Sam’s Cafe

I’ve had Sam’s Café bookmarked on Unilocal for some time and finally got around to going today. My parents were in this neck of the woods for other errands today, so I met up with them and we had lunch together at Sam’s Café. We enjoyed it.
They both had the Classic Vietnamese Banh Mi Sandwich ($ 3 each), and I had the Red Beef Curry ($ 10.95) and a side of rice ($ 3) — which I shared with them because it was a large serving.
I enjoyed my beef curry. It had tender cubes of beef in it, along with green beans and chunks of squash. It was mildly spicy and was rich with coconut milk. The dish does not come with rice, so I had to buy a side of rice. The small is $ 2 and the large is $ 3. The small looked too small for the amount of curry, so I got the large, which was perfect.
My parents both agreed that the Banh Mi was definitely Westernized and not authentic, but it was good nonetheless. There is a sauce on it that my mom said is reminiscent of a diluted Thousand Island dressing. However, they do put Vietnamese aioli (a sauce made with egg yolks and oil) in the sandwich too. There is also no daikon radish on the sandwich, only carrots and cilantro and my mom said that the carrots didn’t taste pickled. Although this is good for her because she doesn’t like the pickled vegetables that usually come with authentic Banh Mi, but not good for my dad who likes the potent vinegar taste of pickled vegetables. They also felt that it would have tasted better if the bread had been toasted.
The Classic Banh Mi at Sam’s Café is a sandwich on bread that is like a baguette with Vietnamese sausage, Vietnamese ham, paté, butter, sauce, pickled carrots and cilantro.
Sam’s Café is located inside the Fairmont Confectionery which is a convenience store at the corner of Fairmont and Gladstone. There is very minimal seating. They had 1 table for 6 which is where we sat. They had another table for 4 but it was covered in magazines and had the owner’s laptop on it. I guess if they had more customers come in who wanted to eat-​in they would have cleaned it up (?). While we were there everyone else came for take-​out.
According to the articles on the walls and the takeout menu, the owners are Sam and his sister Sandy. They were both there and were both very nice.
It’s a quirky little place, I mean, you’re eating in the back of a convenience store! I love quirky and I love finding unusual places like this. I would definitely return :)

So far, I’ve tried the red beef curry and the massaman chicken curry. Both dishes were incredible.
At other restaurants in the past I’ve had some seriously underwhelming curry, so I have never really considered myself a fan. But, I’d heard lots of good things about Sams so I thought I’d try it out.
I think I enjoyed the flavour of the red beef curry more, but the texture of the crunchy peanuts in the massaman was such a nice addition. Both times, I opted for rice to mix in, which seems like a smart move when you’re ordering and you’re hungry, but just know that it’s incredibly filling with the potatoes, chicken and heavy sauce. You definitely won’t be complaining about skimpy portions.
Prices seem reasonable for what you’re getting in quantity as well as quality. Service is fast, nice, and friendly. I haven’t waited more than 10 minutes for my food to be prepared to go, but you can call ahead if you know what you want and they’ll have it ready for pickup.

A little birdie told me about Sam’s Café today, while we were trying to decide on a cheap dinner. The birdie said something about the novelty of eating inside of a convenience store. «Oh, they have Vietnamese sandwiches, do they?» Oh hell yeah. And it doesn’t end there. They had the usual Vietnamese fare you seek aside from phở. And and and… THE best iced Vietnamese coffee I have. Ever. Had. Really nice service, too.

This place is actually a combined confectionary (convenience store from what I can see) and Thai/​Vietnamese restaurant with appetizers, entrees, and amazing $ 3 – 4 sandwiches (Try the Banh Mi Re-​imagined). Take-​out and dine-​in at the back of the convenience store. How Williamsburg can Hintonburg get?
Thai dishes are delicious (I had the yellow beef curry and cashew nut chicken stir fry) and fast for take-​out or eating in the back. Sandwiches (Try the Banh Mi Re-​imagined) are $ 3-​$ 4.
Sam told me they have zoning now for the front porch to become a two bench eatery. Nice addition to the neighbourhood.