Le Banh Mi offers gourmet food on the cheap

“Banh Mi nong Banh Mi nong gion day” is the cry outside some Saigon homes promising citizens some beautiful, hot, crispy bread at very reasonable prices delivered to your door.

It is my favorite saying in Vietnamese due to hearing these traders at all hours of the day which is music to my ears due to the fact that I am a huge lover of Vietnamese bread hot or cold so I had tried every available version in the city until I encountered a new upmarket product on Le Ton Thanh Street which has a continental touch mixed with Asian flavor.

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City workers, students and expatriates alike are fl ocking to try out Le Banh Mi at Le Thanh Ton downtown – Photo: Derek Milroy

For the quality of ingredients and in particular the lovely baguette and choices of sauces the price is surprisingly cheap even though slightly more expensive than the Saigonese alternative.

The three sauces are Phu Quoc (fish sauce, garlic, chilli and sugar), The Bale (black peppercorn sauce) and Unami (wasabi and soy sauce) which is my personal favourite, absolutely delicious. The treat is priced at just VND40,000 for a baguette or you can an extra VND20,000 for a larger version which I highly recommend.

All sandwiches come with roasted pork, cilantro, spring onions, cucumber and Dalat chilli. The banh mi or normal bread is just VND35,000 but not half as tasty as the crispy baguette.

Le Banh Mi, which only opened a short time ago, is the work of well-known chef Andreas Ertle and not only offers quick snacks on the run it also has a seating area which is popular with city workers, students and expatriates alike for a place to grab some food and enjoy an after-work drink due to the fact that it offers Sapporo on draft and even wine is sold by the glass and the bottle as well as soft drinks.

Le Banh Mi is located at 12 Le Thanh Ton in District 1. It also offers deliveries on
08 38 221036.

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