sesame balls & bahn mi

[reesek]

i was at viet wah on sunday and was hoping they'd have those amazing sesame balls...no luck. i think they've got bean paste in them at viet wah, but i've had them someplace else (help!) on jackson filled with lotus paste. they are impossibly good - insanely rich for something without cream or chocolate.

who has the best? i'm salivating for them but i'm very unversed in the ways of said delight. (um, what are they called?) are they ever filled with anything else?

second - i've read a bunch of feedback on bahn mi - who has the best tofu one? i've only ever had them from saigon bistro in the food court at uwajimaya. i know that tofu is not the preference of many, but i don't eat meat...i think i've seen good feedback on seattle deli, but a friend said the tofu sandwich had pate on it - true? any others you might suggest to a veggie?

i had the saigon bistro's old baguette again today - when they're good there - it's an ethereal experience, but when the baguette is a week old, it's heartbreak.

[halland]

For Bahn Mi go to Saigon Deli (or something like that) just up the block from Uwajimaya on King street (1 door in from the bar on the corner). They have tofu and would certainly leave off the ham pate if you asked. They also have a fried egg bahn mi that is to die for (if you eat eggs). I eat there almost every day.

Hal

[MsRamsey]

I'm very interested in this fried egg bahn mi. Hal, when you go back, can you please post the exact address? I don't think that the location you describe is Saigon Deli. Thanks!

Edited January 8, 2004 by MsRamsey (log)

[laurel]

Sounds like it might be Saigon Gourmet, at 5th and King?

[halland]

Its Saigon Deli at 701 5th, just east of the corner of 5th and King.

There is another Saigon Deli on S Jackson, but thats not the one of which I speak.

[EDIT] I think that Saigon Gourmet is right next to it. Basically they are the same place, Saigon Gourmet is the sit-down half, Saigon Deli the to-go half.

Hal

Edited January 8, 2004 by halland (log)

[reesek]

tell us more about this fried egg bahn mi - are the eggs freshly cooked? soft fried or hard? i'm picturing warm oozy yolks with sharp fresh jalepenos...YUM!

[tighe]

Its Saigon Deli at 701 5th, just east of the corner of 5th and King.

There is another Saigon Deli on S Jackson, but thats not the one of which I speak.

[EDIT] I think that Saigon Gourmet is right next to it. Basically they are the same place, Saigon Gourmet is the sit-down half, Saigon Deli the to-go half.

Hal

I think a marketing consultant needs to get the word out to Vietnamese restauranteurs that adopting 'Saigon' as part of their name may not always be the best strategic move....

Just from Qwestdex, I count at least 18 restaurants and delis with 'Saigon' in the name in Seattle.

[halland]

Ok the fried egg bahn mi:

Warm roll with mayo and ham pate (I ask for this) .

3 eggs freshly fried in a lot of oil. Usually the yolks are still a little runny

pickled carrots and radish

fish sauce and sriracha (?) hot sauce

cilantro

I'm sure you can get chilies if you ask

$2

It is even better than it sounds and I don't think you can get a more filling lunch for $2.

Hal

[Nana_Kat]

Well just in terms of those lovely sesame ball wonders, they them sell at Banh Mi 88 also on Jackson at the corner of 12th and Jackson. They have nice large ones over there. It's a good way to top off a banh mi sandwich over there--if only parking wasn't such a problem.

They are also very plentiful at most places for Chinese dim sum at restaurants like Top Gun or Noble Court, etc.

Sometimes I think they have a darker paste, probably make with red bean, but it's not that far off from the yellow bean (mung bean) paste in flavor.

Extra note: Some asian grocery stores (like Ranch 99) sell them frozen and you can fry them up yourself--not as good as having them fresh of course. Or there are recipes to make them yourself --lots of rice flour, sugar, sesame seeds, bean paste and oil for frying.

Edited January 9, 2004 by Nana_Kat (log)

[girl chow]

second - i've read a bunch of feedback on bahn mi - who has the best tofu one?

I'm a big fan of tofu banh mi and personally I think Saigon Deli just north of the 12th and Jackson intersection has the best. This is the Saigon Deli that is next door to Anthony's hair school. It's a newish location with a parking lot that is only slightly less scary than the parking lot at Banh Mi 88 (there is a deli by the same name ... or there was... in the strip mall on the northeast corner at 12th and Jackson).

The tofu banh mi at Saigon comes with fried, marinated tofu (no pate). They use the tofu that is on the steam table, it's marinated in a pretty tasty sauce. I cannot say for sure that the tofu has not actually touched or been cooked with meat, but I'm not a vegetarian, so that doesn't matter much to me (it might to you). Sandwich is all about the fried tofu... on the traiditional toasted bread along with jalapeno slices and the fresh cilantro...pickled carrots, zucchini and daikon radish, salt and pepper, a squirt of fish sauce, yada yada yada. It's delightful and only $1.50 (they raised all their prices for sandwiches recently to $1.50... and the fried pork is now $2).

