatown, a short walk from most of the CBD. The grilled pork broken rice plate is $20, the rice-free Sườn 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.