Best Banh Mi / Vietnamese Pork Roll

Sapper50 on 19/04/2024 - 21:17
Last edited 19/04/2024 - 22:29

I wanted an OzB opinion from the best community on the internet.

Name your best Banh mi place. I will attend this location and try it out.

Hell, I might even start a poll.

I have a solid addiction to banh mi and consider myself a real connoisseur.

I'm tired of reading google reviews of trash locations claiming "best Banh mi ever…"

My top locations ranked in top order as close as possible. I obviously haven't tried them all but I'll try a banh mi in every possible location I travel too.

  1. Luke's bakery - Moonee ponds.
    The best. Hands down.

    (The Reservoir store is still amazing, but for some unknown reason not as good)

  2. Top Ryde Baker's House - Ryde.

  3. N. Lee bakery - Collingwood.

  4. Marrickville pork roll - Marrickville

  5. Lee Lee bakehouse - Richmond

  6. Lai bakery - Sunbury.

Sorry, to Queenslandlers, I've tried a fair few places up there and they are all not great, but have exhausted every location.

Sorry to offend anyone if your favourite place isn't here. Lay it on me and I'll try.

Food & Grocery Vietnamese Baguette

Comments

    • Sapper50 on 19/04/2024 - 22:27
      +7

      Not been to Vietnam yet. I was super keen to make it my benchmark until recently when the last 4 friends and family who went there recently. (3 are Vietnamese, 1 is western) , according to their account the banh mi and pho in Australia is exceptional and in some ways better as the ingredients are fresher and cost isn't as much of a factor vs Vietnam

        • Sapper50 on 19/04/2024 - 22:38
          +4

          User name checks out.

          Definitely a fanatic.

        • buckethat on 20/04/2024 - 11:50
          +17

          Most of my Vietnamese born and raised mates actually prefers the style of Banh Mi and Pho here, it's different, and quality of meat used is apparently much better here.

          • snivy on 20/04/2024 - 13:27
            +15

            @buckethat: I can attest, tried pho/banh mi in Vietnam, US, France, Japan, etc… I guess I kinda like it a lot too. The bread and meat quality in Australia are superior.

            Having said that, the banh mi in Vietnam is super cheap and they have variations we don't have here.

            I'll avoid Vietnamese food in the US though, at least in west coast.

            • Xizor on 20/04/2024 - 22:23

              @snivy: Have to disagree to an extent. Been to Vietnam many times and had many a banh mi and pho that were easily better especially taste wise than most here (granted, many that were distinctly forgettable too.. but they cost next to nothing). You gotta remember over there its a case of a million variations, and they are mostly humble cheap meals. There are alot more good options there than here…. most banh mi in Australia cant even get the bread right. The few that do charge stupid prices and don't even fill it. Hats off to the few joints that do but they are few and far between.

              • bobbified on 21/04/2024 - 15:14

                @Xizor:

                most banh mi in Australia cant even get the bread right.

                haha yes. The first thing I notice is the difference in the bread.

          • compound on 21/04/2024 - 00:56

            @buckethat: It's good but not $10 bucks good for BM.
            Same with Pho at around $20. No way chicken pho here is superior to northern vn.

            • buckethat on 21/04/2024 - 11:53
              +2

              @compound: Yeah growing up Banh Mi were $4 each.. and Pho was like $12 at most.. Now I'm seeing $12 Banh Mi's which is a rort imo.

              • L45TPH45E on 22/04/2024 - 23:39
                +1

                @buckethat: I remember when banh mi was $2 (profanity) I'm old.

                • compound on 23/04/2024 - 17:32
                  +1

                  @L45TPH45E: I remember when they had BM for $2 with a can of drink.

          • TheWetArmpit on 24/04/2024 - 19:51

            @buckethat: And you genuinely believe that?
            A person who is born and raised in Australia is of course used to inauthentic Vietnamese food which is the most common type of Vietnamese food in Australia.
            This person if then, travelled to VN and prefer Vietnamese food in Australia, then is acceptable, because it is down to personal preference. But if this person claimed that authentic food is not as good, then all he was saying is he is very closed-minded. I acknowledge banh mi in Australia could be very good, but claiming it is better is funny (however I can let it slip because it is just a street food and sometimes in VN they trade quality for cheaper price).
            On the other hand, saying pho in Australia is better, is just insulting at this point. I bet they don't even know all the different types of pho, yet claiming what they're used to is better. Wonderful.

