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| - Ok everyone will talk about pho because it is like the hamburger of Vietnam.
So I'm gonna rave about all the other stuff.
1: Shai is hella awesome. He really takes pride in his work and you can tell because when he asks how everything was, he's really asking how everything was.
2: Get the freaking Banh Mi. Get the banh mi. Get it. Now.
I'm going to assume from the domination of pho reviews that a lot of people in CU haven't been converted yet to this most awesome ambrosia of Asia. It's basically a Vietnamese hoagie (I cringe too as I type that): the bastard child of the French occupation of Vietnam that grows up to be a beautiful, exotic Helen of Troy. A banh mi baguette is made with rice flour which gives a fragrant papery aroma (versus the yeasty aroma of French baguettes), a delicate crackly crust and a softly chewy interior. It's filled with any combination of ingredients that reflect the Vietnamese talent for marrying flavors (who else can make something taste hot, cool, spicy, succulent, crunchy and meaty at the same time?).
Xinh Xinh's banh mi is effing great! It's not the behemoth banh mi of SF (which are the size of a Fat Sandwich sandwich) but it's the perfect size for a meal.
I'll confess that when I go in, I order five sandwiches. Because this place brings out the glutton in me.
Shai changes up the menu as well so there are daily specials and new sandwiches to put into my five-sandwich rotation.
For starters, I'd go with the B1 (classic), the beef with papaya salad (different), the chicken (comforting) or... well, you see how this gets out of hand.
Moving on before I drool more and short out my keyboard.
3.) The appetizers are also awesome. Hands down the BEST spring rolls in town. Yes, beating out any of the Thai restaurants. I'm partial to the pork one that has some kind of wonderful crunchy stick.
I also tend to add both kinds of spring rolls on top of those five sandwiches.
4.) There is some really cool and unusual stuff on the menu for adventurous foodies. There's nothing more thrilling than finding someone in CU who know's what's up and would rather go balls-to-the-wall than play it safe. I'm talking about the egg soda. Not an egg creme soda. An egg soda. Bubble tea is all well and good but... EGG SODA!!
This is the only restaurant that I will trek to Urbana to. On the days when I roll out of bed too late to make it there (they are open til ten pm Mon - Sat), I go hungry because I know anything else will be a disappointment. I love this place. If I could live there and eat their banh mi forever, I'd be a very happy girl.
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