Daily Bread
125B Hai Ba Trung, P. Bến Nghé
District 1, Ho Chi Minh City
Banh Mi… Oh, Banh Mi. One of my fave things to eat everrr. I still remember the first time I had it, at Banh Mi Saigon under Manhattan Bridge, when it was still US$2.50 at the time.
Crusty baguette bursting with generous fillings of barbecued pork, cha lua, paté, pickled carrot and daikon, cucumber strips, cilantro, and with a dash of addictive Maggi soy sauce, it was cheap, delicious, and most satisfying for the starving college freshman that I was (circa early 90’s).
Sometime last year when my overseas-Vietnamese friend Cara was traveling the region and visiting Singapore, she hand-carried banh mi for me straight from HCMC. Dear lawd, the heavens parted and a legion of chorusing angels descended in golden rays when I sunk my teeth into that sandwich. It was a beautiful moment.
Needless to say, having banh mi in HCMC was at the very top of my “eat-inerary” hit list!
Since this was my first trip to Vietnam, I settled my banh mi fix as soon as I could. I spotted a random kiosk called Daily Bread. It was conveniently located at the corner of the same street at InterCon, where we were staying.
I was skeptical at first since the place looked too clean (haha). I suspected the legitimacy of this street-style snack. Still… I ordered just two at first, to be conservative.
The sandwiches turned out to be good fucking awesome. So much that the next morning, with two hours left before I had to head to the airport, the following conversation took place.
Me: Please help me call the banh mi place across the street. Tell them that I want twelve banh mi, two I will be eating for breakfast (which is now). The other ten banh mi should NOT be assembled and all the fillings are to be packed separately. Also can I request for individual ingredients to be bundled together instead of into ten separate small bags? I will come pick up these banh mi in ten minutes, thanksssssssss!
Concierge: Yes, Miss.
Banh mi place: *in chaos preparing my sudden order*
Me: All smiles but thinking “Hmm, maybe I should’ve ordered twenty.”
If you know me, I don’t bring souvenirs back from trips. I bring back food that I want to eat! *Reminding self to pack tupperware and ziplock bags to transport more banh mi back to SG*
There were simply too many things to eat in Ho Chi Minh but too little time. I didn’t even get to go to the allegedly most-famous-banh-mi-joint, Banh Mi Huynh Hoa. Because it bloody opens at 3pm in the afternoon!
According to my other overseas-Vietnamese friend Liz who’s living in Saigon now, there’s this other allegedly the-ultimate-banh-mi-joint-that-defines-banh-mi. But it also opens for business only at 3pm in the afternoon… sigh. WTH, I wanted it for breakfast! Next time I go to HCMC again, I’ll definitely check out Huynh Hoa and this other so-called “ultimate” other one. I must investigate first hand what the hype’s all about.
The banh mi from Daily Bread did not disappoint one bit, even though it was a random kiosk. Eating banh mi in Vietnam is definitely a must!
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