Vietnamese Bahn Mi. A simple, yet beautifully fresh take on a sandwich. Pickled veggies, savory meat, and a crispy, crusty baguette. It's a fairly perfunctory formula that can pack a punch of flavor. So when I heard about QT Vietnamese Sandwich in Chinatown, I knew I had to check it out.
If you head to 10th and a little south of Arch Street, look to your right and you'll see a nondescript storefront, devoid of a proper sign. Yet if you look closely, you'll notice the lettering on the windows.
Once you enter inside the tiny shop, take your time and look at the simple menu. They offer other items such as bubble tea and congee, but you're here for the bahn mi. Most of these sandwiches are pried at a very cheap $4.95.
After you order, feel free to sit on a stool or at one of the two tables. But it shouldn't take more than a few minutes.
House Special Bahn Mi ($4.95)
The bahn mi's baguette as perfectly toasted (sourced from Jersey), but the overall sandwich lacked flavor. Reading the reviews on Yelp, apparently you can ask to make the sandwich spicy, but that option was not offered. In any proper establishment, the chef or cook would serve their offerings exactly how it should be eaten and how they would want to eat it. Clearly, that was not the case here.
They did, in fact, ask whether I wanted jalapenos. I said yes. But as you can see, these sandwiches were devoid of any jalapenos. The carrots, cilantro, and cucumber were indeed fresh, but hardly pickled. The meat consisted of pork and pate, both of which had a subtle sweetness to them.
BBQ Pork Bahn Mi ($4.95)
The BBQ pork also had a subtle sweetness to its sliced meat. However, once again, this version was disappointing as well. Both sandwiches definitely benefited from my own Siracha hot sauce and pickled jalapenos.
Overall, I was disappointed by QT. I can see myself stopping by here again simply because the price point was decent and I would like to try the spicy version of these bahn mi. It's unfortunate that Philly doesn't seem to have many outposts serving this oft-enjoyed dish. It certainly makes me miss NYC at times.
If you head to 10th and a little south of Arch Street, look to your right and you'll see a nondescript storefront, devoid of a proper sign. Yet if you look closely, you'll notice the lettering on the windows.
Once you enter inside the tiny shop, take your time and look at the simple menu. They offer other items such as bubble tea and congee, but you're here for the bahn mi. Most of these sandwiches are pried at a very cheap $4.95.
Just look at that glorious sandwich ... or is it?
The bahn mi's baguette as perfectly toasted (sourced from Jersey), but the overall sandwich lacked flavor. Reading the reviews on Yelp, apparently you can ask to make the sandwich spicy, but that option was not offered. In any proper establishment, the chef or cook would serve their offerings exactly how it should be eaten and how they would want to eat it. Clearly, that was not the case here.
They did, in fact, ask whether I wanted jalapenos. I said yes. But as you can see, these sandwiches were devoid of any jalapenos. The carrots, cilantro, and cucumber were indeed fresh, but hardly pickled. The meat consisted of pork and pate, both of which had a subtle sweetness to them.
BBQ Pork Bahn Mi ($4.95)
The BBQ pork also had a subtle sweetness to its sliced meat. However, once again, this version was disappointing as well. Both sandwiches definitely benefited from my own Siracha hot sauce and pickled jalapenos.
Overall, I was disappointed by QT. I can see myself stopping by here again simply because the price point was decent and I would like to try the spicy version of these bahn mi. It's unfortunate that Philly doesn't seem to have many outposts serving this oft-enjoyed dish. It certainly makes me miss NYC at times.
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