Paris Sandwich
Paris Sandwich
113 Mott St
near Canal St
(212) 226-7221
Paris is a fairly new deli/bakery located in the heart of Chinatown. The name of the restaurant couldn’t be more memorable because in Chinese it’s called French sandwich, which is what I usually say to get my Viet sandwich (yeah, strange but true), but Paris sounds dam sexy too. I honestly didn’t know if Paris could compete with Banh Mi which is a block away and Viet-Banh-Mi on Broome St because they are excellent. The only way to find out is to go in and see.
When I first walked into Paris at 7pm, I noticed how spacious and empty it was. Usually this place is packed from early in the morning to late in the afternoon. I guess no one come here for dinner. Anyways, this joint looked more like a fast food restaurant than a deli. You have 3 girls working by the cash register, and then two more ladies in the back assembling the sandwiches. When I asked for a french sandwich, the girl at the cashier stared at me and thought I wanted a french bread — the actual bread! I was like, er…no, duh the actual sandwich. I guess they were used to the numbers, which you will see on their menu that is above the cashier just like at mcdonalds.
After getting a receipt for my pork viet sandwich, which was $3.75, I walk towards the back of the joint and received my sandwich at that second. Gee, I didn’t know they worked this fast. I’m sure they skimped a lot of ingredients or probably just reheated the sandwich. I doubt they reheat it, but who knows.
Verdict: The sandwich does taste fresh, but they did skimp on the ingredients. I wished I had a better picture, but at the time I was busy chowing this down since I was really hungry. The only thing I liked about the sandwich was that the meat was tender and somewhat juicy and all the flavors of the sandwich came pretty well together. I wished this sandwich had more, but overall it tasted good.
Finechina’s Rating: 2.8/5
Quality – 3/5
Taste – 3/5
Ease of eating – 5/5
Presentation – 3/5
Of course the viet pork sandwich is one of the many sandwiches there, but with my first experience here, I think this place is pretty ok. This is better than Sau Voi Corp because 
they’re losing their edge on what a viet sandwich should really taste like. I used to love this place but they’re lacking taste, especially with their meat. But at least this place is better than most of the sandwiches created in viet restaurants.
Health Inspection Results
PARIS SANDWICH CORP
113 MOTT STREET, MANHATTAN 10013
212-226-7221
Current violation points: 7 – PASSED
Inspection Date: 12/22/2006
No violations that present a threat to the public health or relate directly to factors which lead to foodborne illness were recorded at the time of this inspection.
1.) “Choking first aid” poster not posted.”Alcohol and Pregnancy” Warning sign not posted. “Wash hands” sign not posted at hand wash facility. Resuscitation equipment: exhaled air resuscitation masks(adult & pediatric), latex gloves, sign not posted. Inspection report sign not posted.
2.) Non-food contact surface improperly constructed. Unacceptable material used. Non-food contact surface or equipment improperly maintained.
3.) Toilet facility not maintained and provided with toilet paper, waste receptacle and self-closing door.
My next review will be of the viet sandwich made by Momofuku Ssam Bar. You’ll be in for a surprise.
Bahn Mi Saigon Bakery
Bahn Mi Saigon Bakery
138-01 Mott St (at Grand St)
(212) 941-1541
So the word on the street is that this place serves the best Viet sandwich in town. #1? I don’t know if that’s true, but, I’m here to investigate. I’ll rank the sandwich in terms of quality, taste, ease of eating, and the look of the sandwich.
This little shop is hidden in Chinatown but it’s past the marketplace, thank goodness. I always have a problem walking through there because it’s crowded, dirty, and chaotic. If you can avoid going down that section of Mott St, do so.
Upon arriving to this deli you’re going to see a jewelry shop in front. Don’t worry, you’re at the right place because the joint is just straight inside. Now there are a lot of hip, young, good looking people there. I’m sure they are loyal fans who can’t get enough of this deli, but just be forewarn about all the people in side.
My brother who was there ordered the chicken viet sandwich and the pork one. Pork is what I’ve been eating for years, but he wanted to change it up by having chicken. Of course they ask you if you want jalapenos in yours, and of course we didn’t. After waiting for like 10-15mins, and yes it really took that long and I literally have no patience especially at a deli, our sandwiches arrived. For $3.75, that price can’t be beat. We couldn’t wait to go back home in Brooklyn to give it a shot.
Pork Banh Mi Sandwich -
Alright, after taking this baby home, I realized that it was a little cold. Ok, not to worry, a little time with the microwave should help. One it came out, I quickly took a bite into it and first noticed how incredibly spicy it was. I could have sworn I asked for it not to be spicy. The reason why I didn’t want it to be spicy was because spiciness kills flavor and I didn’t want it like that for my first time. Some people like it, some people don’t, but I prefer it without. I took a look inside, and there is it, jalapeños. Lots of it. I’m like, what the f— is this? And you see the this deep dark red color? That’s right, that’s the pork. That is the hardest piece of meat that I have bitten on and it just made the whole experience unpleasant. Very unpleasant. I figured that I probably need to heat it up some more? Well, that didn’t help much either so the entire time it was like eating pork jerky. Yeah, it has like the same texture as jerky, but wrapped up in clumps.
