Banh Mi Saigon Bakery (On a Banh Mi Bender)

Continuing my banh mi bender… Next up on the list was of course, Saigon Bakery.  This is the place everyone talks about and raves over and just loves to bits; every time I’ve mentioned banh mi, more than half the people who respond will always tell me to go to Saigon before I make my final decision on whose banh mi is the best. 

Interestingly, the front of the store is a jewelry shop.  And when Lizz and I went, there were people actually shopping for jewelry there!  Amazing!  There are no tables inside, but there’s a bench that runs along one side that you could ostensibly sit and eat your sandwich really quickly, but it’s a bit uncomfortable as it’s right where the line kind of is, and people are jostling constantly.  You basically go in and place your order, then wait.  (We thought there was a line, but the crowd close to the counter is just people waiting to get their sandwiches.) 

For comparison’s sake, we got the pate (which translates similarly to Paris’s special), and the grilled pork.  This is the pate – the sandwich was bursting with goodies, lots of pickled veggies, cucumber, cilantro, meats and pate, which was well-seasoned, and again, a creamy, earthy counterpoint to the smooth coolness of the other cold cuts.  The combination was well executed here.  My biggest complaint would be with the bread (more on that in a second). 

The grilled pork was good, chewy little nuggets of pork; they were no less generous with the filling here.  The sandwich was bursting – as you can see! – with everything they’d stuffed inside. 

I was seriously full, about to burst, when I was done eating.  And at $3.75 a sandwich here, 25c cheaper than Paris and BIGGER, that’s a pretty good bargain, right? 

So.  My one complaint was with the bread!  It held up well, despite being stuffed to the brim with yumminess.  BUT.  Every time I took a bite, some of the outside part of the bread would flake off and shower me with crumbs.  I haaate messy eating.  I don’t like being showered with crumbs, especially eating at my desk in my office as I was, because it got everywhere and it’s hard to clean from all over the floor and my desk and… yeah.  The bread wasn’t bad, don’t get me wrong, it didn’t sog up or anything, but it just wasn’t as good as Paris (or even the Banh Mi Cart’s bread… but then I’m pretty sure Paris supplies the Banh Mi Cart if not owns it). 

Otherwise…

Yvo says: I can see why so many people love Saigon; it’s a great bargain and a huge sandwich for a low price.  I definitely recommend this for big eaters, as one sandwich will surely fill you up more here than it would at Paris.  The execution is flawless and delicious; you really can’t ask for more goodies inside a banh mi without expecting it to explode all down your front.  However… I just don’t like the bread here.  If it was on Paris bread, with Saigon insides… then WHOA, that would be the ultimate banh mi!!!
recommended

Edited to add:

Craving some banh mi for lunch on Friday, I was digging through my bag when I stumbled across Banh Mi Saigon’s menu… which stated along the bottom “Local Delivery at Minimum $15.00” – I work in the Financial District; am I local?  A quick phone call confirmed that I am indeed, which sent me into spasms of joy as I both Facebook’ed then Tweeted this fact (and caused a few people to rush out and order from them, haha).  (Because I simply asked “Do you deliver to the Financial District?” without giving a specific location, I am inclined to believe that they do deliver to all of the Financial District… but you can check by calling if you want!). 

Quickly gathering a few coworkers to reach the $15 minimum, I decided to order two sandwiches. 

First, another pate sandwich, because I like pate and it’s good to have one you know for sure you’ll like. 

Here’s a look for size comparison; half the sandwich is about a 1/2 inch to an inch longer than my BlackBerry Curve. 

Now, for my other sandwich, someone had mentioned chicken being a good banh mi filling.  So I got the chicken, which was $4.25.  Ummm… I don’t know what they did to the chicken, because it was clearly dark meat, but it was chewy and dry.  That isn’t to say it wasn’t good, but it wasn’t quite what I was expecting.  Flavored nicely and an alright filling, I wouldn’t order this again… it was just alright. 

I still don’t like the bread.

Banh Mi Bender, Part 1 of 4 – Paris
Banh Mi Bender, Part 2 of 4 – Banh Mi Saigon Bakery