NGON Banh Mi & Tea
NGON Banh Mi & Tea – BaLe Banh Mi has been a huge staple in the Vancouver food scene for easy take away Vietnamese subs. No other places have rival or step forth to take on their monopoly market. However, over the last 5 years the Vietnamese food scene has taken Vancouver by the storm by changing Vancouverites perception of the food. Instead of the typical cheap and fast street food that Vietnamese restaurants are thought of before, many new places are upping the game and providing different dishes from different regions of Vietnam which many locals in Vancouver have never tried or thought of. The typical street food dishes that adorned the many Vietnamese menus no longer are thought as cheap but as high quality and nutritious meals. As result, more Banh Mi shops have opened up with more chic and modern look to attract new patrons. One of these new shops I went to explore was NGON Banh Mi. A small Vietnamese sub cafe serving up the classics and some fusion specialties and unique coffee blended drinks. I decided on the classic sub of the cold cut meats and pate with the pickled veggies. When I evaluate what is a good banh mi. It’s all about the bread. The freshness, the crispy crust and the soft inside needs to be able to hold the toppings in is what makes a good sandwich. NGON had a really nice crunchy crust and not chewy at all. It’s nice soft pillowy bread really holds the topping well. I can’t be sure if they make their own bread or not but I would say it sorta lack a fragrant of french bread which I usually associate freshness with. So that is the only negative thing I can say. As for the cold cuts, I can’t say it’s anything completely different from BaLe but for price point – I would say BaLe for cold cuts is still a better price. However, my fave still for Banh Mi in Vancouver is still Banh Mi Saigon. I would definitely wait in line for that shop. Their overall bread and toppings is very distinctive and unique in their own way. The flavour combination works and they make their own bread in house which makes a huge difference.
