Com Vietnamese Grill
This place has been around since 2005 and it’s been my go-to place for solid Vietnamese fare since its doors opened. Last year alone, my sister and I met there for lunch at least twice a week! Com, which means rice in Vietnamese, offers mostly grilled meats — served over rice, salad, or noodles. It is the unpretentious sister of the Dunwoody branch. The one tucked inside a nondescript Buford Highway plaza where, if you blink, you’ll miss it.
I like unpretentious places. You’re just sure that what they lack in ambiance and decor, they make it up on food — taste, quality, and price. Com is one such place. It’s always packed at lunch times and weekend nights where wait times of up to 30 minutes isn’t uncommon.
My favorite appetizer here is their signature Grape Leaves Rolls. You get a choice of grilled beef, lamb, duck, salmon, or tofu wrapped in grape leaves then served on a bed of salad made with shredded lettuce and, green mango, and green papaya, topped with thinly-sliced, sweet fried onion and chunks of roasted peanuts, then drizzled with spicy-sweetish fish sauce. For those not familiar, fish sauce is the Southeast Asian’s version of salt. It is made from fermented fish, and comes in this aromatic golden liquid color. It is the magic of all Southeast Asian cuisine. These Grape Leaves Rolls are fantastic. It’s totally different from Dolmas (stuffed grape leaves) of Turkish cuisine where the leaves are slimy. These leaves have more texture. The salad is crunchy and the green papaya adds a nice contrast to the bland lettuce. The sauce is perfect: slightly spicy, a little sweet, with just enough saltiness. No vinaigrette compares.
My sister’s favorite appetizer which is equally good is the Fresh Spring Rolls. Their version has mint and basil and fried onion which give the rolls more character and taste.
Com’s entrees are all good. Sometimes it’s difficult to choose just one. Their vermicelli or Bun bowls are a cut above the rest with shredded green mango and green papaya plus mint and basil. Each adding flavor to the entire dish without overpowering any other. The Fragrance Rice plate with grilled meat is also a great choice. It comes with Jasmine rice, shredded salad, and sliced tomatoes. The curry is also an excellent choice which can be served over noodles or with a side of French bread. The Tilapia fillet plate tastes fresh and tasty. And the whole fried fish (pricey at $39.95) is a must try (my mom’s favorite). Whatever you order, you won’t be disappointed.
Insider tip:
Service can be slow during peak times. Servers are gracious to inform diners if a selection isn’t fresh or up to par that day.
Located inside Buford Plaza close to Clairmont Rd where Chevron gas station is located.
The scoop:
Com Vietnamese Grill
4005-E Buford Hwy.
Atlanta, GA 30345
404-320-0405
Open from 11am
Technorati Tags: Com Vietnamese Grill, Com, Buford Plaza, Vietnamese cuisine, Bun, grape leaves rolls
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11 responses so far ↓
1 kurt // Apr 1, 2008 at 11:06 am
ok, i am definitely going to try this restaurant. it is close to me. those spring rolls look amazing.
2 Chloe // Apr 1, 2008 at 6:18 pm
kurt — they are so way better than those apples and oranges you’ve been eating
3 kurt // Apr 2, 2008 at 9:49 am
trust me, i know!! LOL
i am going to try them this weekend, thanks for the review.
4 G // Apr 2, 2008 at 11:47 am
Am I the only one in this city that thinks Com’s food is way too sugary? Honestly, I don’t know of any real Asian cuisine that has that much. Blech.
5 Chloe // Apr 2, 2008 at 3:43 pm
Hey G — sugary? Which entrees did you try?
6 V // Apr 3, 2008 at 8:03 am
just curious… what do you look like chloe?
7 G // Apr 3, 2008 at 10:18 am
All of Com’s Grape Leaf apps/entrees are swimming in nuoc nam, its corn syrup-ness pratically oozes down the sides of my mouth. A huge blemish on an otherwise outstanding concept. All of their meats have been marinated in high sugar marinades. Those marinades should have a delicate balance of flavors, yet sugar is the always extremely prominent. It’s the problem with most highly regarded Asian eateries (see Tamarind) in this city where I see a larger American following.
8 Johnny // Oct 9, 2008 at 11:04 am
Tried it a week ago and I have to agree with G and their grilled item seems to have a weird after taste grill not sure if they spray something on it….going to go down the street and try their competitor Chateau heard some good things about it on CL but never had a chance to try it so will keep you up date
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10 Kim // Apr 6, 2010 at 3:46 am
I really can’t believe the authenticity of this restaurant. These so-called “Grape Leaves Rolls” are something I’ve never heard of. I’m Vietnamese, both sides of my family are Vietnamese, I’ve spent quite an amount of time visiting family in Vietnam, I’m the only one of my family born in the US (my mother/father/sister/brother came here only 2 years before I was born) but I was still raised on Vietnamese foods, and I have NEVER, in my entire life, eaten a grape leaf.
While curious, I’ve never had the opportunity to do so as I have never come across a Vietnamese dish that had grape leaves in it. Ever. The closest thing I’ve ever had is the grape itself.
I would have to guess that the traditional dish that the restaurant is adapting from is a dish called Bo La Lot (“beef leaf betel”). It’s lightly seasoned ground beef wrapped in a leaf from a plant with (usually) dark green leaves called the “Betel”. The leaves are prepared fresh (we have our own plant in our garden and pick when needed) and wilt around the beef when cooked, encasing it. It’s a very distinct, fragrant flavor that I’ve never found a match for. (also pretty good as an added something in a grilled cheese sandwich)
And G’s comment that the foods have too much corn syrup also concerns me. Traditional Nuoc Cham (“water/liquid dipping”) is made with cane sugar, NOT corn syrup. I also rarely see the use of corn syrup in Vietnamese cuisine. Once in a while, my mother uses it for something, but I don’t think we’ve had it in the house for years.
I know I’m ranting and raving, but my point is that I don’t think this place is very authentic. I’ve come across a lot of “American adaptations” of Viet foods and have never found them up to par. Of course growing up in a Vietnamese household, I would have higher standards for what really counts as Viet food and what doesn’t, but Viet cuisine is like all cuisines, unlike any other out there, so if it’s not done with the little attentions to detail that it should be, you’re really not getting the tastes and experiences you deserve because Viet food done right is just so good. The food tastes fine, but it still doesn’t taste like Viet food. I’ve traveled to places with “larger American followings” in places like Illinois and Massachusetts and have found some pretty decent places there. While the cuts of meat or types of plates and silverware were not what you would find in Little Saigon here in CA, or they use canned beef broth instead of making their own, there was still the reminiscent taste and feel of real Viet food, an essence that you can’t get by cutting corners. But I’ve also come across restaurants in Little Saigon that didn’t have that certain taste to the foods and they’re usually closed and gone by the end of the year, Viet people know what the food should be like and don’t usually revisit. There’s just no faking it.
So, for those foodies out there that want a real taste of Vietnam, even if it’s just a little one, keep looking. It’s out there somewhere, even if it’s that tiny hole-in-the-wall that you never really noticed before, it just might surprise you. And, trust me, the search is definitely worth it.
11 Eric // Apr 6, 2010 at 4:03 am
“Bo La Lot” is translated beef wrapped in lolot leaves of the Piper family. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lolot.
They are not grape leaves so any restaurant that claims to use such is either filling in with the less expensive leaves or they are misnaming them. Just thought I’d clarify for some.
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