Category: Banh Mi

Saturday Stuffs – Dubu San Diego Tofu Company Going into the old Ajisen Space and Banh Mi Express Temporarily Closed Until August 4th

Banh Mi, Korean Restaurants, Vietnamese Restaurants

So here are a couple of things that good “FOYs” recently mentioned to me.

Dubu San Diego Tofu Company Going into the old Ajisen Space:

In the comments of my most recent “where on the road” post, Elle mentioned that Dubu San Diego was taking over the old Ajisen space on Clairemont Mesa. I needed to go to 99 Ranch Market so I passed by the location and the signage is up.

Elle also mentioned that their Rancho Bernardo location has already opened. You can read more on their Instagram. It looks like they have a variety of dishes….which is good, since I don’t know about you….but I’m not really in the mood for Soon Dubu with this current heat wave!

7398 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92111

Banh Mi Express Temporarily Closed Until August 4th:

A couple of weeks back Sage sent me an email letting me know that Banh Mi Express was temporarily closed until August 4th. I always appreciate these emails as with the warm weather, Banh Mi is definitely on the list. I stopped by and took a look on my way to a different sandwich spot recently.

And yes, they are temporarily closed….does not state a reason though.

Banh Mi Express
9353 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92123

So there you go! Hope everyone is keeping nice and cool this weekend!

And thanks so much to Elle and Sage for letting me know about these happenings! I appreciate the time you both take out to let me know!

The ViNam Cafe (Rolando)

Bakery, Banh Mi

I’m not quite sure who mentioned ViNam Cafe to me? But it’s definitely Banh Mi “season” for me right now as temps are starting to rise and I found myself in Rolando. So, I decided to figure out where ViNam was. I finally found the little shop on the ground floor of a mixed use apartment on ECB just East of College. I found some parking on ECB and walked over and discovered that the shop has it’s own small, but dedicated parking lot.

It was fairly early on a weekend morning and the little shop was quite sedate. Folks were just getting coffee while I was looking for my banh mi brekkie!

Just one nice young lady working.

Looking over the food, it was apparent that this is one of those “new” places and the menu has no Vietnamese names…other than banh mi.

I went with the Banh Mi Pate Cha or perhaps Dac Biet Cold Cut ($9). And it’s an interesting sign of the times as the nine dollar price didn’t faze me at all. Another thing that was different from other places is that the very nice young lady was doing everything….taking orders, making all the drinks, answering the phone, and of course making my banh mi. If this is usually the case, I wouldn’t be in a hurry when you visit. My banh mi took over twenty minutes, but I’m not going to complain too much since that young lady was working hard!

Man, this banh mi felt pretty hefty.

And upon opening…..yeesh…even heftier than Avian or Banh Mi Express!

Three stacked slices of cha lua, two of nem nuong….though the flavor of that was nullified by that thick smear of pate….not that I’m complaining mind you. This was definitely pate forward in flavor.

The pickled veggies were really cut thick…a bit too thick for my enjoyment, but that’s splitting hairs. There were not one; but two slices of cucumber in this so you won’t find me complaining about that. A nice cross slice of jalapeno with some decent spice.

My least favorite item was the bread, the crust was hard and the bread was overly chewy.

Overall, not a bad banh mi, the proportion was off for my taste….though I might be the only customer who would ever complain about too much meat? If the bread situation is just an aberration (I understand they make their own bread) than this would indeed be a nice, slightly Westernized banh mi. I’m thinking this is great for the students at SDSU.

The ViNam Cafe
6150 El Cajon Blvd. Suite A
San Diego, CA 92115
Current Hours:
Mon – Fri 630am – 6pm
Saturday 7am – 9pm
Sunday 7am – 6pm

Road Trip – Lam Watah Nature Trail to Nevada Beach (Stateline) and Lotus Pho (South Lake Tahoe)

Banh Mi, Dog Friendly, Lake Tahoe, Nevada, Road Trip, Travel, Vietnamese Restaurants

After our morning hike and lunch at My Thai, we settled in for a nice nap. Upon awakening, we decided to drive across the border into Stateline and right up the 50 to the Lam Watah Nature Trail. It’s a nice, easy, mostly paved trail that takes you thru a meadow area.

Past Jennings Pond.

And then thru a forested area.

