Believe it or not, these two pieces of bread did constitute the bulk of a meal. What sort of meal it was, I am still trying to figure out. At the airport in Dalat I had asked the ground crew to bring me some fruit from the passenger buffet, and nice slices of mango, unripe […]
On my all too frequent trips to the airport, a place called Banh Mi Bistro at 76 Vo Thi Sau Street in District 1 has made me more curious every time I drive by. Large signs out front advertise hot dogs and more and these pictorial displays of American gut bombs bombarding the neighborhood seem so […]
Yes, I will concede this one is not a proper banh mi in the strictest sense of what constitutes a baguette based sandwich. But this one is sold in Vietnam and underneath the cartoon cat on the wrapper is a Vietnamese label indicating this one is a gut busting tôm chiên trứng, or fried shrimp […]
When I was a kid my dad made some pretty foul sandwiches he expected us to eat. Liverwurst and onion. Anything with sauerkraut. Sardines and mustard. Yes, the good ones like salami were sometimes few and far between. Unfortunately, one sandwich out there trumps them all. I never dreamed asking myself how bad can a bánh mì […]
I will go to great lengths to bring you the best of street treats such as grilled crickets and fertile duck eggs. The sidewalk is the limit here in terms of foods awaiting the hungry. In the same vein of delicacies such as hard boiled duck embryos that give us such great dietary pause, I […]
We have reached our final meal together in America, and I trust you are as ready as I to start exploring Vietnam anew. This detour has served an important purpose though in just checking out the food scene across the Pacific to make some comparisons. I think we have all become better educated the past several […]
My latest piece for Tuoi Tre newspaper is where to find the best banh mi sandwiches in Saigon. These baguettes are probably the ultimate fast food in Vietnam. I’ve sampled countless varieties and here are my favorites. The text follows just in case this link doesn’t work: http://www.tuoitrenews.vn/cmlink/tuoitrenews/city-diary/a-banh-mi-for-everyone-1.68236 The American magazine Food and Wine recently shared […]
Subway sells a meatball marinara sandwich that I admit isn’t too bad in the absence of a more compelling lunch choice. Come to think of it though, Subway has never advertised those cow balls as actually 100% all beef, have they? OK, time to eat some 100% fresh and natural Vietnamese food. Let’s head out on the hunt for […]
A friend back home was excited to try the Vietnamese sub sandwich at his office’s food court. So excited indeed that he ate two in so many days. Andrew must have sensed my mounting skepticism of cafeteria Vietnamese food so within minutes a couple of pictures arrived in my inbox to prove my doubts otherwise. So we got […]
During my visit to the US this past fall, the Atlanta paper ran an online thread soliciting reader recommendations for the best bánh mì, or Vietnamese sandwich, in town. Most votes led people up and down Buford Highway which is the heart of the city’s ethnic cuisine scene. Yes, I have sampled the sandwiches at a couple of […]
