Com tam bai rac ((Landfill broken rice) is located in ward 13 in district 4, HCM City. Previously, the eatery was located at the entrance door to Xom Chieu Market, where petty merchants gathered garbage every afternoon before carrying it away by truck. Because of that, people called the eatery com tam bai rac (Landfill broken rice) .

Later, the eatery was relocated to Le Van Linh street, one kilometer from the old place. It is open from 4m to 2-3am, and is especially crowded at night.

The eatery is a favorite address for diners as it is located on a street with a large sidewalk and is always clean. Food is placed on stainless steel tables, with a glass wall between diners. The way of displaying food and arranging seats was applied after Covid-19. Though there is no landfill near the eatery, the nickname for the restaurant remained.

The menu is diverse, including ribs, braised eggs, fried eggs, roasted pork belly, and stuffed squid served with radish, sweet and sour pickled papaya. 

Some dishes sell online, including ‘com trung cha’ (broken rice with eggs and meat pies), com suon bi (broken rice with pork chop and skin), com tam suon nuong (broken rice with grilled pork chop), com muc nhoi thit (rice with stuffed squid), com tam tai heo (broken rice with pig ears and fried eggs), with prices between VND50,000 and VND100,000 per serving.

The two most frequently ordered dishes include com suon bi and muc nhoi thit.

The ribs are marinated according to a special recipe, thus creating a unique flavor. Pieces of meat are large, thick and tender  served with a sweet and sour fish sauce. The rice is well cooked, hot and sticky.

The eatery’s fried chicken and stuffed squid are both big-sized with eye-catching colors.

Though Com tam bai rac (Landfill broken rice) is listed as a street shop, the prices of the food are high. A serving of ribs, pig skin and meat pies is VND90,000, which is two times higher than a common broken rice serving. Stuffed squid sells at VND80,000-100,000, depending on size.

Because the broken rice sells at high prices, diners call the shop owner ‘ba Bay luoi lam’ (Mrs Bay razor blade). In Vietnamese, it means that she sets exorbitant prices.

The prices of dishes are not officially quoted so diners are advised to ask about the prices before placing orders. If not, diners may be shocked.

Com tam bai rac has become better known recently thanks to social media. Many celebrities come to eat broken rice dishes and most are satisfied about the quality of the dishes. 

However, since becoming famous, there has been controversy about the prices and quality. While many people praise the quality of the dishes, others argue that the prices are too high for the dishes served. Also, they criticize the service, saying it is just a street shop with no air conditioner.

Despite arguments, the eatery still attracts many diners and many foreign YouTubers visit out of curiosity.

Choi Jong-rak, a South Korean YouTuber in HCM City, said that although the prices are relatively high, he still likes the dishes. He stressed that though the eatery is called ‘’landfill eatery’, it is clean and not like rubbish as people think.

Kazuki Matsumoto, a Japanese YouTuber, whose channel has 150,000 followers, has also eaten there, but he complained that VND140,000 for a broken rice serving was too expensive.

Linh Trang