Phở Đặc Biệt in Adelaide Chinatown: The Combination Beef Pho with Everything in the Bowl

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Phở đặc biệt — the “special” combination pho — brings five beef cuts together in one bowl: tái, nạm, bò viên, gân and sách, all in an 18-hour bone broth. It’s what many regulars order at Bà Năm in Adelaide’s Chinatown, and a fair place to start if you’re weighing up where to eat pho in Adelaide.

What’s actually in a bowl of Phở Đặc Biệt?

Đặc biệt is the combination bowl — the option you tick when you want the whole story of the cow in one serve. At Bà Năm, the beef cuts on our Phở Bò menu are rare (tái), brisket (nạm), meatball (bò viên), tendon (gân) and tripe (sách). Order the combination and you get the mix, layered over fresh rice noodles with snipped spring onion and coriander, then flooded with boiling broth at the pass. Small is $20, Large is $22 — same price as any single cut, no upcharge for the full spread.

Each cut does a different job in the bowl. The tái is our signature “red coin” — paper-thin rounds of locally sourced beef that arrive raw and cook in the bowl itself, blushing from red to rose in the heat of the broth. The brisket is the comfort cut: long-simmered, soft, soaking up broth like it was born to. The bò viên meatballs bring bounce and a savoury snap. The tendon melts into something almost silky. And the tripe gives that clean, gentle chew that regulars quietly consider the best part. If the red-coin tái alone is what you’re after, that bowl has its own story.

The broth underneath it all

None of those cuts mean much without the broth, and ours takes 18 hours. Real beef bones, real time — the same method we’ve written about in detail. The recipe traces back to Bà Năm Lời, who has been cooking since the 1970s in Trảng Bàng, Tây Ninh. Founders Huynh Nguyen and Thi Gai Vo brought the recipe Bà Năm Lời had been cooking in her Trảng Bàng, Tây Ninh home kitchen since the 1970s to Adelaide in 2023 — and Huynh still makes Sunday farm runs to source the local beef himself.

In a đặc biệt bowl, the broth has extra work to do. It has to be clear and clean enough to let the rare beef shine, but deep enough to stand up to tendon and tripe. An 18-hour simmer gets you there. A stock cube never will.

Phở Đặc Biệt vs Phở Tái: which should you order?

Honest answer: it depends on your mood, not your budget — both are the same $20 Small, $22 Large.

Choose phở tái if you want the pure experience — one perfect cut, cooked in the bowl, nothing to distract from the broth. It’s the bowl we’d hand a broth purist, and it’s the bowl behind our red-coin story.

Choose phở đặc biệt if you want texture. Every chopstick dive comes up different: rare beef one bite, meatball the next, then a ribbon of tendon you didn’t see coming. It’s the bowl for the curious, the hungry, and anyone eating pho for the second or third time who’s ready to go beyond the basics. (First bowl ever? Start with our first-timer’s guide — we’ll walk you through the herbs, the lime, the lot.)

And if you want the theatre of a hot stone bowl, that’s a different dish again — the Phở Thố Đá stone-bowl set, $25 dine-in for the stone bowl itself (or $39 as the fuller Stone Bowl Set).

How to eat it: the đặc biệt method

There’s no wrong way, but here’s how regulars do it. Taste the broth first, before you add anything — 18 hours deserves at least one honest sip. Then build: a squeeze of lemon, a handful of bean sprouts, Thai basil torn straight off the stem from the herb plate that comes alongside.

With đặc biệt, pace yourself across the cuts. Eat the rare beef early while it’s still rosy. Save some tendon for the last third of the bowl, when it’s had time to soften even further in the hot broth. And do yourself a favour: add a Giò Quẩy ($4) — the fried dough stick made for dunking. Big appetite? Extra noodles are $3, and a Chén Thịt Nhỏ ($8) adds a small extra bowl of meat on the side.

Finish with a Vietnamese iced coffee — sweet, strong, and the traditional full stop to a bowl of pho.

Beyond the bowl: what else to order

Đặc biệt is a meal on its own, but it shares a table well. Start light with fresh rice paper rolls, or go the other way with crisp fried spring rolls. If someone at your table wants heat instead of comfort, point them at the Bún Bò Huế — the spicy, lemongrass-heavy cousin from central Vietnam (Small $20, Large $22, stone bowl $25). For a fuller lay of the land, our guide to Vietnamese noodle soups in Adelaide covers the family tree.

Combination Pho on Grote Street: Finding Phở Đặc Biệt in the Adelaide CBD

Bà Năm sits at 65 Grote Street in the heart of Adelaide’s Chinatown, a short walk from the Central Market and easy to reach from most of the CBD. We’re open seven days, 11:00am–9:00pm (9:30pm October–March), public holidays included. The phở đặc biệt is $20 small or $22 large — the same price as our other phở bò, with no upcharge for the combination.

An honest heads-up: at peak times you may wait 15–30 minutes, because the 18-hour broth doesn’t come from a powder and the “red coin” tái is sliced to order. We’re not a luxury venue, just very genuine. If it’s your first bowl, our first-timer’s guide to pho covers how to dress and eat it — or start with the simpler phở tái and work your way up to đặc biệt. Groups of 8 or more, give us a ring on (08) 8151 0106. Bookings are on OpenTable; takeaway at order.phobanam.com.au.

Frequently asked questions

What is Phở Đặc Biệt?

Phở Đặc Biệt is the combination beef pho — a mix of rare beef (tái), brisket (nạm), meatball (bò viên), tendon (gân) and tripe (sách) over rice noodles in our 18-hour bone broth. “Đặc biệt” means “special,” and in pho terms it means everything in one bowl.

How much does Phở Đặc Biệt cost at Bà Năm?

It’s the combination option on our Phở Bò, so it’s the same price as any single cut: Small $20, Large $22. There’s no upcharge for choosing the combination.

What's the difference between Phở Đặc Biệt and Phở Tái?

Phở Tái features one cut — our paper-thin “red coin” rare beef, cooked in the bowl by the boiling broth. Phở Đặc Biệt includes that rare beef plus brisket, meatballs, tendon and tripe. Same broth, same price, more variety.

Can I get Phở Đặc Biệt as takeaway?

Yes — order online at order.phobanam.com.au or drop into 65 Grote Street, Adelaide, in Chinatown. We’re open 7 days, 11:00am to 9:00pm (9:30pm October to March), including public holidays.

Is Phở Đặc Biệt a good choice for a first-time pho eater?

It’s a great second or third bowl. First-timers sometimes find tripe and tendon unfamiliar, so many start with Phở Tái or brisket and graduate to đặc biệt once they’re hooked. That said, plenty of first-timers dive straight in and never look back.

Where can I get phở đặc biệt (combination pho) in Adelaide’s CBD or Chinatown?

Bà Năm serves phở đặc biệt at 65 Grote Street, Adelaide SA 5000, in Chinatown near the Central Market. We’re open seven days from 11:00am to 9:00pm (9:30pm October–March), including public holidays. At busy times there can be a 15–30 minute wait, so ordering ahead at order.phobanam.com.au or calling (08) 8151 0106 can help.