Category: Banh Mi

Well, I'm going thru a bit of sticker shock…..I recently paid $23 for a bowl of ramen, yikes! And then I dined at a kind of hipster sushi place for lunch and the menu prices really got my attention; though I did eventually get the sashimi lunch combo which was priced at……yep $23, same as the ramen? What is going on here?

To calm down, I decided to get a Banh Mi wondering what prices were going to be like. Here's what I found.

Avian Sandwiches:

During my shopping rounds I wanted some breakfast and strangely enough there's a real shortage of places that open early in the Kearny Mesa area, though I understand that Banh Mi Express now opens at 8am. Still, it had been a while since I last visited Avian Sandwiches (remember when they were just a water and fro-yo shop?) I stopped by on my way to Nijiya which opens at 9, getting there around 845 on a Saturday.

There seems to be several groups of "coffee old-timers" who hang out in this strip mall; the group who hang in front of Avian and those who do Pho Hoa Huong. Anyway, the interior of the shop still seems packed to the gills with snacks, lottery stuffs, water, and various knick-knacks.

I decided on the Banh Mi Nem Nuong ($7.95). I believe this has gone up $1 since my last visit. I found a corner to hide in while I waited for my sandwich which was ready quite quickly.

Once at home, I opened up my sandwich.

This seemed fairly hefty.

Splitting the halves, I was shocked at the amount of pickled veggies!

Also, the position of the nem nuong…perhaps my mouth isn't big enough, but it was impossible to get everything in one bite at the middle of the sandwich, you'd get the pickled veggies and the really potent jalapeno, but no pork. Things got better as you worked your way to the ends. Glad to actually have cucumber in my banh mi which seems to be a rarity these days. 

The bread was on the dry and crusty side, but better than what I'd had last time. Too many stems from the cilantro, I prefer mostly leaves. A bit heavy handed on the aioli, but at least it was spread evenly and helped when getting a mouth of pickled veggies, cucumber, and jalapeno. The nem nuong seemed to have been seared, enhancing the sweet-porkiness.

To me a certain proportion of protein to veggies to bread is important and this was a bit off.

Avian Sandwiches & Fresh Drinking Water
6937 Linda Vista Rd.
San Diego, CA 92111
Current Hours:
Daily 8am – 7pm

This sandwich had me kind of wondering what was going on in terms of banh mi, so I decided to head on over to one of my newer favorites, Paris Sandwiches, which just opened in Mira Mesa a little over a year ago. So, I decided to head on over and grab a Banh Mi Nem Nuong here as well.

Paris Sandwiches:

Like Avian, there are a bunch of guys hanging out on the tables to the side of the shop.

The Banh Mi Nem Nuong is now $7.05, it was $6.75 last July. I walked up to the counter and placed my order, then retreated to the counter to wait.

On a funny note, the gal who brought the sandwich to the counter called out my number….in Vietnamese! After trying a couple of times, she called out "39", I cracked up and walked on over to pick my sandwich up. She also had a nice laugh as well. As did the woman standing next to me, who laughingly said; "no, you don't look Vietnamese!"

I know where the bread is baked, thus know what to expect in that category.

The bread this time around was really light and crackly….like so flakey it exploded upon my first bite! I actually found "baguette shrapnel" in the pocket of my shirt later that evening!

This sandwich was more balanced in terms of ingredients, though I missed the cucumber and the jalapeno was not nearly as hot as Avian's version. It was also put together so you could get all of the ingredients in each bite,

I did like the nem nuong from Avian better and the cucumber, but in terms of bread and proportion of ingredients, I though Paris won out.

Paris Sandwiches
10606 Camino Ruiz
San Diego, CA 92126
Current Hours:
Mon – Fri  730am – 630pm
Saturday   730am – 6pm
Closed on Sundays

This was fun little comparison. I should do them a bit more often. This brought back some fond memories if doing a Mira Mesa banh mi comparison over a decade ago and that when I did my very first Banh Mi post back in 2005, the Banh Mi Thit Nuong cost $2.50! Yikes…..

I was driving on Clairemont Mesa Boulevard when I noticed a Grand Opening sign. It was on the shop that was Phuong Nga Bakery and Cafe. Heck, I didn't even know that Phuong Nga had closed. So I headed into the parking lot to take a look.

The sign read "Banh Mi Express". Well it was nearly lunch time, so I decided to walk in and get me a Banh Mi.

They had taken out all of the tables from one side of the place, but the interior looks basically the same.

I just decided to get the Dac Biet….which well….it's the "Banh Mi Special" on the menu. It $7.59, which is sixty cents more than what it cost during my last visit to Phuong Nga Bakery and Cafe.

