Banh Mi Quest: Hai Phong

We didn't have access to a car yesterday, which is oftentimes true, so we had to find something that was within walking distance of the service centre (and we hadn't tried before). B found a couple that was close to Stadium Station and off we went. We spotted Hai Phong first, so we decided to try it and save Qieu Cafe for another time.

I almost never pay attention to the stores around T&T, so we wouldn't have found Hai Phong if we didn't specifically google search "Banh Mi". Hai Phong has a good, solid banh mi, but the unfortunate thing about it is that it's pricey and the price doesn't include tax. If the price were lower, we would definitely come back.

Cost per Sandwich: $7.50 + tax
Bread: 3/5 - Not fresh, but not bad either. It's still crispy. A bit dry, but not tough.
Sauce: 3/5 - Creamy, but could use more seasoning. The lemongrass chicken kind of overpowers the sauce.
Filling: 4/5 - Not enough, but has good texture and a crisp strong pickle taste.
Meat: 4/5 - Lemongrass flavour is strong, but it was juicy, tender, and had a good amount.
Value: 2/5 - It's a slightly above average banh mi, but at a significantly higher price.

Banh Mi Quest: Battle of the Ba-Les

Everyone says Ba-Le has great banh mi because they bake their own bread in-house. What's the difference between the two Ba-Les then? We went and tried them both. First up, Ba-Le Sandwich Shop (Chinatown).

We had high hopes. It was a small hole-in-the-wall mom-and-pops kind of place. Our old favourite (Golden Garden, who's stopped selling sandwiches now and sparked this quest) was just a block away. Everything pointed to this being our potential replacement. Unfortunately, it did not deliver.

Cost per Sandwich: $4.00

Bread: 1/5 - As soon as you touch it, you know it's stale. It was too dry and too flaky.

Sauce: 1/5 - The consistency is very thick, which may be why it didn't spread and ended up being so little of it we couldn't tell there was any sauce at all

Filling: 2/5 - Too much onion, not enough chicken or anything else. The onion is all you taste.

Meat: 1/5 - Barely there and too dry.

Value: 2/5 - Average price. We would eat it again if we had no other choice, but it's hardly worth it.

There's a reason the Ba-Le on Main Street is a "Sandwich shop" and the one on Kingsway is a "Deli and Bakery". The bread here is baked in-house and just about as fresh as you can get it. There's always a line, so it pays to call ahead to order - unlike the one on Main Street, where it's set up like a subway and made immediately. This is likely another hint at how everything at Main Street's just not as fresh as Kingsway.

Cost per Sandwich: $4.50
Bread: 5/5 - Even though it's toasted, it still feels soft, fresh, and moist.
Sauce: 4/5 - Good consistency and amount, but could do with more seasoning.
Filling: 3/5 - Good texture and flavour of vegetables, decent amount of chicken, but not enough vegetables.
Meat: 4/5 - Good amount of chicken and moist, but could do with more seasoning.
Value: 4/5 - Pricier than other places, but worth it. The bread is the freshest we've had.

Winner: Ba-Le Deli & Bakery (Kingsway)

Banh Mi Quest: Fami Pho

We found Fami Pho by searching for "Vietnamese food" on Google maps.

It fit the criteria of being within walking distance and having "Sandwich" advertised on their awning. Fami Pho makes a pretty good banh mi and would definitely be our "go to" place after the Banh Mi Quest.

Cost per sandwich: $4.75
Bread: 4/5 - Very good. Soft on the inside, crispy on the outside, but not too hard
Sauce: 4/5 - Creamy and has a good balance of flavour
Filling: 3/5 - Vegetables have a good crunch to it, but do with more filling and could be more pickled
Meat: 4/5 - Chicken is tender and flavourful
Value: 4/5 - Solid banh mi, but kind of small

Banh Mi Quest: Yen Linh

Today we went to Banh Mi Yen Linh. This restaurant was recommended by a fellow Banh Mi enthusiast.

With "Banh Mi" in its restaurant name, we thought, "Their banh mi has to be good." It was. The banh mi here sets a good baseline to build on. One downside is that they don't have regular chicken sandwiches, but they do have lemongrass chicken.

Cost per sandwich: $5
Bread: 3/5 - very toasted (hard), which is a hint that it's not freshly baked
Sauce: 3/5 - tastes fine, but not evenly spread and there wasn't enough of it
Filling: 3/5 - good amount, but not enough pickle flavour
Meat: 3/5 - has a very strong lemongrass flavour, but a bit dry
Value: 3/5 - more expensive, but we won't mind eating it again