            • buckethat on 24/04/2024 - 20:52

              @TheWetArmpit: Dunno, they're Vietnamese, born in Vietnam. I had no reason to not believe them, was abit surprised myself initially but after hearing it from a a few Vietnam born Vietnamese, I became less surprised.

              Are you a Vietnamese person born in Vietnam?

              • TheWetArmpit on 24/04/2024 - 22:27

                @buckethat: Just for your reference, I am a Vietnamese, born and raised in Viet Nam (yes that's how we write VN).
                But I would say the same thing regardless of my origin or which cuisine we're debating about man. I feel like to comment about one's cuisine is first need to have an open mind to try and maybe even taking a step further into understanding how/why it is made. To say something is bad just because it is different to what one is used to is not something I would not even bother listening to.

                • buckethat on 25/04/2024 - 01:15

                  @TheWetArmpit: None of the Vietnamese mates I've asked have said that the viet food in VN was bad compared to Australia. They said it's different, and that they preferred it here. A couple did specifically tell me that Pho was more bland in VN - though I dont quite remember if they were referring to a specific region as apparently it can be quite different.

                  The one thing they all explicitly said was that meat quality was much better here. No one said pho in Australia was better than in VN but you mate, and either way its all personal preference so it really doesn't matter.

                  You encourage others to be open minded but you refuse to accept the possibility that some people might have a preference that doesn't agree with your own. And although no one said it, taking a hypothetical opinion of someone thinking that "pho in Australia is better" as an insult is not exactly being open minded.

                  • TheWetArmpit on 25/04/2024 - 05:45

                    @buckethat: Now you just proved @sauce2k comment is right.
                    The meat here is better? LoL. I acknowledge Australian beef is generally better than VN, but that does not, by any mean, make a bowl of pho in Australia has a superior meat quality. Why? First of all, our chicken is better. They're real free range chicken so it actually has a texture of meat, not wet-tissue-like texture that chicken here has. And beef, yes, you don't need a wagyu beef to make pho. It is simply not "melt in your mouth" experience that pho is supposed to be. Beef pho has at least 3 types of beef which you can only find one here.
                    If you don't agree with that, then you don't like pho. Which is totally fine. Don't create a knock off version and said "it has better meat quality" or "the authentic is so bland" "but it's personal preference so it doesn't matter anyway"(?).
                    If calling out putting a vegemite on pizza is called being closed minded then guess I am lol. Maybe tomorrow I'll try putting kimchi on ramen to open my mind.

                    • buckethat on 25/04/2024 - 11:46

                      @TheWetArmpit:

                      I acknowledge Australian beef is generally better than VN, but that does not, by any mean, make a bowl of pho in Australia has a superior meat quality.

                      This whole sentence is a contradiction. Australian beef is generally better but somehow, that does not translate to the quality of the beef in the pho here.

                      First of all, our chicken is better. They're real free range chicken so it actually has a texture of meat, not wet-tissue-like texture that chicken here has.

                      Not sure how chicken entered this but sure? I haven't heard anything about chicken from VN so.. I don't really have an opinion on it. Btw if you haven't heard, free range chicken exists here too. I'm not sure if they're 'real free range chicken' though.. so they might have the texture of wet-tissue (lol wtf?)

                      Don't create a knock off version and said "it has better meat quality" or "the authentic is so bland".

                      There's plenty of 'knock off' versions of things that improve on the original design. When it comes to food, taste is so subjective, why couldn't somebody try something different and prefer that..?

                      "but it's personal preference so it doesn't matter anyway"(?)

                      It literally doesn't matter though? How does anyone opinions/preference of food affect you in any way.

                      Maybe tomorrow I'll try putting kimchi on ramen to open my mind.

                      Kimchi ramen is literally a thing.. so yeah by all means, try it.

