Saigon Express – catching up with the sandwich
Another day, another banh mi.
And another. And another. I couldn’t decide whether I wanted thịt nguội (Vietnamese cold cut, also called “ham”), chả lụa, or pâté, and I didn’t want to settle for the special ($3.20) which has all three, because that means there is less of each. Like a good girl I got all three ($2.75 each), then mixed and matched. Cha lua is nothing beyond expectation, smooth and pure, sliced as thin as chicken skin. To its left is the firm rosy thit nguoi, made from cured pork and fat strips, similar to pork belly. To its right is pork liver pate banh mi. The brown spread looks like nutella with pepper, feels grainy and silky on the tongue, and tastes magnificent. In one bite of oozing goodness, you can find something nutty, something sweet, a bit fatty and rich, a lot of salt, no sign of bitterness, all tempered by the mildly sour pickled carrots. Pork liver pate is my favorite.
Although most scoffers stay at Saigon Express for no more than 10 minutes, just enough time to grab a quick sandwich or a phở to-go, I dined in just to sample more food. Seemingly everyone comes here knowing what they want, I wonder if some of the dishes are forever hidden in the multipaged menu. I dug one out from the clay pot section: tofu and prawn claypot, served on white rice. For only $7.75, I can’t complain that its quality isn’t up to par with Le Regal’s ca kho to. There’s plenty of thin, almost broth-like sauce to soak your soft fried bean curd and wet your rice. The shrimps are plump. Mushy onion slivers encase tiny, juicy, salty outbursts.
Having stationed here for fifteen years, Saigon Express weathers the ebbs and flows of the competitive eatery market by setting its price low. The most expensive items are $7.75, easily portioned into two meals unless you’re preparing for football practice or something of sort. It also takes credit card.
Address: Saigon Express
2045 Shattuck Avenue (at the corner with Addison St, and in the same block as Biryani House)
Berkeley, CA 94704
Older posts on banh mi:
– banh mi ba chi pate (pate pork belly sandwich)
– banh mi thit nuong (grilled pork sandwich): from Lee’s Sandwiches and Huong Sandwiches
you have a great blog here! would you like to make some invite posts on my blog?
1I would like to thnkx for the efforts you have put in writing this blog. I am hoping the same high-grade blog post from you in the upcoming as well. In fact your creative writing abilities has inspired me to get my own blog now. Really the blogging is spreading its wings quickly. Your write up is a good example of it.
2I’ve been surfing on-line more than three hours as of late, yet I by no means found any fascinating article like yours. It is pretty price enough for me. Personally, if all website owners and bloggers made just right content as you probably did, the web can be a lot more useful than ever before.
3I’m not sure exactly why but this site is loading extremely slow for me. Is anyone else having this problem or is it a problem on my end? I’ll check back later and see if the problem still exists.
4Excellent read, I just passed this onto a colleague who was doing a little research on that. And he actually bought me lunch because I found it for him smile Thus let me rephrase that: Thanks for lunch!
5We are a group of volunteers and opening a new scheme in our community. Your site offered us with valuable info to work on. You have done a formidable job and our entire community will be grateful to you.
6I like this post, enjoyed this one thanks for posting.
7Hello, Neat post. There is a problem along with your web site in internet explorer, may test thisK IE nonetheless is the marketplace chief and a good part of folks will leave out your great writing due to this problem.
8Would you be focused on exchanging links?
9Oh my goodness! an amazing article dude. Thank you Nonetheless I’m experiencing situation with ur rss . Don’t know why Unable to subscribe to it. Is there anybody getting similar rss drawback? Anyone who knows kindly respond. Thnkx
10Heya i am for the primary time here. I came across this board and I to find It really helpful & it helped me out a lot. I’m hoping to offer one thing back and help others such as you aided me.
11Hello, I think your blog might be having browser compatibility issues. When I look at your blog in Chrome, it looks fine but when opening in Internet Explorer, it has some overlapping. I just wanted to give you a quick heads up! Other then that, great blog!
12Your style is so unique compared to many other people. Thank you for publishing when you have the opportunity,Guess I will just make this bookmarked.
13Great write-up, I am normal visitor of one’s website, maintain up the excellent operate, and It’s going to be a regular visitor for a long time.
14Deference to author, some wonderful selective information.
15Thanks for the auspicious writeup. It in truth was once a leisure account it. Look complex to more brought agreeable from you! However, how can we keep up a correspondence?
