Delicious Vietnam #2 - Blind banh mi battle

"Move back!  I can't see!"

"Get off me!  You're totally in the way!"

"No, you are, you freak... Oh my god, you made me miss Ba Le's power pâté punch!  I'm gonna kill you!"

"Oh yeah?  You just wait, I'm gonna...  Whoa!  The cucumber screwdriver!"

"What?  Move!  I can't see!  

"You move!  What, it's over?  Who won?"

"You totally ruined it!  Take that!"

As the old black and white TV flickers, two brothers and their cousin wrestle on the floor, replaying the epic struggle they have just witnessed.  The battle of the banh mi is being waged again, this time between beefy twins Footscray and Richmond, as their little cousin Preston - small yet feisty - lands a lucky punch or two.  As the coffee table is knocked over and the glasses of soda go flying, the boys are a blur of arms and legs, and it's impossible to tell one from the other.

We are so lucky here in Melbourne, Australia, to have a number of Vietnamese neighbourhoods woven into the fabric of our city.  Melbourne loves her Vietnamese sons.  Which plucky young one will win the blind banh mi battle?

For this month's Delicious Vietnam, the brainchild of Anh of A Food Lover's Journey and Hong & Kim of Ravenous Couple, I want to share with you our latest Melbourne food blogger meetup and homage to one of Melbourne's best-loved Vietnamese imports - the banh mi.  Following the success of #balutfest and the victory of favourite son Springvale in the hot vit lon department, Billy of Half-Eaten had the brilliant idea of arranging a blind banh mi taste test to judge which bakery made the best pork roll.  The blind testing was crucial to eliminate local bias. Not that yours truly would suffer from that AT ALL...  :)

Banh mi fixings.  From left to right: gio lua, char siu, "jellymeat"

Banh mi are a Vietnamese take on a classic French sandwich.  They can have many fillings, like BBQ chicken, meatballs, roast pork, or even tofu, but the classic is banh mi thit nguoi or "mixed ham roll."  This starts with a crunchy bread roll, which is deftly sliced and spread with a chiaroscuro of flavour - a shimmering streak of pale egg mayo (aka "butter") on one side, and rich, dark pâté on the other.  Three kinds of ham are normally added - gio lua, a pale Vietnamese "sausage" of pounded pork, often seen in a banana leaf-wrapped cylinder; char siu or Chinese-style BBQ pork, often with a red edge; and a type of head cheese (affectionately known by us as "jellymeat"), which is various porky odds and ends, pressed together and bound with aspic.  The meaty trio is topped with sweet pickled carrots, often mixed with similarly pickled white radish or onion; cucumber; coriander/cilantro; fresh chilli; and a sprinkle of Maggi sauce.

I arrived at the our "kitchen stadium" (penny aka jeroxie's cosy kitchen) and added my wager of 6 rolls from Footscray's finest bakeries to the growing pile on the table.  We started nervously at the piles of banh mi, dormant in their white paper packages.  Billy had devised an ingenious "blind tasting" system where all tasters would be unaware of the provenance of each roll.  With a nervous gulp of tea, we began our quest, slowly munching our way through 18 carefully segmented sandwiches.  Screwed up noses contrasted with emphatic nodding of heads as carrot and crumbs piled up in our laps like a snowdrift.

What I discovered was the best sandwiches began with good bread.  For me, banh mi cannot be made with regular, Australian-style white bread that is thick, chewy, and with a soft crust.  My favourite rolls had crackly crusts that shattered when you bit in, covering you in a confetti of crumbs and crust.  The interior of the bread should be quite airy and with an open crumb, so the filling takes centre stage.  The meat had to be fresh, tasty, and not too fatty; the pâté rich, non-grainy, and equally distributed; and the salad zingy with sweet vinegar, but not overpowering.

Banh mi sushi!

Sports fans - there was a clear winner.  Both everyone's individual top score and our totalled combined top score pointed to Nhu Lan of Footscray as the far and away victor!  In my own notes, Nhu Lan scored full marks for their excellent crusty bread and fresh, balanced ham combination.  I deducted marks for salad and overall flavour, which I find somewhat bemusing as I often buy a salad-only banh mi from Nhu Lan, so enamored am I of their pickled carrots.  This little shop is the busiest bakery in Footscray by far, and it's also the most expensive, at $3.80 for a banh mi thit nguoi compared to $3.20 - $3.50 elsewhere.  But let's be serious - for such freshness, flavour, and variety, how can you call $3.80 expensive?!

On the scorecard above, the numbers along the top correspond to the following bakeries.  You can see each taster's individual scores, and the numbers in circles down the bottom are the bakeries' overall rankings.

1 - Lee Lee (Victoria St, Richmond)
2 - Huong Huong (Victoria St, Richmond)
3 - Tina (High St, Preston)
4 - Nhu Lan (Hopkins St, Footscray)
5 - To's (Little Saigon Market, Footscray)
6 - Phuoc Thanh (Victoria St, Richmond)
7 - Mai Lan (High St, Preston)
8 - Saigon Bakery (Victoria St, Richmond)
9 - Ba Le (Leeds St, Footscray)

That night, a battle was waged in my belly.  Over twenty-seven different pieces of ham roiled in a sea of egg butter, and a single, crisp green apple was all I could manage for dinner.  This fighter is hanging up her banh mi boots.