                      • TheWetArmpit on 25/04/2024 - 15:48

                        @buckethat: Well, the authentic pho has 2 type: beef and chicken pho (then also 2 dry types but that might be too much for one day) so that's how chicken came into the conversation.
                        I literally don't know how to explain more about the beef. Is Kobe beef good? It's absolutely beautiful. Is bone marrow tasty? You bet! But do I want any of that in my bowl of pho? Hell no! Because the flavour and texture that pho is supposed to be is different (except for one restaurant in America where they do all kind of weird things to Vietnamese food just to be so viral yet satisfies the local over there - but hey, it's America and they love fake cheese so…). It's like Thai Jasmine rice is good and all, but you wouldn't use it in sushi and vice versa.
                        Tweaking a recipe is welcome, but like they said, don't break the rule before you've mastered it. If you don't understand about it, how could you say your version is better than what has been around for thousands of year? I do tweak the recipe in my daily cooking btw, but if the changes deviate too far from it's origin, I would hesitate to call it by the same name.
                        Also, yes I acknowledge about free range, cage free.. when it comes to chicken in Australia. And if you know what each of them mean, and you know about real free range chicken that I mentioned (which is imported to Australia fyi, for a reason) then you would say 80% of Aussie chicken is caged chicken compared to that.
                        When I said ramen, I meant the authentic version in Japan where they cook broth for days. Not your kimchi instant ramen noodle in the market. This is my bad, sorry. You can do it, although it will upset 2 nations at once lol.
                        I'd probably leave it like that. As a wise man said once, there are experience that are unshareable.

        • sauce2k on 22/04/2024 - 07:08

          U r an uneducated person lol

      • PurchaseAnxiety on 21/04/2024 - 17:31
        +3

        I went to Vietnam not too long ago, and in general, your friends and family wrong. There's some amazing bahn mi in Vietnam, but it also did make me realise that the standard of bahn mi in Aus is actually pretty good. There's a tonne of variance as well, whereas I feel there's a decent level of consistency here. Though the price in Vietnam is usually less than half of the price here.

      • BariBariRaida on 21/04/2024 - 22:53

        This sounds about right, the foreign foods we eat in Australia are usually tweaked towards our palate. I've been told by friends going over to Vietnam that the 'good' Australian Pho is also much better than what they had in Vietnam. This being said, the sushi in Japan is better than any of the sushi I've had in Australia.

        Edit: Also, in response to your question, the best I've personally had (mainly because it was a change to my default in Melbourne) was Mama Vu in Lakes Entrace.

      • ericc on 23/04/2024 - 10:13

        Definitely just personal opinions.
        I was born in Hanoi and spent first half of my life there, I haven't been able to find a Pho in Australia that can match with what I used to have in Hanoi

        Again, I love northern Pho and that's my personal opinion

    • Raulioli8810 on 20/04/2024 - 10:32
      -8

      I haven't been to Japan but I still know the difference between a good sushi and a bad one.
      I haven't been to Italy but still know the difference between pizzas, the list goes on.

      Maybe use a few brain cells before you comment next time 🤡😂😂.

      • sumyungguy on 20/04/2024 - 14:06
        -6

        OP may well have responded with Banh Mi Queen or Banh Mi Phuong in Hoi An; or Banh Mi Pho Hue in Hanoi. So you're a real connoisseur of sushi and pizza. FFS…

      • vi9ilante on 20/04/2024 - 14:26
        +7

        Muchos respectfully absolutely you can have an opinion on what you deem to be good/bad here in Aus. But there is indeed a massive difference in Japanese and Italian cuisine to anything we have locally.

        Most OzB's here have a second citizenship in Japan so would know what I'm talking about. Italy is made up of so many different regions with their specialties that when expats open up an Italian restaurant here they're essentially a 'jack of all trades, master of none', doing a bit of disservice to the cuisine.

        I would highly recommend you make a visit to those two countries if you ever get a chance!

        • DazMon on 25/04/2024 - 13:08

          I have second citizenship in Japan and sushi/sashimi is better there and half the price.

    • belongsinforums on 20/04/2024 - 20:20
      -5

      sadly in vietnam they generally eat liquid meat or luncheon on banh mi. tastes like crap

    • magic8ballgag on 22/04/2024 - 14:20

      Who would travel overseas when the local offerings are this good?

  • TEER3X on 19/04/2024 - 21:34
    +3

    Luke's bakery - Moonee ponds.
    The best. Hands down.

    (The Reservoir store is still amazing, but for some unknown reason not as good)

    Probably the same reason Marrickville pork roll locations not as good as the original

  • Nutrino on 19/04/2024 - 21:37
    +1

    "I was the OzB opinion from the best community on the internet."

    Happy your opinion ozbargain is.

  • Godric on 19/04/2024 - 21:42
    +2

    Kennys

    • Kenny Powers on 23/04/2024 - 15:39
      +1

      Thanks for the support

  • Tomhaigh1 on 19/04/2024 - 21:47

    Xcel roll Parramatta - https://www.xcelroll.com.au/

    Eddy's bakery (near redfern) https://bakingbreadateddys.wixsite.com/banhmi

    • samyall on 20/04/2024 - 08:56

      +1 for Eddy's. They are closed at the moment though - I hope they are not closed for good. In the meantime Waterlily (formely Yen's) down the street does a pretty good Bahn Mi now.

