The young male floor team at Cô Ba in Cabramatta have perfected the art of travelling through the dining room with their eyes lowered to avoid being flagged by diners. However whatever time you waste trying to place an order is quickly made up by the lightening fast kitchen. Most tables seem to be eating bò né, so we follow the crowd and are soon dodging our own drops of hot liquid flying off a sizzling platter of thin steak, pâté, and egg. This signature dish is offered in multiple grades of beef. We opted for bò né wagyu G7 ($30) and added on an extra bread roll ($2)—the dish comes with one—to maximise mopping up opportunities.
The other menu mainstays are steaming bowls of bánh canh—rice noodle soup—and shellfish, with clams, razor clams, toenail snails, and bullot snails all on offer. With my favourite garlic butter corn treatment unavailable, we ate our generously proportioned half kilo of stir-fried razor clams in straight-up garlic butter ($30). Crab spring rolls ($18)—bún nem cua bể—are presented in the traditional square shape with vermicelli and fresh aromatics. The sweet crab is joined by woodear fungus and lean pork in the crisp squares and the little red chillies are ballistic. With no liquor licence we opt for tart fresh orange and passionfruit juices ($7/each) sadly served in disposable plastic despite us eating in.
