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| - Took a fairly arduous TTC streetcar-during-rush-hour ride after work after reading a number of fairly positive reviews about Banh Mi Boys to see if it was worth all the pork-bellied hype (and to harshly judge if it was truly a foodier version of the tasty $2.00 Banh Mi Ba Le pork subs at Dundas & Spadina).
SInce this was my first visit to BMB, I never got the chance to experience it in its original layout, but I was instantly impressed with the modern, but friendly design of their new renovations. Flat screen menu monitors were a nice touch too. Place is a little small; definitely more of a grab-and-go lunch spot.
As you might've guessed by now, I ordered a 5-Spice Pork Belly Banh Mi, which came out to $7.00, without a drink. Reasonable. But I wasn't expecting a solid 5-10 minute wait and when I was asked how spicy I preferred my sub to be, my Banh Mi artist needed clarification on what "Sriracha" was. A colleague, clearly more experienced in Thai/Vietnamese cuisine quickly corrected her. "Standard hot sauce," he said. True story.
Upon initial sandwich incision, I was instantly caught by the wonderful crunchy/fluffiness of the french baguette, the quality of which is vital to a legit Banh Mi. But it was the fine balance of cilantro, shredded carrots, pickled daikon and the tender, absolutely flavorful pork belly that really did it for me.
Devoured my sub with an unhealthy hastiness on a sunny walk back home through Bellwoods, but all I could think about was how long it would be so I could go back to BMB to try the Kimchi Fries (I am a Kimchi aficionado), one of their steamed slider-buns or perhaps the lemongrass-tofu Banh Mi.
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