  • Diverse on 19/04/2024 - 21:47
    +16

    2guys1city on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/reels/C490fc-P5Go/) has been to all the popular banh mi places in Melbourne - here are his top 10 ratings (he has top 23 on his instagram).

    1. Lily's Banh Mi Cafe | Scoresby
    2. Bun Bun Bakery | Springvale
    3. Luke's Vietnamese | Moonee Ponds
    4. Trang Bakery & Cafe | Camberwell
    5. N. Lee Bakery | Collingwood
    6. Allegra Scoresby Bakery | Scoresby
    7. Fresh Chilli Deli | St. Albans
    8. Selina Hot Bread | Sunshine
    9. Banh Mi Viet | St Albans
    10. Phyoc Thanh Richmond | Richmond
    • Crossgates on 20/04/2024 - 12:20
      +2

      Came here to recommend Lily's - the best

      • Sapper50 on 20/04/2024 - 16:26
        +2

        Thank you., I'll get out to give Lily's a go. Can't wait

      • Clain on 21/04/2024 - 20:58

        Agreed!

        No matter how long the line is, it is always worth it.

        Also, cold pork is the best flavour at all places.

    • Craze on 20/04/2024 - 15:04
      +2

      Apparently Allegra Bakery few doors down from Lily's in Scoresby is also pretty highly rated.

      OP I'm surprised you haven't listed any Springvale/Footscray locations if you claim to be a banh mi fanatic…

      • Sapper50 on 20/04/2024 - 16:29
        +2

        Tbh, Bun bun and Nulan are absolutely fantastic but are a little overrated.

        "There is no such thing as a bad banh mi" in my opinion.

        • ripesashimi on 20/04/2024 - 19:25

          The last time Nhu Lan was good was 2009.

    • AaronRain on 20/04/2024 - 15:53

      I had my first ever food poisoning from banh mi at Selina Hot Bread, and this is from someone who was born in Vietnam and live through the whole Footscray banh mi salmonella "pandemic" back in the days.

    • smoothymcmellow on 22/04/2024 - 10:43

      Phuoc Thanh has opened a store at the Emporium in the CBD.

      Amazing and generous pork Belly Banh Mi for $11, sets the standard for cheap CBD eats

    • buckethat on 22/04/2024 - 18:46
      +1

      If Bun Bun is his number 2.. I don't trust his judgement.

    • rs116 on 23/04/2024 - 14:23

      Someone must try at Bamboo Asian Cusine, Bayswater VIC and would shuffle the list. Best Bahn Mi; chicken or pork either.

    • DoctorBob on 25/04/2024 - 17:02

      Lily's is awesome, miss living nearby :')

    • iand on 01/05/2024 - 20:56

      I haven't tried Lily's but couldn't believe the queue going down the street waiting to get in and this is every time I've been in Scoresby at lunch time,so I think it must be good, If I wasn't such a tight a I'd spend the money to try it instead of eating at home

  • minty on 19/04/2024 - 21:52
    +2

    I tried #2 recently with a mate after hearing so much about it but just didn't like it at all, got a crispy pork and a lemongrass chicken, both were super greasy and the the veggies were soaked so was the bread, the crisp and freshness of the veggies and crunch of the bread were all totally lost.

    4 is not bad, not as good as before the move I think, and closer to a more "authentic" taste where each ingredient can be distinguished.

    You tried Lim's Bread at Eastwood? I only get the BBQ pork or the crispy pork so no opinion on the others, very generous with the fillings, the pate is rich and delicious, still my favourite. The family is a fun odd bunch and always remember your preferences, not vital, but nice nevertheless.

    • Sapper50 on 19/04/2024 - 22:36

      Have not tried Lim's bread , but will soon.

      • Xizor on 20/04/2024 - 22:27

        google review has a roach in a banh mi lol

  • PhilosophicalTurtle on 19/04/2024 - 22:09

    Enmore Delicious Roll

  • Muzeeb on 19/04/2024 - 22:35

    I'm starting a list like you OP but for chicken parmigiana.

    I haven't been to the USA to set a benchmark.

    • Sapper50 on 19/04/2024 - 22:37
      +1

      Sounds epic, would love to see it.
      Definitely more of a Melbourne thing in my opinion

    • Craze on 20/04/2024 - 15:06

      You can try this pub

    • pancaeks on 21/04/2024 - 14:33

      Check out @parmadaze on insta, someone is already doing this for Melbourne.

