Superhero TV star Noboru Kaneko tries Saigon's broken rice

He had a meal at Sa Bi Chuong restaurant in District 5 on July 30.

A representative of the restaurant told VnExpress the actor's crew reserved a table in a hidden location.

After enjoying the ribs, Noboru commented "oishii," which means delicious.

Com tam, usually garnished with pickled vegetables like daikon radish and carrot, is a popular breakfast in HCMC and southern provinces. A traditional plate is accompanied with grilled pork, bi (shredded pork skin) and cha (Vietnamese meatloaf with steamed pork, egg and other ingredients inside).

"In Ho Chi Minh City, I was introduced to a famous restaurant. This dish tastes better when eaten with your hands," Noboru wrote on his Facebook page.

Noboru Kaneko enjoys com tam at a restaurnt in District 5, HCMC on July 30, 2023. Photo courtesy of Noboru Kaneko's Facebook page

The broken rice dish was also featured in Netflix documentary series "Street Food: Asia" in 2019.

The 48-year-old Japanese star landed at Tan Son Nhat Airport in HCMC last week for his second visit to Vietnam. In October last year he and Takeru Shibaki, who played Gao Blue in the Japanese series, visited Hanoi.

Footage from Hyakujuu Sentai Gaoranger would be well-known to some of the English-speaking world as footage of the series was used in 2002 American series "Power Rangers Wild Force."