I recognized the young man working and had a brief chat. He told me that yes, the shop has new owners, they still bake their own bread fresh, and that the place is not associated with another "express"; Banh Mi Paris Express.

Here's the Banh Mi Dac Biet.

 Well, this is about the same as Phuong Nga. The bread is very crusty which I like, though a bit more chewy than I prefer. These days, many banh mi shops don't even include cucumber in their sandwiches; but it's present here. The jalapeno was pretty mellow on this sandwich. Of course, one of my pet peeves; the cilantro was mostly stems….I already floss daily; I don't need to have my sandwich doing it as well. The proteins are sliced on the thicker side and there are less pickled veggies than before. What I really liked about this sandwich was the amount of pate. Upon biting, the pate basically  oozed out…a funky, earthy, creamy, savory "puss" of the most delicious sort.

In terms of proportion and bread, I do prefer Paris Sandwiches, but Banh Mi Express is my favorite in the area. So, it looks like things are about the same as Phuong Nga Bakery and Cafe. And that'll do just fine for me. And I'm glad they are open on Saturdays as well.

Banh Mi Express
9353 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92123
Current Hours:
Mon – Fri    7am – 5pm
Saturday    10am – 3pm
Closed Sundays

Man, did some one flip the "summer switch" or what? I was actually planning on doing my post on Kitakata Ramen Ban Nai last night but it was just too hot to even think about ramen. So, I thought perhaps I'd do it today….but after stewing in my juices (literally) I decided to just put off that post until next week. I think folks would enjoy a post on ramen more when (if?) the weather is a bit cooler or at least when we're at the point where we've grown a bit more used to the heat.

Of course the rather warm weather has changed my eating habits a bit……..so here's what I've had for lunch this week.

Tadian Café:

It had been a while since I've had a sandwich from Tadian. The fact that they open at 9am is convenient as is the fact that an online order can be placed with no service fee. So, I can order online and head on over and pick up my sandwich in no time at all. As always, my sandwich was waiting on the counter when I arrived. The young lady who works here is always smiling and friendly.

As before, I got the Thai Roast Beef ($10.75), on which I requested jalapenos and extra toasted (no charge), and avocado ($1.25).

I removed my fairly hefty sandwich from the package and quickly noticed the, ahem, "skid marks".

And yes, the bread at the bottom of the sandwich, even though I ordered it extra toasted was saturated. The sandwich is quite "bready", so the addition of jalapenos really adds some umph. I enjoyed the interplay of the creamy avocado and the pickled, banh mi-ish veggies. Also enjoy the cucumber, though I wish there was more cilantro on this. I can barely make out the "peanut sauce" used on the sandwich.

Like I noted previously, this is almost like a bready, pseudo banh mi. I think I'll pass on the mayo next time.

Tadian Cafe
5955 Mira Mesa Blvd. 
San Diego, CA 92121

Paris Sandwiches:

I know, I just posted on Paris Sandwiches two months ago. I actually drove to the area thinking that I'd do some takeout from Ngon Ngon. But when I got out of my vehicle it felt so darn hot that I turned right instead of left and headed on over to Paris Sandwiches.

For some reason, some nem nuong sounded good to me so I ordered the Nem Nuong Banh Mi ($6.75). 

    I enjoyed that the bread was airy, crusty, and slightly yeasty. The bright and acidic pickled veggies pared well with the good amount of cilantro which was mostly leaves…having a banh mi full of cilantro stems is a pet peeve of mine. There were two slices of sinus clearing jalapenos in the sandwich. I enjoyed the savory, slightly sour, nem nuong, which also had a nice slightly chewy-meaty texture.

I'm appreciating the consistency of the banh mi at Paris. Heck, I may have just found my new favorite banh mi shop in San Diego!

Paris Sandwiches
10606 Camino Ruiz
San Diego, CA 92126

I hope everyone is keeping cool and staying hydrated!

Back in June of last year, I noticed that a place named "Paris Sandwiches" was opening up next to LHK in Mira Mesa. When I did a quick check on the listed URL a familiar name came up. Yes, Paris Sandwiches is under the auspices of Paris Bakery, an old favorite of mine. Paris Bakery and wholesale Le Chef Bakery produces the bread for many Banh Mi shops in San Diego. So, I'd know exactly where they are getting their bread from, right? To digress, I actually had someone send me an email regarding a really "special" Banh Mi I made and posted on over 15 years ago! Read it if you dare. I guess nothing disappears on the Internet?

Anyway, the shop opened back in January and I finally got around to visiting in between recent trips.

It's a simple counter set-up with a couple of tables and chairs outside. On both of my visits, the young lady working was very nice.