What's that?  You're off to Nhu Lan?  Oh, go on.  I'll have a banh mi with BBQ chicken.  Hey, I'm always up for a rematch.

Thank you Billy for organising the battle and to Penny for hosting it.  I look forward to future food forays!

Ba Le 2

Maddern Square.  High noon.  The battle of the banh mi is about to take place.  In the red corner, we have Nhu Lan, the people's favourite.  Look at him, resplendent in an orange and white cape and leotard!  The crowd goes wild as he flexes his sticky chicken thighs.  His buns are so crispy!  A hush descends over the crowd - the challenger has arrived.  Ba Le is a fearsome opponent, his chest emblazoned with a silver Eiffel Tower.  Will Nhu Lan be pounded into pâté?  Will barrel-chested Ba Le be brought down by Nhu Lan's bi?  Or will this epic battle degenerate into a salad smackdown?

Nhu Lan is arguably the most popular of Footscray's Vietnamese bakeries.  However, Ba Le, tucked up Leeds St, has its loyal and devoted fans.  Like many Footscray shops, it has a split identity.  One third sells different types of Vietnamese ham, the middle portion sells banh mi, and the last section sells bubble tea.  This is a common theme in Footscray.  Take the shop in Barkly St that does money transfers and photos, or the other one that does DVDs and bubble tea.  So what, you say - maybe you want to send your rellies a family photo as well as some cash?  Or grab a taro milk tea while you browse the latest releases?  Well, what say you about the place on Paisley that sells orchids along with bongs?

Ba Le's opening move was the chicken and onion roll.  Juicy pieces of chicken with sautéed onion in a very light, stock-based glaze.  Very nice.

Next, I wanted to try xiu mai.  As Phil of The Last Appetite points out, xiu mai is a sort of Vietnamese interpretation of the Cantonese yum cha favourite, siu mai, in that they are pork dumplings but sans wrapper.  Unfortunately, banh mi xiu mai got a massive FAIL from this fan.  I expected a bouncy texture, like that of siu mai dumplings, but what I got was mincemeat - a banh mi burger.  I am sure this is authentic, but not at all what I felt like.

Lastly (no, I did not eat all of these on the same day!!!) what was described as "roast pork" - I thought it was the cha lua (Vietnamese ham or bologna) that the other side of the shop sells, but the server said that it was not.  At any rate, this banh mi was filled with rectangles of a sweet, springy, tasty pork loaf - somewhat like chao tom or "sugarcane prawns", the light, chewy prawn paste molded on sugarcane and then grilled. 

The battle is being waged...  Both opponents charge, fists outstretched for a power pâté punch.  Ba Le reels from Nhu Lan's superior strength.  Ba Le recovers and executes a meaty manoeuvre, but Nhu Lan parries his blow.  Ba Le is stunned and fails to avoid Nhu Lan's simple yet killer move, the "cucumber screwdriver".  The match is over!  Nhu Lan reigns supreme!

Ahem... sorry, I got a bit carried away there.  In translation, I really think Ba Le is more about the meat than the salad.  Their rolls are much meatier, which is not to say that Nhu Lan's are not - rather, Nhu Lan's salad is much better.  It is crispier and more flavoursome.  I also am not a fan of Ba Le's pâté; it is an odd pink colour and has a particular taste I am not keen on.  Nevertheless, Ba Le's rolls are a bargain at $3, and I believe you can have any combination of meats for the same price.  One time I was in there, a man was getting a sandwich with a little bit of each filling - a Meatlover's banh mi, if you will.  Now there's a lunch I would be happy to wrestle with.

Ba Le
Shop 3, 28A Leeds St, Footscray (map)
Phone: 9687 2985

(Tan) Truc Giang

Where do you go when you are starving and have only 15 minutes to eat and do a week's worth of shopping at the market?  Answer: Truc Giang in Leeds St.

If it weren't for the venetian blind in the top shot, you would see the veritable mountain of pickled vegies that is normally in the front window, ready for stuffing into your crunchy roll.  I got a hot tip that these guys did a special pork roll with grilled pork, so that was my pick.

I have eaten here before from the overflowing, colourful bain-marie, and it was good.  Speaking of which, don't let the whole bain-marie factor put you off.  Sure, it doesn't do the food any favours but it is a great way to try new things.  Instead of perusing a menu, wondering what X is, and then just going back to your old stand-bys for fear of disappointment, you can work backwards and see what catches your eye, then learn what it's called.

I am pretty sure that everything in the separate unit above is 100% vegetarian.  I forgot to ask because I was presented with this little beauty:

Mmm-mmh.  Mmm-HMH!  Dee-lishus.  Tender pork, lots of grilled flavour, a whisper of hoi sin and just the right amount of juicy fat.  Salad less refined than say, Nhu Lan - pickled carrot & radish  coarser, cucumber chopped rather than sliced - but still fantastic crunch and flavour.  Altogether a more rustic roll, which is a compliment in my book.  The baby in the Baby Bjorn didn't appreciate a head full of crumbs - but she'll cope.  And I got my shopping done in time.

