Van Sandwich

2.5 stars.
i want to give it 3. but its just very hit and miss with this place.
i usually come here to get this basil seed drink with brown moss type of things in it… i am unable to find anywhere else. first time i came it was delicious and perfect.
second time i came it was so concentrated and sweet and tasted like i was drinking nail polish.
also, they just put it in the fridge so it was warm… so i was pretty much drinking warm nail polish. it was horrendous.
sad part was… i went with a friend and was talking it up like it was the s*^%t.
he tried it was was like… ehhh. ugh. and i was like. my bad… for that they lost half a star in my books.

I stopped here with my parents recently after a trip to Vaughan Mills Mall and an early dinner at the Lucky Bamboo. We wanted to grab a little something for later. We had the Banh Mi Saigon (assorted cold cuts) which was $ 2.65.
The first thing I noticed here is that the staff wear hair nets and they wear gloves when they prepare your sandwich and remove the gloves when handling money. This in and of itself scores big points with me. The fact that their sandwiches are tasty makes me that much happier.
The baguette here is slimmer but longer than at most places. They also cut out the nubs at the end. I dislike the ends, so I don’t mind this practice. People who like the ends might object. The bread was fresh and didn’t taste too doughy or yeasty. The inside was fluffy and the outside crispy. The assorted cold cuts were all Vietnamese cold cuts (cha lua, BBQ pork, Vietnamese ham, and pâté). The sandwich also came with cilantro, pickled carrots and pickled daikon radish, and aioli.
They asked us if we were going to eat the sandwich right away because then they would toast it for us. Since we were taking it home, we decided not to get it toasted. We toasted it at home though.
Overall, the Banh Mi here is better than in Chinatown in my opinion. And the people who work there are nice. I recommend stopping by if you are in the area and if you like Banh Mi.

Atmosphere: small home run take out pastry shop
Food: I typically get their assorted Banh mi, I actually like how their baguette is made, thin and crunchy (I usually take it home and retoast), their pricing though, is quite strange. Banh mi ranges from 2.50−6.00, 6.00 for deer meat. This is oddly expensive for Banh mi that usually ranges from 2.00−3.00 tops.
Overall: I usually find myself picking up some Banh mi from here every time I make a visit to Vaughn mills. So I’ll be back

1.5 Star
Maybe I should have stick with their baked good instead of their Sandwich.
This location used to be Mister Baguette and I love the Banh Mi there. One of the best one I had…
Van Sandwich’s banh mi was not even good. The untoasted baguette was really doughy and did not tasted fresh. My #2 BBQ Pork ($ 2.50) was mainly fat and cold fat pork is never enjoyable. Grilled Chicken ($ 3.50) and even Italian Meatballs ($ 3.95)?! I think I would skip!
Iced Milk Coffee ($ 2.50) is all ice. FAIL
No one else really order banh mi or sandwich, most of the customers were in here picking up buns and pastries.
I really doubt I will be coming back…

We got the sandwich #1 and whole bunch of bakeries, the sandwich is more carefully made than the ones in t&t market or those in Spadina Chinatown. It is narrower, but longer. Like the peppery taste, but a bit too much oil in the bread. The pork bun with crispy out layer is pretty good. Service is not bad either.
They have buy 4 get one free for bakery after 4pm!