You end at Nevada Beach. I had read that there’s a portion of the beach on the south side that was dog friendly. And we found signage that indicated where it was.

And we simply followed the “paw-steps”.

Until we ended up at an area near the dock where pups and people were having a good time.

And JJ made a new friend!

After JJ was done frolicking, we headed back past the campground and back onto the trail.

Heading back to the hotel, we showered up and relaxed for a bit. When it came time for dinner; we decided to get something simple. All the restaurants in Heavenly Village seemed very toursity and the very popular Base Camp Pizza had a super long line.

On the previous evening, I noticed a Vietnamese Restaurant right next to South Lake Brewing Company, which seemed to have outdoor tables. So, we walked on over and yes, the restaurant named Lotus Pho did have outdoor seating.

We weren’t too hungry and it felt too hot for pho; so we just ordered some Spring Rolls ($10.50) and a Grilled Pork Banh Mi ($13.95)…..yes, it was nearly fourteen bucks for a banh mi…but heck, this is Lake Tahoe, right?

The Spring Rolls were basically stuffed with the wrappers stretched and contents under pressure. Did not look very photogenic.

Huge amount of vermicelli noodles and lettuce….no mint or cilantro in sight. The wrapper was super chewy, the peanut sauce on the sweeter side.

Lots of proteins…the pork was decently flavored though chewy, the shrimp had been cooked decently.

I kinda thought that Lotus Pho would be very “gringo-fied” and looking over the menu added to my suspicions. The only options for the banh mi was grilled chicken or grilled pork.

The pork had been seasoned decently…more like pseudo teriyaki; missing savory tones, and on the sweeter side. It was toothsome, but not overly tough. There was even cucumber in this! The pickled veggies were fine; if shredded a bit thinly. Nice amount of cilantro and the peppers did have a nice kick. There was a nice layer of pate as well, a pleasant surprise as I didn’t expect much.

The bread was very dough and not really a banh mi…..closer to a French loaf in my opinion. It lacked the yeastiness, but due to the density was quite filling.

Overall, a fairly westernized Vietnamese restaurant though I’ve had worse.

Lotus Pho
4000 Lake Tahoe Blvd. Suite 25
South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150

Paris Sandwiches Opens in the Midway District

Banh Mi, Vietnamese Restaurants

I recently heard that Paris Sandwiches opened on Midway Drive in Point Loma. Since we’ve been having some unseasonably warm weather and I do enjoy the banh mi at their Mira Mesa location, I decided to check the place out. I thought the address looked somewhat familiar and when I arrived….well, the shop is located right next to the Homestyle Hawaiian location on Midway and in the same strip mall as Pho Little Saigon! It’s been a while since I’d been around here……

On this morning there was a lot of parking available. I walked on in and quickly took a look at the menu board……checking prices….

I’m used to seeing Banh Mi in the eight-nine dollar range at many places, so it was good to see that most here are under eight bucks. There doesn’t seem to be a “Point Loma mark-up” going on.

I ordered my “usual” at PS, the Cha Lua ($7.45), from the nice young woman. My sandwich was ready in a few minutes and I was headed home.

Opening the banh mi at home was an “interesting” experience. As you can see….it wasn’t the Cha Lua!

Hmmm…..perhaps the young lady misheard me….perhaps it’s grand opening jitters? That’s fine, this looked like the Thit Nuong, even though it was almost sausage like in texture. I didn’t see nem nuong on the menu and this didn’t have the flavor profile of “NN”.

The pork is on the sweeter side, but perfectly fine. The amount of pickled veggies and cilantro was generous. I was also happy that this wasn’t overly mayo’ed.

The jalapenos this time around wasn’t too spicy….so no “pepper roulette” going on.

My least favorite item was the bread which has historically been a strong point for me at their other locations.

The banh mi was doughy and chewy; lacking in the crustiness that I enjoy in a typical banh mi.

Well, at least I gave the place a try. I’ll return in a few months and hopefully the banh mi will be like what I’m used to at their Mira Mesa location. I’m thinking, other than the crazy traffic coming off that Rosecrans exit; this might be a more convenient location for me. And heck, I guess I’ll need to do a PL Banh Mi comparison one of these days, right?

