Baguette

this place has *CLOSED*
sadly my favorite lunch spot moved to a different location around the end of last year. **tragedy** as i can no longer have it daily. think i’ve had it like 50 times this year alone (making full use of that loyalty card). perhaps it’s not the most authentic bahn mi out there, but it was really tasty. my usual was the pork, though saigon (pâté and cold cuts) was great (found the chicken a little dry, though). you can also pay a little more for whole wheat bread, as well as extra toppings. i usually got an egg.
you can go with a half (~$ 4) or full (~7) sub, but i’d suggest getting the latter since the portions are pretty small. i usually have room for something else, but don’t mind sacrificing a bit of satiety for something so damn good. now it’s gone, i haven’t settled on a substitute, but definitely on the look-​out!

When I was still in high school, Baguette in Raffles City was one of my favourite haunts as it reminded me of Lee’s Sandwiches from the US. Fast forward 6 years, I’m out of college and the store in Raffles City is no more.
This baguette from the Vivocity outlet was filled with ham, pâté, pickled vegetables, cilantro and peppers. The mayonnaise in the sandwich was extremely overpowering and I could barely taste anything else.
Even though it was reasonable priced at S$ 6.80, it was an underwhelming sandwich. Fortunately, it kept the Banh Mi cravings at bay.
Note: Cash Only.

A banh mi is one of the most perfect food combinations. Banh mi, or a Vietnamese sandwich traditionally consists of meat (e.g. grilled caramel pork chop, Vietnamese ham, or meatballs), cucumber, pickled carrots/​daikon radish, chili pepper, and pâté or mayonnaise on a baguette (traditionally a rice/​wheat flour combination in Vietnam). It is the perfect combination of savory, crunchy, and sweet.
So yes, I love banh mi.
I am constantly surprised by the lack of good Vietnamese food options in SIngapore. But I take what I can get and have eaten here and at its sister outlets a few times. This location offers a tiny bit more seating due to the outdoor area.
The food:
The banh mi varieties here include: grilled chicken, grilled pork, meatball, Saigon (traditional), beef sausage and tuna. I have tried them all except for the last two. They also serve curry chicken and grilled meats over rice. The sandwiches are solid and I like the garlicky sweetness of the grilled meats. The pickled vegetables and grilled meat sauce can be a tiny bit too sweet, but they are still tasty. The banh mi is also about 8″ so it is relatively hearty and perfect with the chicken in a cup (grilled chicken with daikon radish, cucumber, and carrot) or summer rolls. Sandwiches are about S$ 7 and rice bowls are about S$ 6 and a complete lunch set with drink and appetizer can be bought for about S$ 10.
The food here is solid. Though it isn’t completely authentic, it is a nice tasty hybrid of East and West cuisine. I’ll definitely go back and happily crunch on my banh mi!

The Banh Mi here really surprised me when I first tried it. I found it pretty authentic compared to what I tasted on the streets of Vietnam. Sure, it didn’t quite have that satisfying grimy feeling you get with most streetside snacks but it tastes good, well-​seasoned and balanced and fresh. This baguette would serve pretty well as a lunch time snack or even a tea time snack between meals because it’s not very heavy. They also have a small option if you’re not ravenous. On the downside, the prices are a bit steep for this kind of simple fare though they do often have lunch deals where you can get a drink with your sandwich.

After going to vietnam, I developed a pretty unhealthy obsession for bahn mi. Unfortunately I have not found anything that comes close to what I had in Saigon. However I discovered today that this place does a pretty decent Bahn Mi
I had their Saigon Baguette, which had pâté, ham pickled vegetables chili and a dash of what i think was soy sauce. It came together pretty well and is a pretty good substitute for the real thing, but not quite the real thing.