A colonial crash between Vietnamese cuisine and the French baguette, banh mi is certainly Thieng Heng’s specialty. And at this sandwich shop you’ll find a row of busy hands constantly filling up bread rolls with tasty ingredients. Thumb-tacked above the bar, the menu illustrates with Martin Parr-esque photos the eight different fillings (lacquered pork, tofu, lemongrass beef, grilled chicken, marinated tofu…) and two sizes (normal or super plus – go for the latter!), which get topped with pickled carrots and cucumber, cilantro, Maggi sauce and (optional) spicy mayonnaise. The result? A tender and delicious sandwich that you can eat on the street, so much better than your average jambon-beurre. // A.B.
FEELING THIRSTY? Coconut juice (€1.20) or an exotic drink made with plants and an herb jelly sold by the can (€1.10).
PRICE: Banh mi €2.60 to €3.40 (€3.20 to €4.20 for the super plus format).
