Vietnam: Com Tam Moc
Having spent most of my eating time in Saigon obsessing over banh mi sandwiches, I didn't really get a chance to explore too many of the other culinary stylings of Vietnam. But on our first morning, we grabbed breakfast/lunch at Com Tam Moc, down the block from our hotel. Cơm tấm apparently refers to the leftover fragments of rice grains which are sorted out and sold cheaper.
Tammi's order came with a pork chop and an egg, sunny side up. It looked very good and I was a little jealous that I didn't get that runny yolk soaking into those shattered grains of rice.
But, I certainly couldn't pass up the special that came with a side of pate along with it. Vietnamese pate, smeared into every banh mi I ate, holds a particular fascination for me. This had a thin layer of fat on the top like the French terrines that inspired them.
After wandering Saigon for a while we passed by other branches of the Com Tam Moc chain as well as a couple other similar chains. With only a couple days to explore Vietnamese cuisine, this particular dish didn't get as much attention as I'd have liked to invest in it, but I was glad to have given it a try at least once.
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