    • bk1973 on 21/04/2024 - 16:39

      Chicken parm is somewhat different in the US compared to here and not really comparable. In addition, it's usually served with linguini or some other pasta (usually on top of the pasta), not with chips and/or salad. Some pizza places on the east coast will have chicken parm subs/hoagies/sandwiches.

      IMO, the parma here is clearly superior to the US chicken parmigiana.

  • pegaxs on 19/04/2024 - 22:52
    +10

    You can’t be a connoisseur if you have never been to Viet Nam and eaten Banh Mi from some shady street vendor selling processed meats and salads from a half rusted push cart in the middle of the street in the dust and the flies…

    If you want to get good Banh mi, you need to eat where the Viet expats eat. Don’t go to half westernised Banh mi shops full of Anglo Aussie corporate types, or man bun sporting dudes, or pink haired and platformed booted women… go deep into a Viet community shopping hub and go to the place where almost no one speaks English and you have to point to what you want from a busted and dusty looking photo book they give to “foreigners” to point out what they want…

    And learn some of the language…

    Chao em. Anh muon mot Banh mi thit nguoi, khong dua leo va khong ngo, cam on rat nhieu… (sorry for my grammar and lack of punctuation…)

    • Muzeeb on 19/04/2024 - 23:06
      +2

      That makes sense. Cheers

    • sumyungguy on 19/04/2024 - 23:07
      -3

      mắt tròn xoe nhiệt tình không biết thế nào là bánh mì ngon

    • tonka on 19/04/2024 - 23:21
      +17

      'half westernised', I'm pretty sure a sandwich is western influenced to begin with.

    • TEER3X on 20/04/2024 - 07:55
      +10

      Yeah better to go to a dodgy place in the middle of nowhere and build up your immunity to salmonella

      • DONMAI on 24/04/2024 - 13:25

        authentic & extra flavours

    • minty on 20/04/2024 - 08:42
      +13

      I agree with your description of authenticity wholeheartedly, but I think the term is too often misused for those who chase it.

      Banh Mi is a simple food, it endured the test of time because (traditionally) it's cheap with all the ingredients readily available, and it's filling, cheap and filling are the two holy grail requirements for any dish to carve itself into the history books, in any culture.

      My first gf was Viet and she introduced me to a whole host of tiny shops that most accurately mirrored all the foods which what she remembered as a child, were they good? Yes. Did they blow me away? No. It took time before I was able to appreciate them deeply, will I ever overlap her memory and fondness? I doubt it. Do I know that pate was most definitely not a traditional ingredient? Yes. Would I get a Banh Mi without it? Nope.

      A lot of us are migrants and try to find that special place that brings back all the memories of what we had as kids growing up knowing, and I accept that most if not all foreign (to culture) onlookers will/can not truly appreciate the traditional taste of a dish, much as they want authenticity. I've taken some mates to my favourite holes in the wall and shown them real authentic dishes, ones I'm ever so fond of as a kid cos mum made it, or some lady slogging away in a kitchen around the corner did, most of them are so basic, but it doesn't have the fats and salts that we're all so used to in the western diet.

      I've gone back to my home country only 3 times since coming here and each time I go back those back alley businesses are absolutely intoxicating, just the smell I can be left alone there for hours. Even there it's hard now to find those whom have stuck to the traditional ways, some soup and basic bitch proteins/carbs makes memories but not money.

      Fun fact, it's a running joke nowadays as an adult but when I was a kid and waiting in line with mum before school for a free table at a tiny ass local breakfast shop, one can close their eyes and tell when a table is about to be free. You either hear the loud "ahhh" as they finish their last mouthful of soup, the screech of the wooden stool against the tiles.

      Or, (the tables used to be planks of wood roughly stitched together), and over time food/liquid fills those gaps, when someone finishes something with sesame they'd slap the table so the sesame gets bumped out of the gap onto the table so they can pick it up and stuff it in their mouth before getting up to pay or leave. A hilarity born not out of sustenance but instead of the mentality of being poor and leaving nothing behind that's paid for.

      • wekimekigugudan on 20/04/2024 - 16:27
        -3

        My first gf was Viet

        i like the sound of that

    • inconspicuous on 20/04/2024 - 10:07

      What a ridiculous gatekeeping comment. Food is food no matter who makes it. If you've eaten lots of different banh mi, you can judge them based on your tastes. We're not in Vietnam so I don't particularly care about how they prefer it.

