Little Saigon Pearl

The No. 3 entrée, the $7.45 Vietnamese-style pork chop, is pounded thin, cooked through to a dull greige, served over broken rice, and (truth be told) kind of chewy. And yet, by some miracle of marination, you swear that this budget-friendly chop is among the most delicious you’ve ever tasted. For 50 cents more, you can get the No. 1 Chicken Lemongrass, which is even better than the chop, at least according to host-server-owner Theresa Tran (whose sister Duc Tran helps run the kitchen). “That’s why it’s No. 1,” she says. Also worth the splurge: a fragrant pho and the occasional ­special rice-flour crêpes known as bánh xèo. Granted, Gravesend is not known as a hub for good, home-style Vietnamese cooking, but you won’t find a sweeter little family-run storefront in all the five boroughs.