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| - This is a solid banh mi. I've had the drunken beef, pork belly, chicken, and kho bo. The bread is excellent, though much denser than traditional banh mi if that's what you're accustomed to. The beef options are my favorites, with the drunken beef boasting a tangy flavor from white wine. The kho bo is rich and warming, and comes as a large bowl of beef and carrot stew with a plain baguette. I really appreciated that the staff accommodated my request for a side of the veggies (cilantro, cucumber, carrot) that go on the other sandwiches. While they don't normally go with kho bo, I liked having them to make my own little sandwiches. The bubble teas are very good with ample bubbles, and the staff is very friendly when taking often long phone orders for my coworkers and I.
I have to say that I'm not totally wild about their pickled carrots. Everywhere else I've had banh mi, the carrots are julienned so that they maintain some crunch. Often they are mixed with daikon which adds even more taste and textural variety. However, here the carrots are shredded very finely, and they lose much of their appealing crunch. Not a deal breaker but they could really improve the whole sandwich. Also, on several sandwiches I've had tastes of fish sauce that were unexpected. The menu states that it comes on the pork belly, which is fine, but there was an overwhelming amount that drowned out the other flavors. On other sandwiches that don't claim to be topped with fish sauce, I've tasted it on random bites, almost like it was on a utensil and got transferred. Again, I'm fine with fish sauce and understand that it's a vital Vietnamese ingredient, but if it's going to be used uncooked in its most pungent form, I'd like to know in advance.
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