With this and the jalapeño problem aside, I have to admit that the presentation was very good. I love all the nice vibrant colors and how pack the sandwich is. The bread was nice and toasted, the carrots and the salami tasted very fresh, but it was the pork that just threw it off.
Finechina’s Rating: 3.88/5
Quality – 4/5
Taste – 3.5/5
Ease of eating – 3.0/5 (because of me picking out all the jalapeños and gnawing on pork)
Presentation – 5/5
Chicken Banh Mi Sandwich –
Unfortunately, this one has jalapeños in it too, but I’ll overlook it. Look how beautiful this sandwich is. Hands down, I have to say Banh mi can really make their sandwich look drop dead hot and sexy. You see on the right picture that there’s garlic or egg smeared on the bread? That makes a WHOLE LOTTA difference. Most amateur viet sandwich joints don’t put that, but Banh Mi does. But because of my first bad experience with the pork sandwich, I didn’t know what to think about the chicken.
To my surprise, this is an excellent sandwich! Hurrah!! I knew this place has to live up to its expectations. The chicken was moist, juicy and soft, which is how chicken is supposed to be. And its partnership with the other ingredients, salami, carrots, turnips, cucumber and cilantro, resulted in a very mouth-watering…er, droolage moment. The bread was of course nicely toasted, the taste was very sensational where the sauce did not overwhelmed the sandwich, which usually happens with some sandwiches, and it was very easy to eat.
Finechina’s Rating: 4.9
Quality – 5
Taste – 5
Ease of eating - 4.5
Presentation – 5
So to me, this place is definitely not my number one, because of the long wait, putting jalapeños when I specifically asked not to, and the pork jerky-ish pork. I figure the pork sandwich is the signature sandwich. How can they screw that up? But I will still recommend people to come here to try out their sandwiches, especially the chicken one!
Look forward to my next post on Paris Sandwich!
Now the NYC Health Inspection Results!
SAIGON BAKERY INC
138 MOTT STREET, MANHATTAN 10013
212-941-1541
Current violation points: 8 – PASSED
Inspection Date: 03/23/2007
No violations that present a threat to the public health or relate directly to factors which lead to foodborne illness were recorded at the time of this inspection.
1.) “Choking first aid” poster not posted.”Alcohol and Pregnancy” Warning sign not posted. “Wash hands” sign not posted at hand wash facility. Resuscitation equipment: exhaled air resuscitation masks(adult & pediatric), latex gloves, sign not posted. Inspection report sign not posted.
2.) Non-food contact surface improperly constructed. Unacceptable material used. Non-food contact surface or equipment improperly maintained.
3.) Pesticide use not in accordance with label or applicable laws. Prohibited chemical used/stored. Open bait station used.
Viet-Nam Bahn Mi So
A Vietnamese sandwich is just a a Vietnamese sandwich? Wrong. With so many shops that devote themselves to the art of making this unique sandwich, each and every shop varies with their style and technique. But what makes them so special? Their style, technique, and love for this piece of bread. Haha.
Try the Viet sandwich at a Chinese bakery, like Century Cafe, and you’ll see how different tastes compared to your more authentic Viet sandwiches. When you get an authentic Viet sandwich from a Viet deli, you can’t imagine how rich some of their flavors are. I can’t even describe. Of course I can’t cover all of the shops, but I have a few that I like to start off first.
My battlefield is Chinatown, Manhattan. The so-called renowned ones are, Banh Mi Saigon Bakery and Viet-Nam Banh Mi So. Of course there are others, but I’ll just concentrate on these two first. I’m also going to visit Paris Sandwich and see how they go neck to neck with these two.
First stop:
Viet-Nam Bahn Mi So Corp (Vietnamese Deli)
369 Broome St
(at Mott St)
New York, NY
(212) 219-8341
I grew up eating the sandwiches here and it never disappoints. The only thing I regret is ordering the same sandwich, #1 [on menu], the pork Viet sandwich for over 5 years. My friends tell me that they make this kick ass meatball sandwich, which I swear I will try. I never had the courage to try other things on the menu, but I will soon. The people in there are nice and friendly who can speak in Cantonese, Vietnamese, and English. The place is a little small, but who cares right? It’s the food that counts? Of course that means it’s a take-out place, so don’t expect to be sitting around.
The woman who works there is still the same woman that I knew as a child and she’s always nice to give me some extra meat, which I can’t get enough of! Of course she’ll ask if you want it hot or not, and I prefer mines not because I think hotness kills the flavor, which isn’t what I’m looking for.