      • DONMAI on 24/04/2024 - 09:13

        I don't see that as gatekeeping at all. I agree with the rest of what you're saying but I interpreted pegaxs' comment as — "try other places that you may not otherwise even if you're the only 'foreigner'" - most people and communities are friendly in aus including viets

    • ripesashimi on 20/04/2024 - 19:35

      Huynh Hoa in Saigon deserves the crown.

  • lgacb08 on 19/04/2024 - 23:19
    +5

    Surprised that you been around Melbourne and Sydney and not venture to the heart of Vietnamese community to try it out. In my view Fresh Chilli Deli (Thanh Lan) in St Albans and Sunshine are the best, with their grilled pork, their roast pork belly is average, you better chuck all the meat out and get the BBQ joint nearby to give you some cut and it will be awesome. But if you're into cold meat Banh mi similar to ham sandwich, the small one opposite Woolies St Albans is worth a visit.
    Haven't tried the one in Sydney yet but years ago I remembered it was only $3 a roll in Cabra and was very good.

    But you're not qualified to rate it if you ask staff not to put coriander in it, it should be a crime calling it Banh Mi without it.

    • Sapper50 on 20/04/2024 - 12:14
      +1

      I remember the $3.50 rolls in Cabra that were open until 4am.
      Idk why we got pork rolls and sugar cane juice at 2am, but it was the best.

      • cupcake on 24/04/2024 - 09:37

        The pork rolls were $1.30 in Cabramatta in 1993.
        By 1997, they were $1.50 lol

    • tonka on 20/04/2024 - 21:00

      Back when Cabra sold Banh Mi for $3, they'd just sell better if was a crime.

      • bobbified on 21/04/2024 - 14:32
        +1

        It was $2 with a can of drink before. My favourite was sarsparilla!

        • DONMAI on 24/04/2024 - 09:16

          "it was $x" just shows your age. In ten years time, the kids now will be saying "i remember when it was $10!!" as they pay 5btc for an AI robot made banh mi

  • p1 ama on 19/04/2024 - 23:38
    +1

    I genuinely don't understand the obsession of making everything into a competition and social media contest.

    Banh Mi is not meant to be fancy, it's cheap, convenient, easy to make street food that's for the masses. It's made from simple, pre-bought standard ingredients, and not something that's meant to be "trendy", or hip. It's certainly not a replacement for smashed avo on toast.

    FWIW, I think a lot of people just have this sort of strange obsession with making foreign foods out to be more exotic than they really are. To ask what the best Banh Mi is to a Vietnamese person who grew up eating them anywhere and everywhere is just like asking what the best ham sandwich is - it's just a ham sandwich.

    • Sapper50 on 20/04/2024 - 09:25
      +6

      Banh mi is not a ham sandwich.

      It is a near perfect symphony of flavours and textures.

      Every place seems to do one particular thing the best, but falls short in the other categories.

      The "best" place would be for me, the one that balances all these out.

      Not empty, not overflowing, Moist but not wet, crispy but not hard, sweet without being sugary. Fresh but with depth of flavour.

      • star-ggg on 20/04/2024 - 11:45
        -1

        For a standard banh mi, the pate and the bread are the biggest "secret ingredients" that vary between places. Then there's the type and balance of all the ingredients.

      • p1 ama on 20/04/2024 - 12:00
        +17

        Banh mi is not a ham sandwich.

        I've been eating Banh Mi since I was a toddler - it literally is a ham sandwich - the classic Banh Mi is made from pork deli meats (i.e. ham). Sure, people have started putting various other things in them.

        It is a near perfect symphony of flavours and textures.

        Come on - can we please cut out the BS?

        Back in the early 90s, you could get a classic Banh Mi for $2. It shouldn't be any more than $7-8 today. Perfect price for a simple lunch - quick, easy, affordable.

        Now, you have all of these places popping up that are making the good old Banh Mi out to be the next coming of avo on toast, and it just irks me the wrong way - the social media influencing, the continuous price hikes (now $12-15), the people who think they're trendy and hip because they're eating some exotic food from the far East.

        It's all a bit silly in my eyes.

        • Sapper50 on 20/04/2024 - 12:07
          -3

          Go try a "Luke's special" from Moonee ponds and tell someone it's a ham sandwich.
          Life changing roll.

          • p1 ama on 20/04/2024 - 12:11
            +10

            @Sapper50: So you're saying that a traditional Banh Mi made from bread and deli meats is not a ham sandwich?

            Edit: I just checked Luke's menu - the traditional Banh Mi is literally called a "ham baguette". I have no idea why you're trying to argue this point.

