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| - So I was in the area and decided to try this place out after hearing all the hype.
My "plan of attack" was to try the kimchi fries & the steam bao "sandwich", then if I had space maybe I'd get the banh mi to go and take a bite.
First impressions like a lot of places along Queen St West it was long and deep once you enter, with kitchen/ordering counter in the back.
Have a look at the one inside pic in the photos area, there literally like 6 two seater tables (4 of them put together in twos close to the entrance). Thats all the seating they have and standing bar/ledge to eat for the rest. So don't bother bringing 4-6 people to chow down here and hope to find seating - I hear it gets real busy.
My "plan of attack" failed due to the generous and deceiving looking portions. I'm telling you look at the photo section before going down (which I didnt)...the steam bao sandwich is a good solid portion though it looks deceivingly small -- especially for a guy lol.
I got the fried chicken steamed bao since I read blogTO , bad move...it was moist and krispy but not a game changer. I really liked the steamed bao "bun" its soft and fluffy texture made for a really good bun...and if the filling had gravy it would soak it in real good too. So I suggest being more adventurous with the filling choice...
Onto the saving grace and star of the show....the kimchi fries. This is da sh*t. I was a little apprehensive in ordering it, since I'm not a big kimchi fan .... at least not the hard core kind of kimchi with massive amounts of garlic and chilli sauce.
But to my surprise this was a clash of worlds in terms of taste and texture. Okay get this the kimchi was a lighter version (as I suspected as to not turn away non asian clientele) ; with cool crispy cabbage with hot sauce heat of like say sriracha which is more savory than hot.
For the kimchi think along the lines of pickled veg, now mix in pulled pork with some rich gravy almost like poutine gravy, on warm fries garnished with green onions. This my friends is my new go to comfort food. Its runs along the lines of eating poutine or taco bell fries supreme. Suggestion mix it up good then dig in.
The Kimchi fries are a huge portion too, I was expecting more of side serving in their faux NY Chinese food containers. Its like getting a double order of taco bell fries supreme. Easy for two girls to share this, can serve as a meal for a guy with a good appetite. Oh and they also have old skool glass bottle coke, which for anyone that knows tastes so much better than the canned or plastic bottle kind once ice cold.
I will update the next time I try the actual Banh Mi...I got my eye on the duck confit one.... these guys are taking something traditional and amping it up.
And yeah a shout out to the banh mi that I grew up with (and also being sold at T&T) the Nguyen Huong on 322 Spadina Ave.....still a classic, but no longer a dollar but two now lol.
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