I was in the mood for some banh mi, so I stopped at Ba Le Bakery on Mills Avenue in Orlando. I have passed by this place plenty of times, but never stopped in. After reading Tasty Chomps! review of the restaurant, I decided I needed to give them a try. This Vietnamese franchise specializes in banh mi sandwiches, but they also had other choices available like pho and meat dishes.
I ordered a shredded pork banh mi for the whopping price of $2.75. The sandwich came on a French baguette filled with pork, cucumbers, cilantro, carrots, and assorted pickled vegetables.
It was a good sandwich for the price, but I had issues with some of the pork. The roast pork was good, but the shredded pork skin called bi wasn't quite as enjoyable. These thin, noodle-like strips of gelatinous pork skin were far too chewy to go on a sandwich.
I liked my sandwich and it's great price, but I have had better banh mi in Orlando. The sandwiches from other nearby restaurants seem to stuff their sandwiches more and also lack the chewy texture that I wasn't happy with...
I would agree with your review, though it is okay, it is not my favorite. however this is a tip : if you want to make your own banh mi at home, this place is perfect to go to buy the weird meats they put in there. thanks for the link WATCHMEEAT!
ReplyDeleteshredded pork (aka Bi) is not my fave of toppings. http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080916185939AAnHxun
ReplyDeleteWow! Thanks for that link. I really thought those stringy things were some sort of undercooked rice noodle rather than pig skin! I'll need to go back and edit this post.
ReplyDelete"Bi" is not just shredded pork.... but shredded pork skin not noodle.
ReplyDelete