I had to do some shopping at Thuan Phat Market and was feeling a bit hungry. It had been quite a while since I'd had the Banh Mi from Avian Sandwiches and Water. In fact, I believe the place was still named Flavaful Yogurt/Avian Water at that time. The fro-yo side of the business is long gone though.
As I walked toward the shop I noticed several gentleman sitting facing the front of the store and then noticed that they have a television facing the parking lot, so folks can watch from outside of the place! Funny thing. Though I'm quite used to the Vietnamese Men "doing coffee" thing…..I don't ever recall seeing them watching Paw Patrol before, which is what was streaming at the time I entered the shop.
The shop is, well….they do pack things in pretty tight. With all the lottery stuff posted everywhere; it seems that it's a big part of the business here as I saw fours guys come in to buy lottery tickets while I waited for my sandwich.
Because of how tight things were in the shop, I waited outside for my Banh Mi Dac Biet now priced at $6.95. It took about 15 minutes for my sandwich, after which I headed home.
The bread seemed to be at that overly dry, almost stale stage as it was quite crumbly and hard. Check out all the cilantro, that wedge of cucumber, and all those pickled veggies! I guess they wanted to make I was getting my daily allowance here! Of course that threw the balance of the banh mi off a bit. The jalapenos weren't overly spicy, the pate nice and funky, the Cha Lua sliced super thin, and the Thịt Nguoi standard issue.
This was ok, but not something I'd go out of my way for.
Avian Sandwiches & Fresh Drinking Water
6937 Linda Vista Rd.
San Diego, CA 92111
Hours:
Daily 8am – 7pm
On an interesting note, while waiting for my sandwich I saw the hours posted which threw me off at first…..
Sun-Mon 8am – 7pm…….but open 7 Days????
weird sign…
They probably got the sign backwards! Mon – Sun!
Silly Americans. Sunday is the start of each week. ;P
Kinda funny Kat!
So maybe they should fix it Junichi? Though that sign and the older dudes watching Paw Patrol was pretty funny!
And is Monday the end of it P? ;o)
Those men were hanging out in the parking lot during the shutdown. Now I guess they’re back but outside the door? LOL
Well, there are several groups TFD. Outside Pho Hoa, outside the market in the parking lot, and outside watching Paw Patrol! ;o)
Speaking of banh mi, I had one at Ba Le in Mira Mesa. I hadn’t been there in a long time, but my sister-in-law likes their sandwiches. It was better than I had remembered, but I would say Phuong Nga was better (albeit more expensive). I also saw the banner for Pho Lucky, which you mention in a newer post.
I need to my “Banh Mi” rounds again Sandy!