Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Banh Mi from Little Saigon Deli, San Francisco

Last Monday the Sergeant and I wandered over to San Francisco to meet up with a friend for drinks, and we stopped at Little Saigon Deli for some banh mi. If you work in the financial district or are headed to a ballgame on a weekday, you can get a nice sandwich here for $4.

When the weather is warm, the order window on the street side is open; otherwise you enter Steuart Place and order inside.
There are seven sandwich varieties: pork, fancy pork, chicken, meatball, tofu, a couple combos and an egg ham and cheese croissant. I got the fancy pork, which was slices of paté – I'm not sure what made it "fancy."

You'll want some iced coffee, too, and maybe a green coconut waffle for dessert. The bay is right there, so wander on down toward the bridge, where you'll find a table and a view.
I wasn't particularly impressed by this sandwich, though it wasn't bad. The pickling for the carrots and daikon was a little sweeter than I'm used to and I didn't think the pork was all that exceptional. Still, for $4 in downtown SF, it's a great deal (anywhere else it would be $2.50; I'm guessing the rent there is pretty steep). I sure enjoyed that waffle, and the coffee is most excellent.

Little Saigon Deli
131 Steuart St, Suite 101
(between Howard St & Mission St)
San Francisco, CA 94105
(415) 284-7375

4 comments:

  1. It sure is a pretty sandwich. Pate, huh? Sometimes fancy isn't always better.

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  2. The extra $1.50 was for the view, something you couldn't find anywhere else.

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  3. Wait, I thought banh mi had pork AND paté anyway. That's how they are here. In authentically Vietnamese Nashville.

    Anyway. I've been making them with chicken lately, from a Food and Wine recipe from last year. I'm addicted.

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  4. Betts, well, it wasn't bad just not great.

    Zoomie, that's very true!

    DG, it was two kinds of pate, really. The spreadable kind and then the slices. I'll have to try your version! But I like them in part because they're so cheap to buy. Super-tasty and convenient without breaking the bank.

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