Banhmi11 is a stand in Broadway Market that sells one thing only: banh mi. Very exciting. In case you didn’t know, I’m a banh mi fan. The obsession started years ago when I lived in Washington, DC. There, the Song Que grilled pork banh mi was worth the hassle of driving out to suburban Virgina. (And if you know what traffic is like around there, you know it’s quite a sandwich).
Since moving to London almost four years ago, I’ve searched in vain for banh mi. Baffled by the sandwich’s absence from the otherwise-vibrant London dining scene, I’ve resorted to either making my own at home or making trips to Paris (OK, sure, there are other reasons I go to Paris, but devouring banh mi while there is always a priority).
Slowly, but surely, though, banh mi seems to be making an appearance in central London. A few weeks ago, I found banh mi at Banzi in Surrey Quays after a helpful tip was left by Charmaine Mok on this Paris blog post. Banzi’s version wasn’t bad, but Surrey Quays is kind of a pain for me to get to. I’d almost rather go to Paris.
And then the ladies behind Banhmi11 left a comment on my Banzi blog post, telling me they’d set up a banh mi stand in Broadway Market. That’s 2.5 miles from where I live . . . just a quick jog away along the lovely Regent’s Canal. So I literally ran over to check it out.
Today was Banhmi11’s first day in action. They’ve set up a small cart next to the Ca Phe Vietnamese coffee stall in the center of the market. £2.50 gets you a pork-and-pork-liver-pate banh mi.
So here’s the good: the pickled veg is fresh, crispy and tangy; the pork-liver-pate is so creamy and meaty that I actually left the pate in the sandwich instead of picking it out. [In past banh mi I’ve had, the pate has been a flavorless, rubbery, Oscar-Mayeresque bologna-type thing that grosses me out.]
The bad is that the bread, while warm and toasted, was overwhelming. There was so much bread that the tasty, fresh fillings seemed skimpy and the sandwich seemed dry. If there was a zesty Vietnamese mayo in there, I couldn’t tell. Jon and I ripped off and threw away at least a third of the baguette to re-jigger the proportions. Even then, we felt like the fillings could have been more generous.
But here’s why I’m still telling you about Banhmi11:
(1) as a banh mi lover, I want to support entrepreneurs like Banhmi11; (2) I liked that the Banhmi11 women seemed to be asking all their customers for feedback; and (3) I liked that when I told them that there was way too much bread, they sounded like they were really listening. I have a feeling they’re determined to make a great sandwich, so improvement is a foregone conclusion.
So I’m thinking that if the baguette gets smaller (and maybe even higher quality) and they load the sandwiches up with more pickled veg and meaty goodness, Banhmi11’s banh mi will be one I look forward to every weekend.
For anyone curious to try banh mi, the Broadway Market is itself worth a visit (my personal fave are the samosas at the Gujarati Rasoi stand), so no harm in dropping by Banhmi11 one Saturday, no?
Banhmi11, currently part of the Ca Phe Vientam stall in the middle of Broadway Market. Closest tube station: Bethnal Green. But it’s still a major hike from the Tube, so I recommend the bus. Lots of buses run to the adjacent London Fields.
The Randomness Guide to London tipped me off about this just on Friday – so good to see your review so soon! I’m definitely going to try this next week… let the banh mi revolution begin 😀
Very exciting? That, if not OTT, seems a bit premature. Johnny Apple was my friend and I’m not sure that he would approve.
I love that you’re on a quest for good banh mi in London. But this does not sound like a good start:
* bad, overwhelming bread
* fillings not generous
* no zesty mayo
I think the last post was a little unfair, it was the girls first attempt (after the trial samples with good bread, i might add, the previous week) and i think they need a little leeway to get on top of their game, like getting bread from a good baker – as simple as that..
2.50 for a banh mi is very cheap – everything else at Broadway is £4 + , and Banzi the same, but don’t expect a New York Hero Sub over stuffed with fillings.
Vietnamese Banh Mi in Vietnam are very light, yet tasty. You can eat 2 without being full. Hopefully BanhMi 11 can keep to this without copping out to western tastes, ie Mayo & overstuffing. Cha Gio would be nice.
Ca Phe Vietnam, is going fantastically well at Broadway Market, featured as one of London’s best coffee shops in December in TIME OUT. http://www.timeout.com/london/restaurants/features/6361/Cafes_and_coffee_shops_in_London.html
Ca Phe VN will be THE real Vietnamese destination in London ( not the MSG land of Shoreditch) with the inclusion of excellent food, working with Thuy Anh & Van from Banh Mi 11.
good luck to them.
Nice, sounds like a trip to bway market is on the cards for me soon…
I love this search for banhmi! May the quest continue…
Charmaine – a banh mi revolution? I love it.
young and foodish – sure, the banh mi was disappointing, but as I tried to explain in my post, there are multiple reasons I still wrote about these banhmi11 ladies. Surely, things will improve at their stand, and if they don’t, someone else will hopefully step up and offer us a better, competing banh mi, and so on and so forth.
genghis hong – considering banh mi is already the product of a west-meets-east scenario (which is one of the reasons I love it), I don’t see why you’d consider the mayo and more generous fillings to be a “cop out to western tastes.” I mean, it’s on a French baguette, no?
Rags – if you go, you have to report back. : )
Gourmet Chick – it does keep me mildly entertained, in the same way I used to troll London for good xiao long bao. May (good) banh mi become as easy-to-find here as XLB have become.
I love banhmi! However the only place I have ever had then has been when we visit New York- Saigon bakery on Mott St is always on my list. Given that glasgow doesn’t even have a Vietnamese restaurant I guess I will have to come down to London to get my fix!
I take your point about Banh Mi being a total fusion food, and indeed there is no standard recipe. There is a world of difference between bread made in Hanoi, to Central Vietnam, to HCMC.
Fillings for Banh Mi Pate can greatly differ with a pork sandwich containing 5 or more meat ingredients such as shredded pork skin, Pickelled & sliced pigs ears, Pork fluff, steamed pork cake with egg, Jambon – vietnamese ham, varieties of Cha Gio- luncheon meat, Roast pork, crispy pork, just to name a few
Popular alternative fillings include vegetarian & soya offerings, Vache qui rit processed cheese, imported tinned sardines in tomato sauce, fried eggs or omlette.
Obviously Vietnamese in other countries have adapted their sandwich to suit their surroundings, some of the Brookyln Banh Mi places have ingredients that might be anathema to the Banh Mi purist VN born & bred, but perfectly to the taste of American Vietnamese.
My point in my first post was that I hope that BanhMi11 will make Hanoi style not American, French or Australian style Vietnamese baguettes.
I expected to find more reviews of some of the excellent Vietnameses resturants in shoreditch – Viet Grill, Que Viet, Hanoi Cafe, Song Que. It has to be the best value area to eat out in london.
jack, that’s a great point (that for some reason my posts are light on the Pho Mile/Kingsland Road). I actually eat at those places regularly but haven’t blogged about them. Will remedy.
Hi,
Just wanted to let you know that my boyfriend and I went to Broadway market to try this yummy sandwich on your recommendation. Very good! I wrote a blog post about it and gave your blog a shout out and link.
http://www.welivewhereweare.com/2010/05/broadway-market.html
Cheers,
Jennifer
Hi Jennifer – sounds like I ought to return to that banh mi stand! Thx for the update and shout out.
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