What’s different about their sandwiches is that there are more flavor and color in their sandwiches. I believe there’s a taste of garlic and butter in it, but I can’t be sure.
After bringing this baby back home in Brooklyn, the sandwich still remains warm and the aroma is strong. Yumm. Inside of course you see Viet salami, Viet turkey (I don’t know, I think so?), thinly sliced carrots, turnips, and cucumbers, and a leaf of cilantro. Yum yum. Don’t worry, it’s already toasted and it’s the only way you can eat it. The meat is so succulent and moist and the deli’s secret yellow sauce makes it that much more delicious. It’s not too salty, but it’s definitely a satisfying sandwich. I would give this sandwich a 5/5!
Rating: 5/5
NYC Dept Of Health Inspection Results:
VIETNAMESE DELI
369 BROOME STREET, MANHATTAN 10013
212-219-8341
Current violation points: 2 - PASSED
Inspection Date: 04/18/2006
No violations that present a threat to the public health or relate directly to factors which lead to foodborne illness were recorded at the time of this inspection.
1.) Plumbing not properly installed or maintained; anti-siphonage or backflow prevention device not provided where required; equipment or floor not properly drained; sewage disposal system in disrepair or not functioning properly.
Wait for my next few posts on Banh Mi on Mott, Paris Sandwich, and Sau Voi Corp!
Xe Lua
Xe Lua (Vietnamese Cuisine)
88 Mulberry St
bet Canal & Bayard
(212) 577-8887
Reservations: No.
Like most restaurants in chinatown, the service is quick and they only take cash for transactions.
This restaurant is fairly new, just opened a couple of months ago and it’s trying to be different than its competitors. Most vietnamese restaurants are on Baxter Streets, you know what I’m talking about. Like that same block that has 3 viet restaurants there, and they’re all practically the same. Xe Lua is not just on another block, but it looks completely different than its counterpart.
Refer to softrice for further pictures on the interiors of the restaurant. I felt like I was in Vietnam all over again, haha.
So anyways, as I entered the restaurant, I had to cross this cool bamboo bridge to get to the tables, which I thought was pretty cool. And then I can’t help but notice the little things like there are mexican/spanish people working there. Almost all the viet restaurants I’ve been to have them there, so it was just a little surprising but oh well, cheap labor.
Another thing I couldn’t help notice was that I felt like I was being rushed. The second I sat down and the menu’s were handed out, two second later that waiter, some old man in white hair, asked what we wanted to eat. Nothing grinds my gears than me being rushed. He came by three times before Dawen told him to get us appetizers and drinks. And within a minute, he comes out from the kitchen that was probably next to us and he got us the food. Holy crap, makes me wonder how long the food’s been sitting there.
This is it, the Pork Summer Roll
I apologize for not taking the picture of the peanut sauce that came with it. Oh man, it was such a good sauce.
Verdict: This isn’t much different than the summer roll because it still has that same dryness, but the meat actually makes it that much tastier. And when you dip it into the thick peanut sauce that they provide you, oh man does it taste good.
Recommended: Yes, especially for the peanut sauce!
Spring Roll
Price: $3
Unlike most vietnamese restaurants, this one does not give you the option of ordering a large spring roll. For $3, you get what you get.
Verdict: For $3, what can you lose? When I got this plate, steam was coming off this roll and it smelled delicious. The meat is very juicy and the skin is very crispy. And remember, if you choose to wrap it in lettuce, make sure you rip the lettuce in half, that way you can wrap it nicely. I was so hungry that I neglected to do that and ended up eating lettuce for the most part.
Recommended: Yes!!
At this point my dining partner’s throat was dying of thirst so he ordered the Lemonade.
Verdict: I had a sip. Do you know what grinds my gears? Seeing ice in my drink and then tasting how warm it is. This lemonade is incredibly watered down and it tastes like sugar water.
Recommended: No.
Btw, I like their tea. It wasn’t bad because it was kinda sweet. I have no idea what kind of tea it was, viet tea? lol
Grilled Beef Vermicelli
Verdict: You have no idea how good this plate smelled. To eat this, you should pour the carrot vinegar dressing that they give you to moisten the vermicelli. Don’t pour it on the pork because it’ll make it sour.
Recommended: Yes!
House Special Soup! Thinly sliced beef with vermicelli
As you might know, the reason why the pork looks raw is because you have to let your soup cook up the meat, that way it’ll taste nice and tender, instead of being hard and chewy. Then you need to add your little bean sprouts, mint leaves, and lemon juice to further enhance the taste.
Verdict: Actually the best bowl of vermicelli I’ve ever had. No really. The soup is thicker and it has more taste.
Recommended: Yes!
I came to this restaurant starving and I was indeed satisfied. I couldn’t help but notice again that other people have ordered better food than I have, like their fried rice on a sizzling platter. I will definitely come back here next time.
