Tan Thanh Loi is a sweet little restaurant near Little Saigon market. It had never caught my eye until one day, when my father and I strolled past and saw a mini production line of plates of Com Tam being crowned with delectable pork chops.
For the longest time, I eschewed Com Tam as it seemed too boring. I was having a serious love affair with Bun - warm rice vermicelli noodle salads, with shredded vegies and all manner of grilled meats. Who wants a pork chop and a boring old egg, and what is "broken rice" anyway?
Com Tam Bi Suon Cha Trung, $9.00
More the fool me. This particular Com Tam was divine. The bi (shredded pork skin) was so fresh, garlicky and pleasantly chewy. The chop, redolent with lemongrass, was perfect - tender and bursting with flavour. It came with an interesting eggy prawn meatloaf and a fried egg. The accompanying seasoned fish sauce was not required, so tasty was each individual component.
A bowl of perfectly clear chicken broth is a Zen moment for me. Like a perfect bonsai or a Japanese stone garden, it makes me pause and reflect, no matter how busy I am. This comes with your Com Tam.
I totally dig the pictures, and Tan Thanh Loi have been kind enough to mark which meals contain which particular common allergens, such as gluten, peanuts, and egg. I want to try Banh Cuon Cha Lua (steamed rice rolls with pork loaf) and Bo Luc Lac (fried beef, so-called for the way you shake the wok when you cook it).
I'm glad I have finally discovered Com Tam. Sometimes in our quest for the new and exciting, we forget that simple is often best.
Tan Thanh Loi
73 Nicholson St, Footscray (map)
9687 4886
Hours: Mon - Sat 9.00am - 7.00pm (Fri til 9.00pm), Sun 9.00pm - 5.00pm
Don't you love-hate it when you discover something new in a place you've passed over a million times? I think the pork chops sound really good - my exposure to Vietnamese food is soo limited to pho and spring rolls. Shameful.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe you haven't caught on to the joys of com tam before now, living in Footscray! It was my favourite Vietnamese dish growing up as a child, so broken rice will always have a place in my heart. Or my belly. Or both.
ReplyDeleteI have to say, regardless of how tasty the accompaniments to the rice are, I always like to drown the com tam in fish sauce - the sweetness and acid help to balance the often salty pork chop and bi.
Love your description of banh trung as "eggy prawn meatloaf". I've never thought of it like that! I always considered it a very meaty steamed egg dish, or more often, a coarse steamed pate.
One more thing - are you sure that was actually chicken broth? If so, I'm making a bee-line to his joint! Most places will serve a broth which is comprised of little more than MSG.
Hi Vee & cloudcontrol - in the past I have been guilty of "latching on" to something and eating it to the exclusion of everything else. Thankfully, blogging is opening up my tastebuds - no one wants to read about Hung Vuong pho bo tai, every single week!
ReplyDeletecloudcontrol - I think it was chicken broth?? An excuse to sample more so that I can pick what might be mere MSG. Any tips for how to tell the difference? I have had "MSG thirst" after some ramen soups in the city before.
Yeah I'll second cloudcontrol - if that is actual chicken broth and not msg + water, I'm there.
ReplyDeleteSomehow though, I suspect that it is MSG water.
Drown the broken rice in fish sauce. Mmm.
Waah, my ignorant bliss is dissolved, like a stock cube in hot water. No wonder I always thought my chicken broth lacked something. Big can of chicken booster, here I come!
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I'm not sure if I have tips for telling the difference between real stock and msg - maybe MSG seems tastier at the time, but real stock nourishes your soul? :P But seriously, real stock doesn't taste like salt to me; it tastes like chicken (or pork, or beef, you get the idea).
ReplyDeleteWe seem to be navigating the same food course ... this is our favourite broken rice stall too!!! Its a shame they don't stay open for dinner.
ReplyDeleteHi Temasek, and what a wonderful food course it is. I think they are open late on Friday night? Let me know if you find a new fave!
ReplyDeleteYou have to try the Japanese noodle in crab soup (banh canh cua). FANTASTIC. Chewy, glutonousy, translucent thick noodles in a flavoursome crab flavoured soup with fishcake, little crab claws, pork slices, coriander, mushrooms, oh the list is endless!
ReplyDeletePromise me you will try this!! :)
Chunky, OMG, I am so excited! I only recently discovered banh canh and it is my absolute favourite noodle of all time now. I have only had banh canh tom thit (pork and prawn) so far but will definitely try Tan Thanh Loi's cua version soon... Watch this space and thanks for the recommendation!
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