Paris Sandwiches
3445 Midway Dr.
San Diego, CA 92110

Banh Mi Express Revisited

Banh Mi, Sandwiches, Vietnamese Restaurants

After my last, rather mediocre revisit to Banh Mi Hoi An, I was wondering how some of my “old favorites” were doing. A few days later I found my self driving on Clairemont Mesa near the I-15 and decided to grab something for lunch. It had been a while since I’d visited Banh Mi Express, so I decided to grab a Banh Mi.

Interesting thing about Banh Mi Express; much like Banh Mi Hoi An they’ve decided to forgo the Vietnamese names of the offerings. I guess it’s the customer base?

This had me wondering how the Pate “Meat Loaf” (aka Cha Lua), now priced at $8.49 (previously $7.75 in April) would be. The woman working was very mellow and sweet.

As for the Banh Mi?

The bread was yeasty, a bit denser than I recall, but enjoyably crusty.

Unlike my previous visit; there was a good amount of pickled veggies this time around. Unfortunately, like my previous visit; there’s still no cucumber. **** I stand corrected – the cucumber detective is correct; there is a thin slice right above the cha lua! Nice slice of jalapeno, which was kind of mellow and a decent amount of cilantro.

Unlike Banh Mi Hoi An, there was a generous amount of funky-earthy-savory pate, which really “drove” the sandwich. In fact, in this case it really got close to too much of a good thing!

Still, I’m not complaining! Still among my favorite Banh Mi in San Diego.

Banh Mi Express
9353 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92123
Current Hours:
Mon – Fri 7am – 4pm
Saturday  8am – 3pm
Closed on Sundays

Banh Mi Hoi An Revisited

Banh Mi, Vietnamese Restaurants

The series of posts on Banh Mi shops that I did this past summer had me wondering how places like Banh Mi Hoi An, which I last visited over 7 (!!!) years ago were doing. So, on my way back from Liberty Station I decided to stop by.

The place is starting to look a bit dated and the tables looked kinda dusty….good thing I was just getting a banh mi to go. The young lady working seemed a bit distracted by something, though I was the only customer.

I decided on getting the “Special”….which would probably be called the Dac Biet at traditional banh mi shops since they don’t have Banh Mi Pate Cha on their menu. Yes, I’ve always considered Hoi An to be a more “westernized” Vietnamese shop.

The dac biet Hoi An Special is now priced at $8.95, which is pretty much in line with places like Avian. Like I mentioned, I was the only person in the place, but it took over 30 minutes for my Banh Mi?

I would say that places like Avian, Banh Mi Express, and Saigon Sandwiches are a step above Hoi An. I’m sure location and demographics have something to do with things.

As for the sandwich, the bread was crusty, but strangely chewy. The proteins were sliced quite thin and the “pate”…well, there wasn’t much of it and the sandwich had too much mayo.

The pickled daikon and carrots were on the sweeter side and pretty much nullified the proteins; though I did appreciate the decent amount of cilantro and slices of Jalapenos.

Overall, a Banh Mi not to offend…kind of westernized, I felt that proportions of ingredients were off. ‘Nuff said.

As I noted in my previous post all those years ago: “The banh mi here isn’t bad. It just isn’t worth going out of your way for.” Well, at least in my opinion, they are consistent……

Banh Mi Hoi An
3145 Rosecrans St
San Diego, CA 92110

Saigon Sandwiches & Deli Revisited

Banh Mi, Vietnamese Restaurants

Well, though it's been a while, I hadn't intended on revisiting Saigon Sandwiches & Deli….which kind of always slips my mind. I intended on checking out Da Nang Restaurant and Coffee which had replaced the longstanding Cafe Dore in the strip mall on the south corner of University and Marlborough. This was actually my second try as the first time went at the researched 830 am opening time and the place was closed. This time, I went at 930am in the morning and guess what….sigh…..the place was closed.

Since I was kinda hungry, I just decided to head into Saigon Sandwiches & Deli.

Saigon Sand Rev 01

It had been a while and the place looks like it's been renovated a bit.

Saigon Sand Rev 02

The Banh Mi Pate Cha is priced at $7.99 here; pretty much in the typical range for banh mi these days.

Took the banh mi home and unwrapped it.

