Bahnmi11

Having not had Bahnmi11 for a long time, I was really excited when we came upon it at Broadway Market.
I ordered my normal, beef bahn mi. It normally takes a while as the beef needs to be cooked to order, and the bun warmed and stuff. But I had the sandwich in my hands in maybe 2 minutes — and was really unimpressed.
Having gone for medium spice, I was disappointed that there was no perseptable spice at all. The meat was hard and chewy, there wasn’t enough pickle flavour, and I didn’t even see the paté, much less taste it.
I don’t know if it was an off day, or if we were just too early and they weren’t up to it yet, but while it was a passible beef baguette, the bahn mi magic just wasn’t there.

Ah BahnMi11 the only way to start a Saturday! This Vietnamese stall on Brodaway market is the only place that has a seating area and their Vietnamese Iced Coffee is second to none. The pork baguettes are a standard choice but there’s also plates of meat and veg or delicious prawn summer rolls if you fancy something different.

Pics available @
What is Bánn Mì? According to my research, it is a type of popular sandwich in Vietnam. Now, I’m only using the term ‘sandwich’ loosely as it is way more than jet the common and mundane filling between two slices of bread that are sold in all the café chains across London. The classic Bánn Mì usually consists of roast or barbecue pork stuffed in a french baguette, along with some fresh coriander, pickled carrots and daikon, cucumber, chilli sauce and mayonnaise. Sounds delicious, doesn’t it? So when I got wind of a great pop up stall, Bánn Mì 11 in Berwick street market that does an authentic and excellent Bánn Mì yesterday, I know I’ve just had to give it a go. They were normally reserved only for the crowds in Broadway market in the past so this is a great opportunity. But I was way too late by the time I got there as they were closing up. So I was determined to do it again today, by all means possible. When I got there, there was already a queue building up. Being quite new to this part of London, they’ve already seemed to be building up quite a huge followings. I promptly joined the queue. Now there were a lot of options on the menu and as I was pondering on what to order, I was told of their two signature dishes, the Imperial BBQ pork and the Fish Q. Still unable to decide, I bought both. A bit greedy, I know, but when in doubt. After finding a lovely and sunny spot in golden square nearby, I sat myself down, basking in the glorious sunshine, and took a bite at the BBQ pork Bánn Mì. I was immediately hit by the sweet, tender and smoky flavour from the pork. Along with this was the slightly sharp pickled carrots, daikon and turnip, and then it was the crunchy fresh cucumber and coriander. All these were accompanied by what I thought was a delicately flavour mayonnaise, which I later found out was actually their homemade pâté. It was delicious! And the chilli sauce just gave it the additional kick that work beautifully. Even the baguette itself were crusty and fresh, another bonus point. Next, I had the fish Bánn Mì. Not sure if this was intentional, but this time, there were more of the pickled carrots, daikon and turnip and there was also the presence of the pickled red onions. But all these just seemed to work perfectly with the delicate and mildly spiced catfish. The turmeric and galangal in the fish stood up the sweet, sour pickled vegetables and the hot spicy chilli (I did asked for a relatively spicy one). The balance of the flavours is just sensational. Once again, fresh crusty bread and fresh tasty filling. As simple and as complex as that. If you’ve never had it before, I urge you to give this a go. And if you work any near Soho, this should definitely be on top of your ‘where to go for lunch’ list. The price ranges from £4.50 for the vegetarian tofu to £6 for the fish but what you get for you money is an excellent, fresh sandwich that will more than justified the cost. Just a quick word of warning, they were so popular that they were sold out by 2pm today even though they usually open till 3pm!
Reviewed by J@feasttotheworld

Pics@Chopstix2Steaknives
I finally made my way to Broadway market and went straight to BanhMi11 on the recommendation of friends. An order of the Quad Meat Special was made which comprises of Pâté, BBQ Pork, Roast Pork, Pork Ham in Banana Leaf, and Chicken Ham.
I really liked the baguette which had a nice crunchy exterior though my companion thought it was too crunchy. The filling although good, I thought lacked the freshness and taste that comes from the herbs and pickled vegetables.
In contrast, I thought the filling from the Ca Phe store a few steps away was better.

We wandered past Broadway Market last Saturday to find it heaving with sun seekers out for a bite. We were surprised to find BanhMi11 striking out with a stall of their own, no longer part of the CaPheVN coffee stall (see the
website for details)
Happily, they are now quite near the portugese roast pork stall, so 2 of us waited in the respective lines for 2 very different but scrumptious pork rolls. I had to wait quite some time for my banh mi, since all rolls are made to order, and everyone that day seemed to want a bbq filling. However, it was completely worth it — the flavours were perfectly balanced: the pork delicious against the cool sharp pickled veg, the roll lovely and crusty on the outside, perfect within.
The girls serving were so friendly and smiley, even though they were run off their feet. I can’t wait to go back and get another one. Or different ones to try!

Banh Mi11 — Pics @ The London Foodie
(
)
In a delightful write-​up by Charmaine Mok in Time Out (July 09), I read with great interest about Bánh Mì, a Franco-​Vietnamese creation now to be found in the streets of London.
So what is a Bánh Mì? Bánh Mì is a Vietnamese sandwich made from an incredibly light and crisp French style baguette (made of 50% wheat & 50% rice flour) and stuffed with richly spiced pork/​chicken liver paté, sliced pork meat (cha lua), julienned strips of sweet pickled carrots and radish (do chua), slices of crunchy cucumber, coriander and smothered in a rich, eggy mayonnaise.
Armed with my July 09 edition of Time Out and an ever so rumbling stomach, off I went to Broadway Market to visit the stall of Bahn Mi11. This delightful stall is set next to Ca Phe VN, the Vietnamese Café, already a fixture of that market and a real East End institution. With small tables and chairs around the stall, Bahn Mi11 is very reminiscent of similar street food eateries in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
I ordered a cup of the chilled green tea, and their classic Bánh Mì with extra fillings at £3.50. As expected, the baguette was incredibly light and crispy. The combination of the various ingredients was spot on the sweetness of the liver pâté, the sourness of the pickles; the sliced pork meat and herbs adding extra layers of complexity making the sandwich very nicely balanced. I was hooked!
After devouring my Bánh Mì, I had a lovely chat with the Vietnamese women behind the stall. Their enthusiasm and passion are contagious. I hope that they will be successful in popularising this wonderful Franco-​Vietnamese creation to a wider audience in London.
Verdict Street food at its best and at very reasonable prices. Charming service, and great location make Bánh Mì11 a must to anyone visiting Broadway Market.
Pictures of this review can be seen at
.