I was there last night, got my sandwich and some fresh spring rolls, but I didn't see any sesame balls. I have seen them there before, it could be just that they were out last night.

I've had the tofu banh mi elsewhere, but I'm pretty sure Saigon Deli has the best.

[MsRamsey]

I'm a big fan of tofu banh mi and personally I think Saigon Deli just north of the 12th and Jackson intersection has the best. This is the Saigon Deli that is next door to Anthony's hair school.

Isn't that Seattle Deli?

[reesek]

had the fried egg bahn mi today at 5th and king - i swear the sign said saigon gourmet - but i could be wrong. it was amazing - divine...hal - you're a prince. i'd go every day if i could.

i should have left well enough alone but decided to gild the lily and seek out a sesame ball. ended up at "saigon deli" (though i have no idea if it's the same one - this one was east of 12th on jackson - almost to rainier) past the 7 stars pepper plaza on the same side of jackson. there was a tofu bahn mi on the board and a big steam table with fried tofu slabs hanging out in a soyish marinade so i don't know. there were also about 9 people working there - and none of them would speak to me. people who walked in several minutes after i did were helped first. when someone finally did acknowledge me, he told me that they had them - then walked away to talk to the mailman for a while. after i contemplated leaving for a while, a woman came over to see what i wanted, but was so mean i ended up leaving. (whatever they had wasn't what i wanted, but the way she was looking at me and talking to me while trying to figure it out was miserable.)

i totally understand the misinterpretations a language barrier can effect but this was really awful. i hope it's not the same place with the good tofu sandwiches, because i'll never go in there again.

ps - i got good sesame balls at seattle deli just north of 12th and jackson. big (unfortunately not hot, but yummy) filled with yellow paste. i've had red paste (very similiar) but the best i've had are filled with lotus root paste which is slightly creamier and aromatic - almost floral.

[girl chow]

I'm a big fan of tofu banh mi and personally I think Saigon Deli just north of the 12th and Jackson intersection has the best. This is the Saigon Deli that is next door to Anthony's hair school.

Isn't that Seattle Deli?

Hey MsRamsey, I misspoke.. Saigon Deli is EAST, not North of 12th and Jackson.

My bad! If it was North, indeed I would be describing Seattle Deli (I'm usually not so directionally challenged).

In fact, ReeseK is describing the very same Saigon Deli I mentioned above, which is my favorite place for tofu sandwiches. It's right next to the hair place, across from the jewelry store and right before you hit the Rainier intersection. Parking lot is adjacent.

Oh, the service. Yeah, I forget how abrupt they can be at Saigon Deli. I remember the first few times I went in there, the service was weird. Not really bad, but you had to be pretty agressive to get your order taken.

I have developed a direct method for getting a sandwich. I walk in, look sandwich lady right in the eye. Wait for her to look at me. Continue to stare until she looks up several times. When she finally yells, "What you want?" I respond loudly and clearly, "NUMBER FIVE, TOFU SANDWICH, ONE SANDWICH ONLY. TOASTED" Works every time. Well, almost every time. One time I almost wound up with Five Number Ones instead of One Number Five. There seriously is a language and somewhat of a cultural barier there, so do keep that in mind. Once you get to know the people who work there (it will take several visits), they actually can be almost polite. For the record, this is the kind of experience I've come to expect from most of my favorite places in the ID. It's just the way it is.

[reesek]

thanks for clarifying girl chow - your account made me laugh. i don't know why i was so crushed by my treatment there...maybe it was just such a departure from the sweet lady who'd just fried me eggs at saigon gourmet. she spoke very minor english, but didn't make me feel like it was my fault. i've never been treated quite as rudely as i was by the woman at the deli - and have spent a pretty considerable amount of time in restaurants in the ID. she just kept looking at me with an undisguised mixture of disbelief and disgust.

and yet - i will go back to try this #5 toasted. how could i not?

[girl chow]

Reesek, I'm glad to hear you'll go back and give it a try. Give my method a try if you like, or develop your own ordering method (watch the Seinfeld Soup Nazi episode for tips) and let us know what worked for you (perhaps waving your hands and yelling NUMBER FIVE!! NUMBER FIVE!! I WANT NUMBER FIVE!!??)

And let me know if you conduct further tofu banh mi research and find a better version of the tofu sandwich at another banh mi shop. I definitely want to check that out.

And just in case you hadn't discovered it (you probably have), here is an old thread about banh mi, it's one of my favorite banh mi threads (and there are so many)..... it's a four page thread, so it will take some time to read....

banh mi thread from the ol' days