Sườn Nướng at Bà Năm: The $16 Grilled Pork Starter Worth Sharing

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

There's a moment at most tables in Bà Năm when a blue-and-white floral plate lands in the middle, piled with char-grilled pork on a bed of green lettuce, and conversation pauses. That's sườn nướng — Vietnamese grilled pork, marinated, caramelised over heat, and served simply so the char does the talking.

At Bà Năm on Grote Street in Adelaide Chinatown, sườn nướng sits on the Starters menu at $16. It's a standalone plate — no rice, no fuss — built for sharing while the phở arrives, or for anyone who just wants the grilled pork on its own. Here's what it is, how it tastes, and how to work it into your order.

What Is Sườn Nướng?

Sườn nướng translates roughly as "grilled pork" — sườn for the cut, nướng for the grilling. It's one of the great everyday dishes of Southern Vietnam: pork marinated in a sweet-savoury blend, then grilled until the edges catch and caramelise. You'll find it across the South served over broken rice, tucked into noodle bowls, or — as at Bà Năm — plated on its own as a starter.

The family behind Bà Năm has been cooking this style of food for a long time. Bà Năm Lời has been cooking since the 1970s in Trảng Bàng, Tây Ninh, in Vietnam's south, and her grandson Huynh Nguyen brought those recipes to Adelaide when he and owner Thi Gai Vo opened the restaurant in 2023. The sườn nướng here isn't a reinvention — it's the family version, done the way it's always been done.

The Marinade and the Char

Good sườn nướng lives or dies on two things: the marinade and the grill. The marinade soaks in first — savoury, gently sweet, with that unmistakable Vietnamese depth that comes from letting the pork sit properly rather than rushing it. Then the grill takes over. The sugars in the marinade caramelise against the heat, and you get those dark, sticky, slightly crisp edges that make grilled Vietnamese pork so hard to stop eating.

The result is pork that's smoky and charred on the outside, tender inside, with a glaze that clings to every piece. It smells like it looks: caramelised, a little smoky, unapologetically grilled.

How It's Served at Bà Năm

At Bà Năm, sườn nướng arrives as a $16 entrée: char-grilled pork pieces served on a bed of fresh green lettuce, on one of the restaurant's blue-and-white floral plates. The lettuce isn't decoration — it's part of eating it. Wrap a piece of pork in a leaf, or just alternate bites of hot, caramelised pork with cool, crisp lettuce. The contrast is the point.

It's a plate that suits the room. Bà Năm isn't a luxury venue, just very genuine — a family-run spot where the food is plated to be eaten, not photographed (though people photograph it anyway).

Starter Plate vs the Full Cơm Sườn

Worth being clear on this, because the menu has both: the $16 sườn nướng is the grilled pork on its own, from the Starters list. If you want the full meal — the same style of grilled pork over broken rice with all the accompaniments — that's Cơm Sườn at $20, or Cơm Sườn Bì Chả at $20 if you want the version with shredded pork and steamed egg cake as well.

So the choice is simple. Ordering a spread for the table and want grilled pork in the mix? Sườn nướng. Hungry and want a complete rice plate to yourself? Cơm sườn. Prefer your grilled pork over vermicelli noodles with herbs? That's Bún Thịt Nướng, $20.

What to Order With It

Sườn nướng is a natural share-table opener. A few pairings that work well:

• Phở Tái — Bà Năm's signature "red coin" phở, with paper-thin rare beef cooked in-bowl by the boiling broth. The 18-hour broth on real bones is the heart of the menu, and starting with grilled pork while the phở arrives is a very good rhythm. The beef is locally sourced — Huynh does Sunday farm runs himself.
• Gà Nướng — the grilled chicken starter, also $16, if the table wants both grilled meats going.
• Rice paper rolls — fresh and cool against the char of the pork.
• The stone bowls — Phở Thố Đá or Bún Bò Huế Thố Đá at $25, or the Stone Bowl Set at $39, if someone at the table wants the full sizzling experience.

For more ways to build an order, the guide to Vietnamese food in Adelaide's CBD covers the wider menu.

Visiting Bà Năm

Bà Năm is at 65 Grote Street, in Adelaide Chinatown — a short walk from the Central Market. It's open seven days, 11am–9pm (until 9:30pm from October through March). At peak times there's an honest 15–30 minute wait, so plan around it or book ahead on OpenTable. Walk-ins are always welcome; groups of 8 or more should call ahead on (08) 8151 0106.

You can also order online at order.phobanam.com.au if you'd rather take the sườn nướng home.

In 2025, Bà Năm was named a finalist in the Vietnamese Restaurant category at the Hostplus SA Restaurant & Catering Awards — recognition for a small family kitchen doing things the long way. For more dish guides like this one, browse the articles hub.

Frequently asked questions

What is sườn nướng?

Sườn nướng is Vietnamese grilled pork — marinated, then char-grilled until caramelised. It's a Southern Vietnamese staple, and at Bà Năm it comes from a family recipe cooked by Bà Năm Lời since the 1970s in Trảng Bàng, Tây Ninh.

How much is sườn nướng at Bà Năm?

Sườn nướng is $16 as a standalone entrée on the Starters menu, served on fresh lettuce. You can order it in the restaurant or online at order.phobanam.com.au.

Is this the same as cơm sườn?

No. Sườn nướng ($16) is the grilled pork on its own as a starter. Cơm Sườn ($20) is the full plate with the grilled pork served over broken rice, and Cơm Sườn Bì Chả ($20) adds shredded pork and steamed egg cake.

What should I order with it?

It pairs well as a starter before Phở Tái with the "red coin" rare beef, alongside Gà Nướng grilled chicken ($16), rice paper rolls, or one of the sizzling stone bowls ($25, or the Stone Bowl Set at $39).

Where is Bà Năm and what are the hours?

Bà Năm is at 65 Grote Street, Adelaide Chinatown. Open seven days, 11am–9pm (until 9:30pm October–March). Phone (08) 8151 0106; bookings via OpenTable, walk-ins welcome, groups of 8+ should call ahead.