16Very interesting information!Perfect just what I was looking for!
17Some really rattling work on behalf of the owner of this internet site, absolutely great subject material.
18I like this post, enjoyed this one regards for posting.
19Good, I should definitely pronounce, impressed with your website. I had no trouble navigating through all tabs and related info ended up being truly easy to do to access. I recently found what I hoped for before you know it in the least. Quite unusual. Is likely to appreciate it for those who add forums or something, web site theme . a tones way for your client to communicate. Excellent task.
20Hi there! I’m at work surfing around your blog from my new iphone 4! Just wanted to say I love reading your blog and look forward to all your posts! Keep up the excellent work!
21I want looking through and I believe this website got some genuinely useful stuff on it! .
22You should take part in a contest for one of the best blogs on the web. I will recommend this site!
23Hi there! I know this is kind of off topic but I was wondering which blog platform are you using for this website? I’m getting fed up of WordPress because I’ve had problems with hackers and I’m looking at options for another platform. I would be awesome if you could point me in the direction of a good platform.
24Good info. Lucky me I reach on your website by accident, I bookmarked it.
25I was very pleased to find this web-site.I needed to thanks for your time for this wonderful learn!! I positively having fun with every little little bit of it and I’ve you bookmarked to take a look at new stuff you blog post.
26You really make it seem so easy with your presentation but I find this matter to be really something that I think I would never understand. It seems too complex and extremely broad for me. I am looking forward for your next post, I’ll try to get the hang of it!
27I want to show some thanks to you just for bailing me out of this particular instance. Right after surfing throughout the world wide web and getting ideas that were not beneficial, I figured my life was gone. Being alive without the approaches to the problems you have fixed by way of your blog post is a critical case, as well as those which might have negatively affected my career if I hadn’t discovered the website. The mastery and kindness in playing with a lot of things was tremendous. I don’t know what I would have done if I hadn’t discovered such a stuff like this. I’m able to at this moment look forward to my future. Thanks a lot very much for this impressive and amazing help. I will not be reluctant to propose the blog to any person who will need support on this matter.
28I think other website proprietors should take this website as an model, very clean and great user genial style and design, let alone the content. You are an expert in this topic!
29Wohh precisely what I was looking for, appreciate it for posting.
30It’s laborious to find knowledgeable individuals on this topic, however you sound like you recognize what you’re speaking about! Thanks
31Just what I was searching for, regards for putting up.
32Hello. splendid job. I did not anticipate this. This is a great story. Thanks!
33I truly enjoy reading through on this web site, it holds great blog posts.
34Great web site. Plenty of useful information here. I’m sending it to several buddies ans also sharing in delicious. And of course, thanks in your sweat!
35Loving the info on this internet site, you have done outstanding job on the posts.
36What i do not realize is actually how you’re not actually much more well-liked than you might be now. You’re so intelligent. You realize therefore significantly relating to this subject, made me personally consider it from so many varied angles. Its like men and women aren’t fascinated unless it is one thing to accomplish with Lady gaga! Your own stuffs nice. Always maintain it up!
37I happen to be commenting to let you be aware of of the awesome encounter our princess undergone studying your web page. She figured out a good number of details, which included what it’s like to have a very effective helping spirit to let certain people without hassle grasp a variety of multifaceted topics. You actually did more than readers’ desires. Many thanks for churning out such important, safe, educational and even easy tips on this topic to Kate.
38After study a few of the blog posts on your website now, and I truly like your way of blogging. I bookmarked it to my bookmark website list and will be checking back soon. Pls check out my web site as well and let me know what you think.
39You have brought up a very superb details , thankyou for the post.
40You can certainly see your skills in the work you write. The world hopes for more passionate writers like you who aren’t afraid to say how they believe. Always go after your heart.
41I dugg some of you post as I cogitated they were very beneficial invaluable
42I admire your piece of work, regards for all the interesting posts.
43Very interesting information!Perfect just what I was looking for!
44Outstanding post, I conceive website owners should larn a lot from this weblog its real user friendly.
45Only wanna input that you have a very nice web site, I love the pattern it actually stands out.
46Some genuinely interesting details you have written.Assisted me a lot, just what I was looking for :D.
47Hello my friend! I wish to say that this post is awesome, nice written and include almost all significant infos. I would like to see more posts like this.
48I really like looking at and I think this website got some really utilitarian stuff on it! .
49As soon as I observed this web site I went on reddit to share some of the love with them.
50