Located at 84 Dang Van Ngu Street in Phu Nhuan District, Ba Ghien is the only broken rice restaurant in Vietnam to be recognized by Michelin for two consecutive years, 2023 and 2024. It makes the Bib Gourmand list, which recognizes friendly establishments that serve good food at moderate prices.
This is a family-run restaurant, established in 1995, known for its charcoal-grilled pork ribs. The ribs, cut large and marinated with a family recipe, have become a favorite among the locals.
Second-generation owner Truong Vinh Thuy shares that the recipe for their dish has remained unchanged since the restaurant's early days.
Ba Ghien uses sourced pork cutlets daily, grilling them to order. The grilling station, located in front of the restaurant, operates at full capacity during business hours.
The standout feature of Ba Ghien’s meals is the pork cutlet, weighing between 400-600 grams and nearly covering the entire plate of broken rice.
"We choose thick, large cutlets so they remain juicy after grilling", said Thuy said (pictured).
The meat is hand-cut and marinated for 4-6 hours to absorb the flavors before grilling.
The restaurant offers six variations of broken rice, all centered around the grilled cutlet.
Popular side dishes include fried eggs, shredded pork skin, steamed egg meatloaf, Chinese sausage, and grilled chicken. Prices start at VND75,000 ($3) for a basic grilled pork dish, with the most elaborate mixed plate costing VND145,000 ($5.70).
Australian tourists Norm and Diana, visiting Vietnam for the first time, found Ba Ghien through online searches.
Having already been familiar with broken rice from the Vietnamese communities in Australia, they were eager to try the dish in its homeland. After ordering a mixed plate, they noted the generous portion, saying it was enough for two to share.
"The flavor suits our taste, and the fish sauce is sweet, much more pleasant than what my friends warned me about," Norm said.
Delivery orders have also grown, with delivery drivers queuing up outside, while the restaurant's 30 staff members stay busy around the clock.
Despite the influx of customers, Thuy remains focused on maintaining quality rather than expanding.
"We have no plans to open more branches; we want to preserve the original restaurant that my mother built," he said, hoping to maintain Ba Ghien's Michelin Guide status for years to come.