And yes, this is 2023, thus I didn't expect a $3.50 Banh Mi like I used to get at the ECB location, but I was glad that none of the Banh Mi's were in the $9 range!

Since JeffP was in the office on this day, I decided to order two sandwiches, the Dac Biet ($7.25) and the Bi ($6.75).

I got back to the office and split things up for us.

    First off, the bread was as I recalled from the "old school" location, crusty and fairly dense, with some yeastiness.

The Bnh Mi was much more "stuffed" than the versions I've had from the ECB location. And man, the jalapenos in all the sandwiches were no joke. The folks making the sandwich tend to bunch them together, so I learned to do a quick check. The pickled veggies were crisp and the flavor quite "bright".

The proteins were good, I especially enjoyed the generous portion of the funky-offally pate.

In my opinion, this was the better of the two sandwiches.

 I did find the ratio of Bi (pork skin) to be kind of small compared to the amount of pickled veggies and even cilantro. And of course, I think that it's all about ratios when it comes to these sandwiches. Strangely, I found that the Bi had an almost sweet-sour flavor? Though those jalapenos did a good job of clearing my sinuses.

A couple of days later I had a chance to drop by and grab another sandwich. Even though it was a weekend, I arrived early and the place was empty.

I decided on the Banh Mi Ba Chi (Pork Belly – $6.75).

 Much like the Dac Biet, this version had quite a bit more meat than what I've had from Paris Bakery. In terms of consistency, Paris scored well as the bread was crusty and yeasty, those jalapenos nice and spicy, and the pickled veggies nice and refreshing.

I did find the pork belly, while porky with a hint of sweetness, to be on the waxy side. So perhaps next time I need to go with the nem nuong?

Overall, this was much better than the mediocre banh mi I last had which cost me $9. It's great to have another option. I'm thinking I need to compare Paris Sandwiches to Phuong Nga one of these days?

Paris Sandwiches
10606 Camino Ruiz
San Diego, CA 92126
Current Hours:
Mon – Fri 8am – 630pm
Saturday 8am – 5pm
Closed on Sundays

Last weekend I went about doing my "Sunday" rounds which involved a stop at Sprouts and Lazy Acres (both open at 7), then Target and 99 Ranch Market (both open at 8), then ending things at Nijiya (open at 9). I must have had some major momentum on this day because there I was heading out of 99 Ranch Market at 820! Now how did that happen? One thing for sure, all that shopping sure did make me hungry. I still had quite a bit of time before Nijiya opened, so I thought I'd grab something quick for breakfast. And then I realized that my options in the area, unless it was for a sit down breakfast or something from a taco shop were really limited. Phuong Nga Bakery and Cafe would be an obvious choice, but they are closed on weekends, Sau Voi Deli has closed, and Grab & Go on Convoy Court is closed on weekends as well. I recall places in the area that used to be open before 10am but think that "Covid" times have changed things.

Well, there was one option left; Cali Banh Mi.

I used to drop by every so often when this was Cali Baguette Express, I'm not sure what the story is, but this location became Cali Banh Mi, along with a location on Garnet and things have just not been the same. Especially the bread. Now, I had visited this location back in June of 2020 and left unimpressed. But heck, it had been over two years since that visit, so I thought "why not"?

The last time I visited there was no indoor dining allowed, now the place looked alot more "normal".

What was not a nice change was the price of the banh mi I wanted. The Spam and Egg is now $9! Whoa! When I last ordered that at the Garnet location it was six bucks and I thought it expensive then! The jumbo size Banh Mi Dac Biet I got from Phuong Nga in August was $6.19, later that month I got one from Avian Sandwiches that was $6.95.

Anyway, I got my banh mi and drove down to the Nijiya parking lot. Yep, this was going to be one of those "eat on the hood of your car" kinda thing. I opened things up to reveal this nine-dollar banh mi.

 So, I peeled back the bread to reveal watery, runny, flavorless eggs, and though the Spam slices were fairly thick they lacked color. I recall trying to order a Banh Mi Op La here and the young man working had no idea what I was saying…probably my (mis) pronunciation though.

The jalapenos lacked heat, though maybe I just got the "luck of the draw" with that. The pickled veggies were fine, but the bread was terrible. The crust was too soft, the bread too doughy. It lacked the light crisp-crusty exterior and the interior was mushy and doughy instead of airy and yeasty.

This was just not very good, even for an "Americanized" banh mi.

Well, at least I gave them another try. I should have just waited and got something from the deli at Nijiya. Live and learn, I guess.

Cali Banh Mi
4425 Convoy Street
San Diego, CA 92111
Hours:
Daily 8am – 7pm

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????