Albert T.
Yelp
Banh Mi Land is a small but very popular restaurant. When I arrived at 11 for an early weekday lunch, there were only two parties inside waiting for their food, but as I ordered and sat down, more and more phone orders and customers started to filter in. While it gets crowded, this place is primarily takeout only. There are a couple of counter seats, but there really isn't much space inside at all.
Signature Banh Mi ($7.95) - The baguette is on the drier side, so rather than being airy, it crumbles apart. It has a crackly crust, which causes shards to fly off everywhere as it's bit into. The bread is almost mouth laceratingly crisp. The bun is sliced and slathered with sweet mayo and a bit of pate, which pate is very porky and irony in flavor like blood. Pate is predominantly made from liver, but it's usually not this bold in porky flavor and is instead more mild and savory. Perhaps I'm more used to eating chicken liver pate? At any rate, I usually love it but this pate is a little too pungent for me. In terms of meat, there's thinly sliced, bbq pork, light in color with only a bit of pink on the edges and some gelatinous skin. It's again very porky in taste. There's cha lua, tender and full of umami. For the veggies, the classic pickled daikon and carrot with a light vinegar tang, fresh cilantro and cucumber, and very mild jalapeno with no heat at all. They are pretty generous with the filling, so I feel like the sandwich is definitely worth the money. It's just too overly strong in porkiness and iron for my tastes. (3/5)
Banh Mi Land has some other sandwiches on the menu without the pate. Perhaps I'll have to go for those if I visit again. As it stands, I thought the sandwich I received was only okay.
Bathrooms - Two rooms, one is for disabled only