            • larndis on 20/04/2024 - 20:28
              +1

              @p1 ama: All I know is I'll take Banh Mi over a ham sandwich any day. We may have different expectations of what is involved in a ham sandwich.

              • p1 ama on 20/04/2024 - 22:30
                +5

                @larndis:

                All I know is I'll take Banh Mi over a ham sandwich any day.

                You do realise that a traditional Banh Mi in Vietnamese is "bánh mì thịt nguội", where "bánh mì" means bread / sandwich, and "thịt nguội" translated literally would be "cold meat", but is what we would refer to as "deli meat", i.e. "ham" (because that's what we call pork deli meats in English).

                So the name for a traditional Banh Mi (i.e. "bánh mì thịt nguội") translated as faithfully as possible to english is literally "ham sandwich", or perhaps "ham baugette". Either way, the fact that you think a "Banh Mi" could be referring to anything other than a ham sandwich is laughable to anyone who understands Vietnamese.

                But yes, keep arguing when you don't know the language or the history, and the meanings of the words you are using, e.g. "Banh Mi".

                We may have different expectations of what is involved in a ham sandwich.

                Obviously - what you are referring to as a "Banh Mi" is how Vietnamese people prepare a ham sandwich (and have been doing for decades). It may be different to how you prepared a ham sandwich growing up, but it is a ham sandwich - no need to make it sound more exotic than what it really is.

                • larndis on 21/04/2024 - 07:50
                  +1

                  @p1 ama: I don't think anyone is arguing about the literal meaning of the words?

                  But clearly, to many people, a Banh Mi is significantly different to what they know as a ham sandwich? Just seems like a weird thing to take offence to, is it really a problem if many people who didn't grow up eating Banh Mi are now enjoying it?

                  • p1 ama on 21/04/2024 - 11:19

                    @larndis:

                    I don't think anyone is arguing about the literal meaning of the words?

                    Then what are you arguing about?

                    But clearly, to many people, a Banh Mi is significantly different to what they know as a ham sandwich?

                    Then they are wrong.

                    Just seems like a weird thing to take offence to, is it really a problem if many people who didn't grow up eating Banh Mi are now enjoying it?

                    Not at all, I think it's great if people enjoy it. However, as I said earlier, the making it out to be the next coming of avo on toast, and something that is incredibly exotic rubs me the wrong way.

                    If you like eating a Banh Mi, go to an old school vendor where the Vietnamese-Australian community are, ask for a "pork roll" (because this is what Vietnamese people call them in English) and enjoy your food. No need to pretend to be overly sophisticated by calling it a foreign name ("Banh Mi") you don't understand. That's all.

                    • larndis on 21/04/2024 - 12:33
                      +3

                      @p1 ama: I'm not arguing about anything, just trying to understand what you are taking issue with. OP seems to have a deep fondness for Banh Mi (whatever that means to them, I guess). Based on this thread, there seems to be a common understanding of what OP is referring to, and no confusion between that and a piece of ham on sliced white.

                      I also enjoy rolls sold under the name 'Banh Mi', and usually get the lemongrass chicken option. I do not make any claims as to the authenticity of the preparation, but it is very tasty.

                      Maybe it's different elsewhere, but as far as I call tell the rolls sold as 'Banh Mi' in Canberra are incredibly popular because they are delicious (cheap helps too). I don't see people eating them, or calling them Banh Mi, to pretend to be sophisticated.

                      If you have issue with the vendors using the name 'Banh Mi', maybe take it up with them?

                      • p1 ama on 21/04/2024 - 13:33
                        -5

                        @larndis:

                        I'm not arguing about anything, just trying to understand what you are taking issue with.

                        I'm not taking issue with anything, I just said that a traditional Banh Mi is a ham sandwich, which it is. You were the one who then took issue with what I said, and after I pointed out what the language meant, you now are backing down and trying to pin the "issue taking" on me.

                        I also enjoy rolls sold under the name 'Banh Mi', and usually get the lemongrass chicken option. I do not make any claims as to the authenticity of the preparation, but it is very tasty. Maybe it's different elsewhere, but as far as I call tell the rolls sold as 'Banh Mi' in Canberra are incredibly popular because they are delicious (cheap helps too). I don't see people eating them, or calling them Banh Mi, to pretend to be sophisticated.

