Three Colours

It's always nice to visit an old favourite. So this Sunday, I went back to Pho Linh, a venerable Vietnamese restaurant at College and Dufferin. Back when my dinners consisted of various combination of Dufferin Mall food court, this place gave me a modicum of fresher, healthier options.

Named after an aunt who was a famous singer during the Vietnam war, Pho Linh has renovated itself like all current Asian restos: from grimy formica tables to nicer pressed wood tables and faux leather banquettes. The clientele has also expanded to include non-Vietnamese locals as well as a large Chinese contingent. For lunch, I ordered the "com tam".

Sometimes called Three Colour rice (and even Five Colour), the number represent the variety of topping. The traditional 3 here included pork chop, egg meatloaf, and shredded pork skin. The pork chop is grilled, thinner than Western ones, and has a slightly sweet flavour. The egg meatloaf  comprises a steamed mixture of eggs, carrots, mushrooms, vermicelli noodles. This gives it a spongy flavour with only a hint of egg. The bi topping is a combination of finely sliced cooked pork, pork skin, and wheat flour. The resulting crunchy and slightly gritty flavour goes well with fish sauce. At Pho Linh, they actually use the traditional "broken rice" instead of regular rice. A lot of Vietnamese restaurants don't bother. The smaller rice, broken from the milling process, gives the dish a grainier texture and feel, closer to quinoa or other small grains.