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| - Came with my Vietnamese coworker and friend. He orders in Vietnamese. I order using the system by which each dish has a unique number. The specialty of the house is the fifty or so broken rice dishes and my lunch companion and I decided that "Com Tam something something" shall be known as "Broken Rice" because the actual name is unpronounceable by most Americans and there is already a restaurant in the lunch rotation known as the Vietnamese place. Did I mention that the coconut water comes in an actually coconut? Spoon included. If the large portions don't fill you up, you can gnaw on the coconut meat.
Broken Rice is located next to the entrance of the Mekong Grocery Store opposite UnPHOgettable. One of the two opted for the American friendly name; both seem authentic to someone who has never set foot in Vietnam, but I did get a peek at the country when I was in Thailand. One has pho, the other, broken rice, which is about a third the size of regular rice. Wikipedia says broken rice may or may not be less nutritious than regular rice and that it is less expensive. My Vietnamese friend says it is less common in Vietnam, and thus fancier, but I can't figure out why. The main difference is the texture and not the taste, not that I really noticed. In any case, I recommend all of the broken rice dishes.
I had whatever was suggested by the waiter in lieu of what I ordered, Vietnamese friend not required when ordering. It had shrimp egg rolls and beef with a heap of broken rice and some veggies. Soup and a small bowl of fish sauce arrived before the meal. My Vietnamese friend added some chilly sauce to the fish sauce and spooned some of the mixture onto his meal. I followed suite. All in all, I look forward to returning and trying some other numbers.
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