I had the good fortune of “bumping into” Brownie at the Scharffen Berger event I attended; conversation of course centered on food, and at one point, it turned to banh mi. She mentioned how she was a bit disappointed that I hadn’t liked Sau Voi during my banh mi bender; though she agreed that my sandwiches, judging by my pictures, did look disappointing, Brownie really enjoyed their banh mi sate ga (chicken). I told her I would definitely go back and try it on her recommendation – especially because it’s so close, and she really liked it, I didn’t see any reason not to give it another go. There’s a reason this place is still around and still selling banh mi, right?
At $4.20, the price notched up just another little bit, I did have higher expectations both given price and the recommendation. Thankfully, I wasn’t disappointed; though the bread was still meh, the sate ga (satay chicken) was really flavorful and just about bursting out of the sandwich. The veggies again made little to no appearance, and the cilantro was suspiciously absent, but as a chicken satay sandwich, this was pretty darn good. I’d definitely order this again, if I were in the mood for this sort of sandwich.
Yvo says: Okay, the banh mi sate ga is really tasty. It still isn’t expensive at $4.20, and is definitely filling. My only complaint – which isn’t even a real complaint – is simply that since the veggies fail to make a strong showing, I would categorize this more as a regular sandwich as opposed to banh mi. Don’t ask me where I came up with my ‘requirements’ to be a banh mi; maybe it’s my delusional side whispering “banh mi are healthy because they’re so loaded with yummy veggies, it’s okay that they spread lard/Vietnamese mayo on it!” and this one just has too few veggies to qualify as a salad sandwich 😉
banh mi sate ga recommended… I still don’t like the other two I tried
Aimee S. says
But the bread LOOKS good from the pics! I’m not opposed to the cilantro not making a strong showing though since I hate it but I do see your point about the veggies being absent from their usual starring role.
Kelly says
Hmm not sure if I’ll check Sau Voi out after this. I find the vegetables to be too essential to be skimped on!Have you tried the banh mi from Republic on Union Square? I ate there today and was shocked by how amazing their grilled beef was.
gigi says
I love banh mi sandwiches. We have a chain here in Northern Ca. called Lee’s Sandwiches which sell all types of sandwiches & other Vietnamese goodies. My fave sandwich is the grilled pork & I always ask for extra cilantro. My really favorite place to get banh mi though is a hole in the wall place but the bread they use is just the right texture & crunch. I did not know they spread lard or what u call Vietnamese mayo in the sandwich.I agree with u though if they don’t put enough veggies in the sandwich I feel cheated.