                        Maybe I've not been clear enough, but the issue I have is with the over-commercialisation of what is essentially cheap, easy-to-make fast food / street food. The idea of coming up with the "best" Banh Mi in Australia is a bit ridiculous, because:

                        (i) It's not really a "fine food" where food critics close their eyes and enjoy the aromas and come up with whatever snobbish bullshit they can come up with,

                        (ii) most of the lists are heavily weighted to Banh Mi places with a social media presence, as opposed to small traditional shops which have been operating in Vietnamese immigrant communities for decades,

                        (iii) it is not in the spirit of the food, which is meant to be a mass-produced, simple to eat lunch, for the masses - something everyone can make, everyone can enjoy, and something that is not snobbish

                        It's perhaps hard to find a similar Aussie analogy which people who did not grow up eating Banh Mi every few days would understand, but perhaps something similar would be like who makes the best sausage roll, or who makes the best chicken nuggets.

                        • larndis on 21/04/2024 - 14:47
                          +2

                          @p1 ama:

                          who makes the best sausage roll

                          This is definitely a thing.

                          I don't think OP was really looking for the opinions of food critics, or genuinely suggesting that there is one roll to be crowned "best" - more just interested in hearing others' opinions and maybe finding some new places to try? This doesn't seem problematic to me. In my limited experience eating at a few places in Canberra, some rolls are definitely superior to others.

                    • ass3ts on 21/04/2024 - 17:06

                      @p1 ama: Avo on toast is also just mashed avocado on toast, nothing exotic about it, the rest is hyped-up BS.

                      • p1 ama on 21/04/2024 - 18:01
                        +1

                        @ass3ts:

                        the rest is hyped-up BS

                        Which is exactly my point, the less hyped-up BS around simple foods, the better IMO.

                        The only thing that happens when simple foods get hyped-up is they become expensive, a social media contest, and regular folk are priced out.

        • illusion99 on 21/04/2024 - 10:25
          +1

          How do people run a successful business selling banh mi for $7-8? Genuinely curious as I run a small coffee shop and would like to know how you can pay all your wages, rent and utilities from a $7-8 banh mi

          • Tunblor on 23/04/2024 - 14:22

            @illusion99: The same way a lot of small businesses are run:
            * Employing family for $0 wages, or the owner is paying themselves $0 ("I'm employing and supporting my family, what do I need wages for?")
            * Buying ingredients directly from your uncle or aunt's market garden
            * Selling out of a shop that's either owned by your family, or rented from family / family friend, etc below market rates.
            * Paying less/no tax - via cash transactions, under-reported hours and wages, etc.
            * Define "successful" - a lot of these businesses are struggling, barely staying afloat, but it's all the owner knows, sunk-costs are too high, too stubborn to quit…

    • dragonxx on 21/04/2024 - 21:21
      +4

      To say Banh Mi is just a ham sandwich but claimed you’ve been eating banh mi since toddler, you probably haven’t experienced the banh mi enough to make such conclusion.

      There are hundred styles with different flavours and ingredients. Even the different styles of bread itself can create very unique combination. The “secret” sauces are actually real.

      Speaking from who lived in Vietnam nearly 25 years. Just like you I’ve been eating Banh Mi since a toddler, in both Vietnam and Australia. I am still mind-blowed every now and then when I come back to Vietnam and try out a new place.

    • bawls on 21/04/2024 - 22:20
      +3

      Does it upset you when people put cheese in a pie and icing on donuts too? "GUUUYS IT'S JUST SUPPOSED TO BE FRIED DOUGH, STOP TRYING TO MAKE IT EXOTIC WITH SPRINKLES AND PHOTOS"

      • p1 ama on 22/04/2024 - 10:52
        -3

        I'm not upset, I just find it strange that someone would describe a common Banh Mi as "a near perfect symphony of flavours and textures", and a "life changing roll", in the same way that I would find it quite strange if someone described a donut as such.

        Obviously it's great if people enjoy eating a Banh Mi - there are plenty of immigrant-owned small bakeries which I hope everyone will choose to support. The issue is when you start to have people on social media putting all sorts of different things in a traditional pork roll, making it exotic and some sort of fine food, then charging $15-20 for one, whilst crowding out the old-time bakeries.

    • morse on 22/04/2024 - 04:46

      Nah, this is a food that has changed and adapted especially in Australia, so there is absolutely a comparison to be made in terms of inclusion, flavour and the bread. Same with pizza, a simple food with humble origins, but variation in style, quality taste and texture of pizza is immense. People will travel for good Banh mi and good pizza.

      • TEER3X on 24/04/2024 - 16:23

        Australia has mostly butchered pizza to a point it's just slop. Luckily it's not all like that, but most of it is.

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