Pigging out at Ba Le Sandwiches
The life cycle of a food fad is a strange thing. Culinary curiosities will turn up on every menu in town, only to vanish a few short months later (sliders and sweet potato fries, anyone?). Right now, banh mi—those submarine sandwiches from old Saigon—are all the rage among folks looking for a cheap, exotic lunch, but the usual varieties (sour pork meat, Chinese or Vietnamese barbecue pork, shredded pork skin, meatloaf pork, etc.) can get a little, well, porky. Thankfully, at Ba Le Sandwiches there are many other non-piggy selections to choose from. Here’s a quick rundown.
Pâté
The pâté sub—the original French version from which all other banh mi derives—begins where all good banh mi must: with a fresh, rice-flour baguette baked until the outermost layer has a brittle, cracker-like consistency and houses a chewy center to keep the fillings snug. The pâté itself is a pink slather of mystery meat (the answer varies depending on who’s working the counter). It's spread onto the bread and topped with a mildly sweet mayo. This is a great starter for neophytes, since everything on this sandwich is mild, allowing the sweet, pickled veggies to stand out.
Sardine
If the pâté was an officer on the USS Enterprise, the sardine sub would be its evil, mirror-universe counterpart. The jalapeño peppers—replaced by the pickled daikon and carrots on the other sandwiches—are in full effect here, accentuated by salty fish pulled straight from the tin. The result is a wickedly delicious meal that’ll make your lips sweat.
Shrimp paste
Diners who order the grilled shrimp paste sandwich may think they’ve picked up someone else's order; the filling isn’t a paste at all and just barely qualifies as shrimp. It’s actually a mutant hybrid of shellfish and (surprise!) pork fat, like something out of a made-for-SyFy movie, only tastier. The spicy, sweet meat has just a hint of fish flavor, making this ideal for diners who want to venture out from the usual pork-centric version.
