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Like many exotic delicacies, bánh mì hold a mysterious place in my mind that drives me to distraction, leading me to imagine such strange, dangerous missions as finding an all-night Vietnamese gangster deli. I've since given up that pipe dream, but I still harbor some obsessions about Vietnamese sandwiches. My longstanding theory that restaurants are incapable of creating good bánh mì was recently disproved when I enjoyed a spectacular one at Zak Pelaccio's restaurant 5 Ninth in Manhattan's meatpacking district. More on that gustatory delight later, first some background.
For those of you unfamiliar with these Vietnamese sandwiches run, don't walk, to your nearest Vietnamese deli for a
treat that packs the flavors of Vietnam into a hero. Some spots offer up to 10 varieties,
including bánh mì xiéu mai, or Vietnamese meatball,
and bánh mì gá, or chicken. Regardless of the main ingredient,
they're all dressed with cucumbers; a mixture of pickled julienned daikon and carrots; cilantro; Asian mayonnaise; a
liberal dose of sriracha sauce; and, in my case six or seven small
hot peppers.
My hands-down favorite is the bánh mì dac biêt, or
special, which combines grilled pork, Vietnamese salami and sliced pork roll. At its best, this sandwich is a brilliant
combination in every sense. Cultures, texture and temperature all meet as the French bread cradles a wealth of
Vietnamese flavors ranging from the hot, crunchy grilled pork to the cool pickled veggies.
The sandwiches
typically run between $2 and $3, and, as I mentioned, are best enjoyed at Vietnamese delis. Up until now the ones I've
had at restaurants are not even worthy of the name bánh mì. There a couple of reasons for this.
First, it's simply not in the restaurant's best interest to make an item well if it sells at such a low price. No one's
gonna order a plate of Vietnamese pork chops if they can enjoy a sandwich for a third of the price. The second reason
for the is that the delis are specialists, all they do is make bánh mi. For years I
trolled the Vietnamese restaurants of Flushing and Manhattan's Chinatown in search of my elusive quarry. My heart would
swell with hope whenever I spied a hand-lettered sign in a window reading bánh mì. But I
always disappointed. Once I ordered one that was little more than a ham sandwich, what roast pork there was on it was
terrible.
Now my quest is over. After a circuitous wandering in the area of the West Village where space
and time seem to fold, with West 4th Street running perpendicular to West 11th, I found myself in front of the
townhouse that is home to 5 Ninth. For a moment I panicked and thought they weren't open for lunch, but then I turned
the knob on the weathered door and walked inside. I sat at the bar and ordered a Murphy's stout and waited eagerly for
my sandwich. What arrived in front of me was bánh mì as art. Roast pork and
tendrils of carrot and daikon spilled out of the sandwich that was kept company by a pile of what are surely the best
shrimp chips I've ever had. The bánh mì itself was perfect. The crisp baguette shattered, a
perfect foil to the roast pork and creamy sweet mayonnaise. The only downside of 5 Ninth's sandwich was the price. At
$12, it's not cheap, but it's a price I'm willing to pay to my end my search for a top-notch Vietnamese sandwich.
[photo: Joe DiStefano]
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2-11-2006 @10:10PM L. said... If you`re ever in Tokyo, there was a lunch truck that used to park near the Sankei building in Otemachi -- in it was a young Japanese guy who studied cooking in Vietnam, and sought to bring the taste of b? m?o his countrymen trapped in office buildings.
At first he tried serving Vietnamese soup with the sandwiches, but he soon discovered that Western soups seemed to sell better. His specialty turned out to be clam chowder -- I still remember how that chowder smelled when I was standing in line in front of his truck, waiting in the cold. He gave me the recipe -- I still make it sometimes, and wish I had a b? m?o go with it.....
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2-12-2006 @1:27AM Dmnkly said... For Chicago folks interested in bahn mi, it's all about Ba Le at 5018 N. Broadway.
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4-10-2008 @8:30PM Brian said... Not to derail too much, but L., would you mind posting that clam chowder recipe? Also, I used to live in Southern California, and obviously the best banh mi can be had in Westminster's Little Sagion. I now live in Texas where there is still a sizable Vietnamese population, but I find that I run into the same problem of not being able to find a decent Vietnamese deli and all the restaurants or more apt to serve pho and either overpriced or just plain bad banh mi.
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2-12-2006 @12:18PM L. said... My guy in Tokyo said, "the secret is good bread." But he would still give me the entire sandwich contents in a cup, and call it " b? m?alad," when I was dieting.
Chowder recipe, copied verbatim from the paper he gave me:
CLAM - 100g; 1 POTATO- 100g; 1/2 ONION - 50g; 1/2 CARROT - 40g; CELERY - 20g; BACON - 1 slice; BUTTER - 10g; FLOUR - 1 spoon; MILK - 1 cup; WATER - 1 cup
1) Soak Clams in water to put sand out in a bowl.
2) Put 1 cup of water and clams in a pot and cover it with a lid. Boil them till their shells open. When they open, put them off from a pot to a basket and divide clams from shells (keep the SOUP).
3) Cut the potato, onion, carrot, bacon in small cubes. Cut and slice celery (after peeling string).
4) Put butter and bacon in a pot and fry them. Add onions and celery. Once put off a pot when onions become clear, sift lour and stir.
5) Mix them well, and fry them again in low heat about 1 min.
6) Add 1 cup of water to the SOUP (= 1+1/2 cp) and put the soup into a pot. Add carrots and simmer with a lid in 5 min. (Stir them sometimes.)
7) Add potatos and simmer in 15 min.
8) Add clams and milk, 1/4 spoon of salt, pepper.
Enjoy.
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2-12-2006 @6:56PM David T said... Ba Le is a big chain - they are also all over Hawaii, and I think California as well. The ones in Hawaii baked their own bread fresh daily.
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2-22-2006 @1:57AM pieman said... Interesting. Qute different from a banh my in Saigon. TBH, I'm not sure I would anjoy a banh my outsode Vietnam and off street. However, I have heard from several NYCers who tell me the NYC version is better than the Saiogn version. Horses for courses. BTW, What's Asian Mayonaise? Never seen that out here, will have a look next time I'm looking for a sarnie. Also, you might want to try a Banh my bi, it's a new fave, basically a pigskin sarnie. Nice. More here:
http://www.noodlepie.com/2005/12/tip_off_pig_ski.html
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2-24-2006 @12:00AM Duy said... To brian,
Where do u live in Texas? If you live anywhere near Houston there are many good sandwich shops. They are all over the place.
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2-24-2006 @12:03AM Duy said... And frankly 12 bucks is a ripoff!!
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4-18-2006 @4:54AM Chelle2_u said... If you're ever in the OC (Westminster, CA) check out Song Long. They have great sandwiches! I always order the special sandwich and it's only $1.95.
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