(Tan) Truc Giang (map)
 36A Leeds St, Footscray
Phone: 9689 9509
Hours: Mon - Sat 8am - 8pm, closed Sun

Nhu Lan 2

I blame cloudcontrol for putting the idea into my head.  He daydreams...

I still really miss the fact I could run downstairs from my place and grab a banh mi (Vietnamese pork roll) or some xoi cuc Ha Noi (Hanoi-style sticky rice with chrysanthemum) or even a quick bowl of pho.

So naturally, I had to buy a pork roll for breakfast on the way to work.  And then I had to buy one for lunch too.  Research purposes, people!

It may have been 8.30am but Nhu Lan was pumping.  You have to be pushy or you will get swept aside as more customers flood in, demanding their favourites, while the ladies behind the counter deftly slice steaming rolls, spread pâté, and rifle through their lunchboxes of takings to find you your change.

 

Your choices are divided between cold and hot offerings, from mixed ham or bi (shredded pork skin), or any one of BBQ chicken, pork, chicken & onion, tofu, as well as interesting "kebabs" and "xiu mai" (like the eponymous yum cha dumpling, without the skin, in a vibrant red sauce).

My favourite roll is BBQ chicken.  The sticky red thigh is plucked from a pile which seems a foot high, tossed on the weathered, stained chopping board and with a few satisfying thuck thucks of the cleaver, sliced for stuffing into your crispy roll.  This is topped with pickled carrot and radish, cucumber, coriander, chilli and special sauce, before being tucked in a crisp paper bag and sealed with an efficient twist.

 

BBQ Chicken Roll, $3.80

The chicken is warm and juicy, melding with the soft yet crunchy roll, accented by fantastic, sweet, tangy pickles.  YUM!  All you suckers getting "chicken" rolls at Subway - walk the extra block and you'll never look back!

Bi is usually described as "shredded pork skin".  I'd never had it before and was curious.  I don't see how it can be the skin, though, as it is meltingly soft, and surely the skin would be horribly tough and chewy unless it were made into crackling?  (Then again, that is probably just me, trying to find an excuse to make crackling.)  It seems to me to be the under-skin layer of fat, shredded and mixed with a little lean meat.  If you can enlighten me, please do so.

 

Unlike the chicken roll, the bi version was seasoned with chopped peanuts, fried onions or shallots, nuoc mam cham or seasoned fish sauce, and marinated, chopped spring onions.  The bi was very tender and sweet, but too fatty for my taste to eat for a whole sandwich.  It would be great as a kind of relish on the side of an otherwise light dish, such as a simple bowl of rice.  I can't fault Nhu Lan for the execution though, which seemed to me to be perfect - as always.

Nhu Lan (map)

116 Hopkins St, Footscray

Hours: 5.00am - 6.00pm, 7 days

Ba Le

I have been doing some reading on Vietnamese pork rolls or Banh Mi. During the French colonial period, fancy delis in Vietnam offered "French sandwiches" to the colonials. Over time, they were popularised throughout all levels of society, from the aforementioned fancy delis to mobile sandwich shops (a box on a tricycle), the peddlers (pedallers?) of which stuffed their rolls with plenty of cheaper and more Vietnamese ingredients such as herbs, pickled vegetables, cucumber and chilli. My source claims that the rolls were a status symbol, reminiscent as they were of the French. I wonder if people just realised that they tasted bloody good.



Ba Le is no exception. Today we had two rolls, a BBQ pork and a chicken & onion. The emphasis seems to be firmly on the meat rather than the salad, which was muffled by the fantastic flavours of the pork and chicken. The pork was warm, juicy, infused with hoi sin, while the chicken and onion was soy-based, lighter, very tasty. The other side of the store sells various types of cha lua/gio lua or Vietnamese pork loaf, plus sliced-to-order hams and pressed meats which you could buy to make your own banh mi at home. But really, why would you bother?

Ba Le, Shop 3, 28A Leeds St, Footscray (between Barkly & Ryan)

Nhu Lan

When trying to find a good eatery, it is generally a no-brainer that the busiest one is best. This logic prevails at Nhu Lan, a bakery adored for their Vietnamese salad rolls. Lunchtime today found the counter 4 deep, which is pretty much standard. Big colourful pictures on the walls let you know your choices, from mixed ham, BBQ pork or chicken, pork meatball etc. Normally the BBQ chicken is my fave (think sticky, glistening and an unnatural shade of crimson, chopped on a big rough-hewn chopping block concave from years of use) but decided to mix it up and go with the tofu. This is as far as I know a Nhu Lan exclusive, juicy fried cubes in a shiny, light, soy-based gravy with spring onion. The roll was also stuffed with the classic carrot/radish pickle, coriander, cucumber and chilli. It was to die for! J and I snarfed it in the car before we even pulled out of the parking lot. Tofu Nhu Lan roll now a classic in my book.

See more recent review here

Nhu Lan, 116 Hopkins St, Footscray (opposite the market, just past Leeds)