I was heading to the I-5 North after filling my tank at Costco early one weekday morning. I decided to head to the I-5 North from Morena, over to Garnet….something I'd usually never do because of the amount of traffic on this street. And that intersection; Garnet and Mission Boulevard is always so crazy. But it was before six in the morning, so things weren't going to be too bad. As I drove towards Mission Boulevard I noticed that Cali Banh Mi, the same folks who took over the former Cali Baguette on Convoy, had just opened a new shop.
So, one evening when the Missus was busy at work I decided to drop on by.
The shop is bright and clean…..
And the menu was quite telling……
With "American Deli Style" Banh Mi……"Cali Bowls"……
And the three surfer dudes sitting and eating….I hadn't heard so many "Bro's" slung around in ages. "Like bro…this sauce…is bro'….so….saucy." "Bro….what is this…meat thing…bro…it tastes funky…."
Anyway, I went ahead and ordered the Dac Biet….which, by the way, was basically the only thing named in Vietnamese on the whole board as far as I remember…..and just four bucks.
This was a nice long baguette……a single thin slice of cha lua and thit nguoi. Now, I'm all about proportion in my banh mi; but man, that tiny smear of pate was very chintzy. Lot's of pickled daikon and carrots though…which were not pickled enough for my taste.
All of this would have been ok; except for that pale, doughy, and dry bread. It was slightly crusty, but only around the edges. What's going on these days, as it seems like these places that bake their own bread have been quite disappointing lately? Are they par-cooking the bread…..has the proofing process changed?
As I usually will do; I went back that weekend in the morning on the way to the office. Though once I walked in…..well….based on my previous banh mi, just didn't know what the heck to order. Since it was breakfast time; I went with the third most expensive banh mi on the menu……the Spam and Egg ($6). The slices of Spam were nicely browned and crisp.
The bread was better this time; but was still too chewy and not crisp/flakey enough for my liking. It was much better than my previous sandwich, though nothing really stood out.
The eggs were scrambled….I'm wondering if they'd even make it "op la" if I asked.
Well, even though this is the closest banh mi shop; I'm not sure I'll return anytime soon. It's fine if you want a sort of Americanized Banh Mi. The prices are reasonable; which I'm sure will draw in folks looking for cheap eats. Folks working here are nice and friendly. Personally, I'd rather go out of my way for a good banh mi…..though they seem to be getting harder to find these days.
Cali Banh Mi
2830 Garnet Ave
San Diego, CA 92109
Hours:
Open Daily 8am – 8pm