Rainy, depressing days call for comforting pho and banh mi sandwiches. After job interviews in Brooklyn, my friend and I took the train up to V-Nam Cafe, a small cozy venue owned by the father of a mutual friend, famous for its low prices and banh mi sandwiches. The menu wasn't extensive - just a small selection of simple, authentic Vietnamese comfort food.
I just had to get pho because it was available. The basil seemed almost dried and didn't add much flavor to the stock, which wasn't saturated with msg like other places. The noodles were overwhelming in quantity but cooked well. The beef however, came tough and dry and pretty much only the top three slices were edible without massive amounts of sriracha and hoisin sauce squeezed on my soup spoon.
The beef in the beef banh mi was so flavorful, sweet and garlicky, and had just the right chew for a sandwich. The baguette was loaded with picked julienned daikon (white radish), carrots, cilantro, sriracha mayo, jalapeno rings, and crunchy English cucumbers. It made for a refreshing yet savory bite with intense flavor, texture, and temperature contrast.
The traditional banh mi, for around five bucks, includes all the vegetable fillings but the protein sandwiched inside is savory pork pate, similar to a sweet pork sausage. The fried egg (for an extra buck) adds a hot component to the sandwich and puts a comforting breakfast spin on it.
V-Nam Cafe
20 1st Ave
New York, NY 1003
