Com Tam

Broken rice (the fragments left from milling, traditionally cheap food, now a Saigon classic) topped with grilled lemongrass-marinated pork chop, shredded pork skin, a slice of egg-and-pork meatloaf (cha trung), pickled vegetables, and a bowl of nuoc cham on the side. The signature is the lemongrass-marinated grilled pork: caramelised char from the grill, sweet-savoury marinade depth, and faint smoke. Sweet-savoury balance throughout; the broken rice provides neutral texture. The wine must handle char, sweet-savoury marinade, and animal fat.