No visit to Hanoi is complete without having a banh mi that many consider as one of the national foods of Vietnam. It is what I call a fusion sandwich as it originated since the French colonialism days. It is so easy to find a banh mi vendor in Hanoi as it’s readily available almost everywhere. You can have a banh mi any time, as a snack or a main meal. And the best part is, it is very, very cheap.
While on the way to Dong Xuan Market, we stopped by Banh Mi 25 for tea break.
Seven types of banh mi to choose from which also included vegetarian options. When you’ve decided which one to go for, just let the guy who’s taking orders know.
Every banh mi will be freshly made to order.
So just grab an empty table and wait for your banh mi to be served up. You can either sit on a low stool by the roadside on the right hand side of the stall or pick an indoor seating in this space here on the left hand side.
Like a nice cosy cafe to chill out in. It does have some character eh.
While seated, we were served Lotus Tea that were on the house. Sweet. That probably explained why the banh mi here were slightly more expensive than others as I had seen roadside banh mi going for as low as 8000-10,000 VND each. But seriously, it wasn’t too big a price difference anyway because after the currency exchange, each banh mi only cost between S$0.95-$1.60 per sandwich. Very cheap because for that price, we still got a nice place to rest our legs in and enjoy a free cup of fragrant, sweet-tasting tea. No tax or service charge too.
We ordered a different banh mi each to try.
The Barbecued Pork with Pate Banh Mi (20,000 VND) was basically filled with delicious-tasting char siew with a robust marinade. And the vegetables gave great crunch as well. What I loved most about this was the baguette that was more light and airy compared to its French counterpart so it wasn’t very carb-loaded or heavy.
The Mixed Banh Mi (25,000 VND) came with pate, barbecued pork, jambon (ham) and sausage. Overall, this paled in comparison to the earlier banh mi as its flavour was milder though the flavour of the jambon did stand out – salty and smoky.
If you like spice, I recommend that you squeeze some of that sriracha over the banh mi. Hot and very shiok to eat.
Banh Mi 25
25 Hang Ca, Hoan Kiem
Hanoi, Vietnam
Tel: +84 977 66 88 95
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/banhmi25/
Opening hours:
7.00am to 7.00pm (Mon-Sat)
7.00am to 5.00pm (Sun)