Saigon Sand Rev 03

It looked pretty darn good. The bread here is always on the crusty side; but I'm not complaining. There's a butteriness to the bread as well. The generous amount pickled veggies were really thick and somewhat cumbersome. Lot's of cilantro…..mostly leaves, which I appreciated. Of course, no cucumber. The jalapenos on this banh mi was spicy!

Saigon Sand Rev 04

Good amount on nicely sliced cha lua and a nice smear of funky pate. 

I actually enjoyed this banh mi…..I'm not sure why I keep forgetting about this place. I need to visit more often.

And well, with the way my luck is going with regards to finding Da Nang Restaurant and Coffee open….at least I have a back-up option, right? I'll probably give the place another try…..but three strikes and I'm going to forget about it. Maybe "FOY" Elle knows what's up with Da Nang? As for Saigon Sandwiches….I need to make sure to have the place on my typical banh mi "rotation".

Saigon Sandwiches & Deli
4133 University Ave.
San Diego, CA 92105
Current Hours:
Open Daily 7am – 8pm

Ba Le French Sandwich Shop (City Heights) 17 Years Later

Banh Mi, Vietnamese Restaurants

As has happens several times over the last few years, a conversation I overheard keyed a revisit to a place I hadn't been to in years. In this case the discussion was on "Vietnamese Sandwiches" and wondering how those sandwiches were at "Bail"…..yes, that's the way they pronounced it "Bail". Which had me wondering where this was….and all of a sudden it hit me…no, the spirit of the late "King" Stahlman wasn't resurrected in the form of a sandwich shop (are you humming "that tune" now?)…nope, I'm certain they were talking about Ba Le. And in retrospect, it had been a while since I'd been to Ba Le, especially the "OG" City Heights location….17 years! Yikes!

So, 17 years later I set out to finally revisit the University Avenue location of Ba Le and the horrendous parking….well, it's not really a "lot", but a couple of designated, very tight spaces. I actually parked on Winona and walked over. 

Ba Le Rev 01

Upon entering, I noticed that not much has changed over the years….it does look quite worse for wear, but the "double sign" with the available banh mi in Vietnamese on one side and the English translation on the other is still in place. Along with the prices written in black marker.

Ba Le Rev 02

Ba Le Rev 02a

The Banh Mi Pate Cha is now $7.25, it was $2.75 the last time I visited. The older gentleman took my order, I paid (it's cash only) and I headed on back to my car and then homeward.

Ba Le Rev 03a  Ba Le Rev 04  The bread was much better than I recalled, crusty, though still a bit under toasted and on the chewy side. It used to be a lot worse before. 

Two crosswise slices of cucumber…well, at least there was cucumber in this, two long strands of cilantro, and some pickled carrots and daikon. And yes, the pickled veggies are still on the sweeter side for my taste. 

A bit too much mayo for my taste, thin slices of cha lua. But one of the main reasons for my returning was that the pate here was super earthy-funky-sweet. I recall "FOY" TFD telling me that it was made inhouse. Not sure if that's still true….but there was a certain bass line playing in my head after taking a few bites. I'm sure "FOY" and fellow food blogger/musician Denver would be most happy to translate it for you!

Bass Line Play That Funky Music

This was a pretty good Banh Mi overall…perhaps time and many Banh Mi has given me a bit more appreciation for it. Another thing is that Ba Le, the location that opened in Honolulu back in the early 80's in Chinatown was the first place I remember having a Banh Mi, so there's some history. I recall getting Banh Mi from the ever moving Ba Le locations in Linda Vista over the years, until they finally left for good. Though I've never had much luck at the Mira Mesa locations.

Ba Le Rev 00

Don't know if it would be my first choice for banh mi these days; but it was a nice little blast from the past!

Ba Le French Sandwich Shop
4879 University Ave.
San Diego, CA 92105
Current Hours:
Daily 8am – 5pm

Happy Monday everyone!

Cali Baguette Express (City Heights) Revisited

Banh Mi, Vietnamese Restaurants

After my less than satisfying revisit to K Sandwiches, I decided to head on over to Cali Baguette Express, the City Heights location, not the Mira Mesa location, which I really haven't ever really enjoyed. Way back in May of 2008 when I did my first posts on Cali Baguette Express, my first thoughts was that this is what K Sandwiches could be. Eventually, the place expanded, with a location on Convoy, which eventually became Cali Banh Mi (I'm sure there's a story there). My visits to both the location on Garnet and the Convoy location have really not been satisfying.

