Cơm Tấm: Vietnam’s Broken Rice, Adelaide-Style at Bà Năm
★ As featured in Glam Adelaide — 2025 SA Restaurant & Catering Awards finalist
If phở is the soul of Vietnamese cooking, cơm tấm is its heartbeat — the lunch that fuels Saigon from dawn till dusk. At Bà Năm, we serve the broken rice the way it’s eaten on the streets of Ho Chi Minh City: a big bowl of fluffy fractured grains piled with charcoal-grilled pork, shredded pork skin, egg meatloaf and a sweet-savoury nước chấm that soaks into every bite. Come hungry. And when you do, save room for our signature Phở Tái — the famous “red coin,” a paper-thin, round, red slice of rare beef laid over the noodles raw and cooked right in the bowl by our boiling 18-hour bone broth, arriving pink and tender.
What is cơm tấm, and why “broken rice”?
Cơm tấm literally means “broken rice,” and the name is the whole story. When jasmine rice is milled, the fractured, smaller grains are sifted out and set aside — once the leftover no-one wanted, now the foundation of southern Vietnam’s most beloved street lunch. Those broken grains cook up fluffier and more open than whole rice, and that’s the magic: they soak up meat juices, marinade and nước chấm instead of sitting politely on the plate. In the markets of Saigon, cơm tấm stalls fire up charcoal grills before sunrise, and the smell of grilling pork rides the heat all the way to dinner. It’s casual, generous, unpretentious food — exactly the spirit we bring to 65 Grote St in Adelaide.
The toppings: sường nướng, bì, chả and nước chấm
A proper cơm tấm is really about what sits on top of the rice. Sường nướng is charcoal-grilled pork — typically a thin-cut pork chop or rib, marinated in lemongrass, garlic, shallot, sugar and fish sauce, then grilled hard and fast so the edges char while the centre stays juicy. Bì is shredded pork mixed with pork skin cut into fine threads, tossed with roasted rice powder for a toasty crunch. Chả is egg meatloaf — a steamed omelette of pork, glass noodles and wood-ear mushroom, sliced into golden slabs. Crown it all with a fried egg, a shower of pickled carrot and daikon, sliced cucumber and tomato, and a small bowl of nước chấm: sweet-savoury fish sauce diluted with lime, sugar, garlic and chilli. You pour it on, mix it through, and the broken rice drinks it all in.
Eat it like a Saigon local — come ready to be fuelled up
In Saigon, cơm tấm is the working lunch. Office workers, students, market traders — everyone grabs a plate, pulls up a tiny plastic stool and tucks in. It’s not a luxury venue, just very genuine, the way Bà Năm Lời served phở from her own home kitchen back in the 1970s in Trảng Bàng, Tây Ninh, Vietnam. We carry that same spirit here in Adelaide. Come ready to be fuelled up for a big, enthusiastic day — whether that’s a shift, a long walk through the city, or a solid afternoon of doing nothing in particular. Our bowls are generous, the portions honest, the flavours loud. You won’t leave hungry, and honestly, you won’t leave in a hurry either — this is comfort food that asks you to slow down a beat.
The Bà Năm broken-rice lineup
Our menu runs the Saigon classics. Cơm sường is the gateway — grilled pork chop over broken rice with bì, chả and nước chấm. Cơm sường bì chả is the full house: grilled pork, shredded pork and egg meatloaf together, the trio that defines cơm tấm. Cơm gà da giòn swaps the pork for crispy-skinned chicken, and cơm gà uyên ương brings a stuffed chicken wing. We also turn out sticky fish-sauce wings — glazed, glossy and a little bit dangerous. Prices start from $19. See the full menu for the exact lineup and today’s specials.
The Bà Năm thread — 1970s Tây Ninh recipes, no shortcuts
Every plate of cơm tấm at Bà Năm is tied back to one kitchen: Bà Năm Lời’s, in Trảng Bàng, Tây Ninh, where she sold phở from her home kitchen starting in the 1970s. Her recipes have never been changed — they came with her grandson, our manager Huynh Nguyen, and owner Thi Gai Vo, to Adelaide when we opened the restaurant in 2023. What makes Bà Năm famous isn’t polish; it’s authenticity. We use locally sourced beef and authentic recipes, and Huynh drives out to farms every Sunday to pick up fresh vegetables for the week. No shortcuts, no factory marinades, no pre-made sauces. The lemongrass is pounded, the broth is simmered for 18 hours, the pork is grilled to order. Soul over polish, every time.
As featured in Glam Adelaide. Bà Năm was named a finalist in the 2025 Hostplus SA Restaurant & Catering Awards for Excellence (Vietnamese Restaurant category) and profiled by Glam Adelaide, which highlighted our grandmother’s authentic recipe and Huynh’s weekly Sunday farm runs for fresh produce. You can also find us in the Glam Adelaide directory and under the Bà Năm Restaurant tag.
Pair it with Phở Tái on your next visit
If cơm tấm is your fuel-up lunch, Phở Tái is our signature — the dish Bà Năm is famous for. The “red coin” is that paper-thin, round, red slice of rare beef laid over the noodles raw, then cooked in the bowl by boiling 18-hour bone broth poured tableside. It arrives pink and tender, the way it’s been done in our family for fifty years. Plenty of regulars order both across two visits, or split a bowl of phở and a plate of cơm tấm between a couple. Browse our other articles — including our guide to the best Vietnamese food in the Adelaide CBD and the spicy, lemongrass-heavy Bun Bò Huế — to plan a return trip.
One honest note: at peak hours you’ll wait 15–30 minutes, because everything is cooked to order over charcoal and broth — nothing sits in a warmer. We think it’s worth it, and so do the regulars who keep coming back. If you’re short on time, order ahead at order.phobanam.com.au and we’ll have it ready. We’re open 7 days, 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM (9:30 PM October–March), including public holidays, at 65 Grote St, Adelaide SA 5000 — phone (08) 8151 0106.
Frequently asked questions
What is cơm tấm?
Cơm tấm is Vietnamese “broken rice” — fractured grains of jasmine rice served with grilled meats, shredded pork (bì), egg meatloaf (chả) and a sweet-savoury nước chấm. A Saigon street-food classic. Pair it with our signature Phở Tái — the famous “red coin,” a paper-thin round red slice of rare beef laid over the noodles raw and cooked in the bowl by boiling 18-hour bone broth — on your next visit.
Why is it called “broken rice”?
The grains are the fractured pieces left over from milling. They cook up fluffier and soak up the meat juices and sauce better — which is why broken rice became a street-food favourite in southern Vietnam.
What cơm tấm dishes does Bà Năm serve?
Cơm sường (grilled pork), cơm gà da giòn (crispy chicken), cơm gà uyên ương (stuffed wing), sticky fish-sauce wings and cơm sường bì chả (grilled pork, shredded pork & egg meatloaf) — all from $19.
Is cơm tấm gluten-free?
The rice and grilled meats are, but the soy-based marinades and nước chấm often contain wheat. Tell our team about any allergy and we’ll guide you to safe options.
How long is the wait?
15–30 minutes at peak hours — everything is cooked to order. Order ahead at order.phobanam.com.au to skip the queue.