Where to eat com tam, banh mi thit, banh cuon, and bun bo Hue in Saigon

Happy new year (again)! In continuing the closer look we're taking at Vietnamese traditions, like those of lunar new year, today I'm actually taking you back to Vietnam.I was born in California and didn’t visit the country of my heritage until I was 18. It would be another 16 years after that first pilgrimage before I’d returned to Vietnam again. Consequently, this second trip was after MasterChef, and I was going to Vietnam to appear in the inaugural season of "MasterChef" Vietnam as a celebrity guest judge. Since then, I’ve been back to Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City an additional three times, and on each trip, I eat to my stomach’s content.Food in Vietnam, especially the “street food,”* is delicious and inexpensive—it’s my absolute favorite stuff to eat over there.And so in the spirit of street food’s no frills, no nonsense attitude, I’ll get right down to business and deliver the goods.*Note: I know not all of the following are considered street food by the strict definition per se, but many of these dishes can be found on the street, even if I didn’t personally eat them at a street stall this time around.

Broken rice with grilled pork chop, shredded pork skin, egg cake

Com tam suon bi chaOriginally from Nam, south VietnamNext to pho and banh mi thit, broken rice plates might be the best known and loved Vietnamese dish by foreigners. Com tam, or broken rice, are dishes made using the leftover scrapped rice grains that broke during harvesting and, thus, not fit to be packaged and sold as long-grained rice. Com tam used to be viewed as a lower grade food item, but it’s now mainstream and the only acceptable way to serve this dish. Com tam wouldn’t be authentic without its broken rice.I got my com tam topped with a grilled pork chop; shredded pork skin dusted with roasted rice powder; and a savory cake made with egg, wood ear mushrooms, noodles, and—that’s right—ground pork. You can get com tam dressed in a variety of proteins: grilled pork, beef, chicken, even shrimp. Many like to order a fried egg on top and let the runny yolk coat the rice. But all com tam come with fish sauce vinaigrette and a simple tart side salad of iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, and pickled carrot and daikon. And if you’re lucky, you’ll get a small bowl of soup, too, which does a good job of washing down all that meat and starch you’d just ingested.I can’t recall exactly which restaurant I ate this dish at—my family just takes me to wherever they like, and I happily oblige. I do remember, however, the restaurant serves only com tam (as the best specialty restaurants usually serve just one specific dish), and it sat on the corner of a busy intersection. An old email from my dad turned up the restaurant listed below—can anyone confirm if this place matches my sad short description?Quan Com Dong Nhan42 Truong Dinh, P. Ben Thanh, Q. 1

Cold cut sandwich

Banh mi thitBanh mi thit have also become mainstream in many parts of the U.S., thanks to the diaspora of the Vietnamese 40 years ago. In my childhood, my mama used to tote these sandwiches home from a deli in old Little Saigon in midtown Houston. Today, most of my friends like to order the grilled pork versions (the same kind of thit nuong that can be found in a com tam dish mentioned above). But me? I eat this sandwich old school, like a true Vietnamese, with its different cold cuts ranging from ham to sausage to head cheese.My friend with whom I travel for work is always on top of her game when it comes to food, and she’d read about Huynh Hoa on some blogs. There’s always a line, but the not-too-long wait is worth it. The meats and pâté in their sandwiches are bolder in flavor than many of the ones I’ve had in the States. Perhaps it’s the delicate crisp of the bread’s exterior in contrast with its pillowy center, or maybe it’s the healthy slathering of pâté, but I get images of tiny Vietnamese-Parisian delis in my head with every bite.The first time I had the sandwich, they skimped on the pickled carrot and daikon. But this issue was ameliorated with the second sandwich I had later. (Yes, they’re that good.) And at $1.40 USD a pop, you won’t resist.Banh Mi Huynh Hoa26 Le Thi Rieng, P. Ben Thanh, Q. 1

Steamed rice rolls

Banh cuonOriginally from Bac, north VietnamBanh cuon is the hubs’s favorite Vietnamese food. Our go-to banh cuon spot in Houston is Thien Thanh, but at Thien Huong in Saigon, they’re topped with what I think are diced radish.As a food purist, I always order the ones stuffed with ground pork and wood ear mushrooms, but you can also get them with grilled pork (yes, that same thit nuong again!), ground shrimp, or even nothing at all. And, of course, it’s always accompanied by fish sauce vinaigrette and usually a steamed bean sprout salad and slices of pork roll or ham or whatever you call it. I, myself, tend to push all those aside and just dive into the banh cuon.The filling comes wrapped inside these very thin sheets of steamed rice noodles. They say the thinner and more delicate the noodle, the more skilled the cook, and the more prized the banh cuon. I say, “We fed five people for less than $15 USD? Amaze-balls!”Banh Cuon Thien Huong197 Ba Thang Hai, Q. 3

Hue-style lemongrass beef noodle soup

(pictured above)Bun bo HueOriginally from Hue, central VietnamMy stepmom says Ngu Binh makes the best bun bo Hue broth in Saigon. But she prefers to make her own pork hock at home, so she buys the soup from Ngu Binh, and we eat the noodle soup within the comforts of our own home.Growing up, I loved bun bo Hue more than pho, probably because the lemongrass imparted a tart flavor to the broth, and I love sour soups. Nowadays, bun bo Hue has gained notoriety in the States, and many non-Vietnamese regularly opt for the spicy and robust noodle soup of central Vietnam. Be forewarned: if gnawing on a pig’s foot and seeing a cube of coagulated pig’s blood swimming in your bowl aren’t your idea of a pleasant lunch, make sure you order the pork sliced, and say no thanks to the blood.For the life of me, I can't find the address to Ngu Binh anywhere. I know this is not very helpful at all, so anyone who's been to or lives in Saigon, where is the best bun bo Hue?

Caramelized prawns with rice

Com tom rimI had to add this in just to tease you. This is a typical home-cooked lunch: steamed jasmine rice with prawns caramelized in sugar and fish sauce. Seafood in Saigon is so fresh and yummy. I wolfed this down at the table in my parents’ kitchen. It’s not fancy, but it’s home-cooked. And that’s usually the best kind of food.Have you had any of these dishes, either in Vietnam or your own country? Where is your go-to place for com tam, banh mi thit, banh cuon, or bun bo Hue?