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Wednesday, April 28, 2010

minty banh mi bento

We recently returned to Eden Center to sate a major Vietnamese craving I'd been having (I guess it never really goes away...) So we re-visited the wonderful Huong Viet and further explored its extensive menu, this time ordering Squid with Shrimp Paste, which turned out to be easily the most flavorful squid dish I've ever had! The roasted onion and fish sauce flavors were just delectable...
Giant Shrimp with Baby Lotus Roots Salad
Special Spicy Hue Soup with Beef is a soul-warming treat:
We really like the crisp, fresh sandwiches at Banh Mi So 1. They bake beautiful golden baguettes several times a day:
Today's bento featured a Fish Cake banh mi from the lovely shop, plenty of mint, romaine lettuce, shrimp, and a skewer of kiwi and mango. I was inspired here by gamene's beautifully wrapped sandwiches:
Happy Thursday, bento friends!

24 comments:

Happy Little Bento said...

That bread looks so crispy! What does your bento box look like? Is it a new one?
Sounds like a fantastic day!

Susan Yuen said...

Two of my favs are banh mi and the spicy beef soup!!! Gorgeous bento and those pics are mouthwatering! :D

tofugirl said...

Yum, banh mi is one of my favorites! I love the way you wrapped your sandwich, it's so pretty :D (And also, love your bunny print fabric. Cute!)

tata | bonitafood said...

I've never tried banh mi before *your post makes me so curious about it, how does it taste? hehehe*. And the food photos parade is soooo drooling :D~~~~~~~~

Jacqueline said...

Your bento garden is overwhelming as always ;) I love how you put in the Banh Mi. Hope it all was delicious ;)

Lia Chen said...

Ah ... you make me want to run and have that Spicy Hue Soup with Beef now. Beautiful bento Jenn! I like the wrapper and the pick ... very well presented :)

Bentobird said...

Hi sherimiya:) It really was crisp with a lovely golden exterior and light, airy inside, pretty ideal banh mi baguette material! What a difference good fresh bread makes :) The box is my newish magewappa, hard to see under all the greens here!

Bentobird said...

Hi there Susan--yes, a wonderful combo indeed! Thank you!!

Bentobird said...

Hi tofugirl, and NYC recommendations for banh mi--would love your expert opinion :)Thanks, I fell in love with these flower-dancing bunnies!

Bentobird said...

Hi Tata--I bet you'd enjoy the herbal/spicy/bright flavors of good bahn mi...worth a try and to maybe make at home to suit your tastes exactly! Thanks for coming along on this little trip with me :)

Bentobird said...

Hi Lil'chan, delightful visit/comment, thank you! Hope spring has fully arrived where you are...

Bentobird said...

Hi Lia, would love to share a nice bowl of it with you...thanks for your encouraging comments, they always make me smile!

megan said...

that bahn mi looks perfectly-made, and i love the wrapping -- i'm so flattered that you said you were inspired by me, what you've done is SO much more lovely!

Token said...

haa~ I think I will make a selfmade vegetarian banh mi (with french baguette...) for me the next time. With lots of herbs and fried tofu or somethign like that. My mouth keeps watering all the time, when I look at your photos! Unfortunately in germany there is no banh-mi-shop like that :/

Bentobird said...

Hi megan, thanks for joining me for this "fun with washi tape" bento--its always so fun to see the (nifty!) crafty bento beauty at bento zen!

Bentobird said...

Token, that sounds amazing! I hope you will make and blog about it!! The great thing about DIY banh mi is how you can customize to your hearts content to get the herbs/peppers/protein/pickled veggie ratio just right :)

Susan did a wonderful tutorial post on banh mi, including how to make the carrot and daikon pickle at home (click and drool!):
http://susanyuen.wordpress.com/2010/01/11/bbq-lemon-grass-chicken-banh-mi-bento/

Lexi said...

I know what you mean about Vietnamese food. I used to work in Hackney in London & there is a big Vietnamese community, I got very used to being able to get a bowl of pho as a cheap and yummy dinner.....sadly out in the countryside you don't see this kind of food!
Beautiful bento as always - I love the decorative touches!

Unknown said...

So beautiful arrangement for the oval wooden bentobako!
Southeast Asian food is so intriguing to me and Vietnamese food in particular. I'm having a craving for your bamh mi and these treats... Jenn please!! ehehe XD

Anonymous said...

It looks delicious bentobird! I have missed gamene's wrapping (how could I?) but I really love the idea of using beautiful paper to pack our sammies... I'm addicted to gorgeous paper thingies as well ;)

You had me confused for a minute because in Holland bahmi is a noodle dish :\ Weird to put that in a baguette! LOL

BTW I couldn't resist and bought a magewappa yesterday w/ the discount of the Spring Bento Contest! Yay!

Bentobird said...

Hi Lexi! Interesting indeed...there are culinary merits to both city and country living but I admit, it would be hard for me to live without authentic Asian restaurants nearby!

Bentobird said...

Hi Izumi--yes, I love how a different Asian cuisines happily mingle in your bentos--that's been an inspiration to me :) Love you recent flower pictures, yay spring!

Bentobird said...

So cool, gnoegnoe! I find this bento box shape endlessly appealing--its very flexible and accommodating yet has a serene style all its own...can't wait to see how you fill the new box :)
Addicted to "gorgeous paper thingies"...I understand COMPLETELY!

tofugirl said...

Hmm...my favorite banh mi is from Banh Mi Saigon on Mott St.! (It's behind a jewelry shop, weirdly enough.) Followed by a black sesame ice cream from Chinatown Ice Cream Factory...a perfect meal. Drat, now I want both of those things--Maybe I can squeeze a trip in this weekend.

Bentobird said...

Great tip, thanks so much! Hope you'll have a fun weekend with all of those good things :)