Well, enough of that; it was time for a banh mi.

Cali Bag Express Rev 01

Over time, the menu at CBE sure has expanded, with everything from pho/bun, to plates of grilled pork and such. Of course, I was here for the banh mi.

Cali Bag Express Rev 02

I ordered my usual Banh Mi Pate Cha which is now $7.50, pretty much the going rate for banh mi these days. A quick check on my last visit in November of 2021 reveals a price of $5.

I could see that the bread was still being baked inhouse.

Cali Bag Express Rev 04

I placed my order with the very nice young lady and took a look around the shop while I waited. My goodness, all the tchotchkes!

Cali Bag Express Rev 03

Once ready, I got my sandwich and headed home.

Cali Bag Express Rev 05  Cali Bag Express Rev 06  I must have hit the lottery on this day, because the bread was still slightly warm. It was yeasty and somewhat "crackly". Maybe the best bread I've had here.

And the banh mi had that ever so elusive item these days, an actual slice of cucumber. Not as much pickled veggies as before, but acceptable. The cilantro featured mostly leaves, which I was pleased about, though it was piled in the center of the sandwich. I went and spread it out. One of the two slices of jalapeno was fairly potent.

There used to be four slices of cha lua across the sandwich, but on this day I counted three. Yes, I know, who the heck counts the slices of meat in a banh mi….I guess I do. Even though you can't really see it, there was a light smear of pate, which I could actually taste.

Cali Bag Express Rev 00

Overall, not a super stuffed sandwich, which I kind of enjoyed. While I think CBE has been surpassed by other banh mi shops in the past few years, it's still not a bad option in my mind

I've been having fun revisiting all these banh mi shops….I hope you're enjoying these posts!

Cali Baguette Express
5125 El Cajon Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92115
Current Hours:
Daily 6am – 8pm

Circling Back to K Sandwiches

Banh Mi, Vietnamese Restaurants

In my post on revisiting A-Chau and Avian, "FOY" Franklin asked if I'd be doing a post on K Sandwiches, or as he calls it "De-K Sandwiches". Funny thing, but I had just revisited a couple of days before. Funny thing, though Cathy has done a number of posts on K Sandwiches over the years. I've only posted on the place once, nearly 20 years ago! Yeeesh…. My reason being that I've found the product at K to be not to my liking. I've had banh mi from there several times since; mostly takeout when our offices were in Serra Mesa and Kearny Mesa, but still hadn't really enjoyed the banh mi. But I felt it was time to head on back. Especially since I had been doing my "rounds" of banh mi shops in recent months.

The parking lot was quite busy on this day and the shop bustling with customers.

K Sandwiches Rev 01

There was a short line to order….I quickly noted that other than the employees, I was the only Asian in the place? The folks manning the counter were quite cheerful. 

I ordered the Pate Cha Lua ($7.25). I got a chuckle thinking about RD's comment on my recent post on Paris Sandwiches recalling the price of a banh mi a K being $1.99. Those were the days!

K Sandwiches Rev 02  K Sandwiches Rev 03 Even though K bakes their own baguette, I had never been a real fan of their bread which I'd found to be on "mealy" side. On this day, it was better than what I recalled, though still lacking in the yeasty end of the flavor spectrum and over baked and on the harder side.

The fillings were done haphazardly. Thin slices of cha lua are fine with me; it's all about proportion. In this case the thin slices of cha lua are lining the top and bottom; except that slices are missing from the bottom third of the sandwich. As expected, no cucumber.  Hardly any pickled radish and carrots. Ditto the pate. There was one slice of jalapeno locted at one end of the banh mi. The cilantro was mostly stems.

K Sandwiches Rev 04

In my opinion, a very poorly made banh mi. Kind of sad, since this is a family run operation, though "FOY" Vi mentioned that the family learned how to make bread from the owners of Lee's and were going to open a franchise here. But decided to open their own shop instead.

Really not my top choice in the area when I want a banh mi; though they are super popular and bustling. And they've lasted nearly 20 years so they must be doing something right.

K Sandwiches
7604 Linda Vista Rd.
San Diego, CA 92111
Current Hours:
Mon – Sat  730am – 6pm
Sunday      8am – 6pm