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| - There are a slew of Vietnamese Sandwich joints all over the city. Seeing as I was in the north end, I decided to give the place a try on the recommendation of a friend.
The decor is dated and the place a bit run down, but clean. I was there quite early in the morning so they didn't seem to have all the to go items they sell out on display yet. No matter, I was there strictly for the Banh Mi sandwiches.
The entire menu is in Vietnamese, but the lady at the counter was very nice and spoke English.
Banh Mi is a Vietnamese Sandwhich in a French inspired Vietnamese Bun. There are many types, from assorted (deli style cuts of pork), to shredded chicken, to seasoned grilled pork chops. I kept my order simple and stuck to the classic assorted sandwich.
The sandwich is layered with pâté on the bottom, butter on the top, 3 types of pork (sliced), and topped with a carrot and radish mix, cucumber, cilantro and chili peppers if you like it spicy. Like many places now, the radish all but disappeared from the carrot/radish mix. This part was a bit disappointing, but radish tends to sour more quickly, so if you're turnover is not high enough, there's a lot of waste.
Vietnamese Bread is my favourite. Inspired by the French when they occupied Vietnam, it's light and crispy on the outside and soft and tender on the inside. The crust is not nearly as hard as a baguette, rather it's thin and crispy. The inside is not chewy or doughy at all, just absolutely delicious!
Over the years, Banh Mi has cheapened to the point that it's no longer worth buying, but if you have that craving, you're just going to have to pay the piper. Most places will allow you to double up the meat for $1 for all you carnivores out there. While the meats are pretty standard, and the ingredients of every sandwich consistent, the true rating comes down to the bread.
The bread at Banh MI Que Huong is fresh and meets my standards for how Vietnamese bread should be as I noted above. 3,5 stars. However, as I've also mentioned above, over the years, the sandwich as a whole has degraded while the price has increased. Hence 3 stars overall for Banh Mi Que Huong.
If you would like to experience more, come dine-with-me.yelp.com I'd love to have your company... Bon Appétit!
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