Not to be confused with Saigon Restaurant, this little Snack Shop-Convenience Store-Sandwich Shop resides in the same strip mall as Cam Ky, and right next to, of all things Cafe Dore(which I need to update). So you have two shops serving Banh Mi, right next to each other….and both shops do a pretty brisk business.
This little shop also stocks various Vietnamese snack items, serves Boba and other drinks…and from what I noticed does a good business in Vietnamese Phone Cards and Vietnamese Cigarettes. Who needs 7-11????
A little old lady occupies the area behind the cash register, taking orders, and ringing up purchases. One dozen variations of Banh Mi are offered, any one of which would be a nice remedy for the heat.
On this day I ordered the Banh Mi Dac Biet($3.25):
Thin slices of Lean Pork Sausage and Vietnamese Ham on a medium sized (7-8") baguette. I thought the ratio of meats to pickled vegetables, cucumber, etc, was very good. The baguette had a nice bit of "crackle" but was a tad too doughy. Some richness was provided by the nice "smear" of Pate, which when I tasted had a very pronounced cinnamon flavor. The sliced jalapenos weren’t as searingly hot as what I’m used too. Even the cilantro consisted of more leaves than tough sinewy stems. This was pretty good.
The Banh Mi Thit Nuong (BBQ Pork – $2.75):
As with the Banh Mi Dac Biet, the ratio of ingredients was good. But the BBQ Pork, though very nicely caramelized, really fell short in flavor. Very bland.
Did you notice these sandwiches are nearly sliced in half? You can halve the sandwich with little effort. This gave me an idea….
One of the Guys in the office had never had Banh Mi, so one day, I asked him if he’d like to try some of these sandwiches. Which meant that I could purchase several different sandwiches, and half them with him. Why didn’t I think of this sooner?
The Banh Mi Xiu Mai (Meatball – $2.75):
This Banh Mi featured chopped, moist, "porky" meatballs. The crust of the bread was nice and crusty, if a bit on the dry side. I noticed that the Jalapenos in this bunch of Banh Mi were on the mild side as well.
Banh Mi Ba Chi (Pork Belly aka Vietnamese Bacon – $2.75):
Thin slices of roasted pork belly made this a a slightly chewy sandwich. I didn’t think that there was enough pork belly, the overall flavor was on the mild side.
Banh Mi Cha Lua (Lean Pork Sausage – $2.75):
I described this as being sort of like Bologna to my eating companion….he really didn’t care much for it. I think it was more of a texture thing. I thought the portion size of the sausage was too small to really make much of an impact on the sandwich. This was the one sandwich where the flavor of black pepper and mayo came through. Not bad, but I’ve had better.
I think the sandwiches at Saigon Sandwiches and Deli are pretty good. The bread is always crusty, and they are generous with their pickled vegetables. The prices seem high, but I’ve noticed that the prices for Banh Mi are rising in the area (A Chau’s Banh Mi now top $3). The Little old Lady gets more friendly as she gets to know you. On my last visit, as I was waiting for my order she handed me the shop’s business card, and told me, "next time call ahead, and you won’t have to wait". I’ve also noticed that the shop has a table right outside that is always full of people drinking coffee and other drinks having a good time. so next time you need some Vietnamese Phone Cards….or maybe some Vietnamese Cigarettes, give Saigon
Sandwiches and Deli a try.
Saigon Sandwiches & Deli
4133 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92105
Open Tues-Sun 7am – 5pm