Every week, I document another dish that impressed and satiated me during my food adventures around New York City
I had the great fortune of visiting Vietnam a few months back. I didn’t get to travel around the country since I was there for a work conference, but I did get to eat lots of delicious dishes in Hoi An. This beach town is actually where the late great Anthony Bourdain claimed to have tasted the best bánh mì. It was from a local (although now overrun with tourists) spot called Bánh Mì Phượng.
And it was pretty remarkable – expertly baked baguette with fatty grilled pork, bold pickled veggies, and a sweet spicy sauce to top it off. I never thought I’d find anything so good in New York.
Well, I was wandering around Sunset Park, the Chinatown of Brooklyn, and I stumbled upon the most authentic bánh mi sandwich and shop that I’ve discovered in the city. And of course, it’s hidden in this more authentic Chinatown.
I’ve had the Vietnamese sandwiches up and down the Manhattan Chinatown and some of them are quite good, but this is by far the closest I’ve tasted to that special experience in Vietnam.
The baguette at Ba Xuyên is toasted sightly but retains a soft pillowy cushion for the overabundance of meat. The sweet grilled pork contrasts the buttery paté and it’s all enlivened by the fresh sprigs of cilantro, cucumbers and pickled veggies. It felt (and tasted) like I was back in Hoi An.
And even though I never got to actually eat with Bourdain, this off-the-beaten path discovery (which I’m sure he knew about) is my tribute to him. Price: $5.50
| BA XUYÊN |
| 4222 8th Avenue (between 42nd and 43rd Street), Sunset Park, Brooklyn (718) 633-6601 |
