Tonight’s dinner review – 29th July,2010

Com tam bi suon cha aka Pork with Broken rice

This was going to be my first food review for the site and so I wanted to make sure it was somewhere special. I decided to go to the famous Vietnamese restaurant located in Punchbowl known as “My house.” My house is best known for its fusion of ghetto and Viet cooking and boasts 4 Michelin (tyres). A step up from its previous Dunlop tyres.

As I walked into the restaurant there was nobody to take my coat or welcome me in. After a few frustrating mins waiting to be seated I decided to make myself at home and sat at the only table in the restaurant which over looked a playpen. If I didnt know any better I would’ve thought I walked into a childcare center but then again what do you expect from asian restaurants. The menu was fairly limited, in fact there was only one thing on the menu. Luckily for them it was my favourite dish – Com tam bi suon cha otherwise known as number 37 in any reputable Vietnamese restaurant. After waiting a few more mins to be served, I got fed up and decided to serve myself thinking they must have adopted the lazy Korean way of dining which is doing everything your damn self.

I decided since the service was lacking I was going to make the most of the food which was what I did. I plated up 2x marinated pork chops, shredded beef, tomatoes, cucumbers and when I reached for the fried egg I realised there wasnt any. No com tam is complete without a fried egg. I asked the lady who I assumed worked there where the fried eggs were at. Though dressed inappropriately in what seemed to be her pajamas, she seemed like a lovely lady in her mid 50s until she responded to my question with “theres eggs in the fridge, a frying pan under the stove, you know what to do.” I was appalled with the service and her lack of recognition of who I am (Famous international superstar DJ for all those who dont know by now). If it wasnt for the fact that I CBF’d putting on pants and shoes, I would’ve went to Habibs. So I fried my own egg.

Im glad I stayed because after I took my first bite it was heaven. It was reminiscent of when I was young and my mum cooked that dish for me. The tender pork was beautifully marinated and worked well with the coolness of the cucumbers and the tomatoes. The fried egg was cooked to perfection and everything was topped off with the saltiness of nuoc mam (fish sauce) which was balanced out with the broken rice. I’m embarrassed to say I may have pre-ejaculated cos it was that good. The thing that ruined my culinary orgasm was the ambiance and the atmosphere. There were kids running around, the TV was on, and don’t get me started with the state of their toilet. Blergh.

Apart from the service (lack of) and hygiene (Im quite sure the food was prepared on the floor), it was a delicious meal that displayed the best of Vietnamese and ghetto cooking. I will most probably come back again, most likely tomorrow.  And since I dont want to piss off the owners of the place, and because I love my mum so much – I give it 10/10.

Count it!