Cherylynn N.
Yelp
Bánh Tằm Bì.
That's all. The end!
J/k! It's not a review unless I'm hitting 5000 max characters and putting peeps to sleep.
Bo&Beurre ("beef" in Viet & "butter" in French) opened in August 2024 in a corridor with heavy hitters like Saigon Sandwich and L&G Vietnamese Sandwich but this newcomer is offering a rare, off-the-menu item: Bánh Tằm Bì.
A Southern Viet dish of thicccc rice/tapioca noodles in coconut milk + nước chấm (fish sauce) topped w/ shredded pork skin, herbs, and pickled veggies. Based on my search, I believe Bo&Beurre may be the first and only place to bring this dish to the bay (apparently, it's not even available in SoCal).
Bo&Beurre is currently open for takeout and limited indoor dining. No outdoor dining.
M E N U
Array of bánh mì with some housemade meats ($8-$11), gỏi cuốn (spring rolls), and off-the-menu specials: bò kho (beef stew), bún riêu (crab noodle soup), and/or bánh tằm bì (thick noodles in coconut cream sauce).
NOTE: For off-the-menu specials, they're not available everyday. Check their IG or send a DM to inquire about availability.
There's bottled drinks in the cold case. Iced coffee (cà phê sữa đá), iced thai tea, and spritzers are available off the menu.
Free bottled water or soda with a purchase of a bánh mì.
CC's and Apple Pay accepted.
F O O D
* Bánh Tằm Bì: Thick noodles w/ coconut cream sauce, shredded pork skin ($11)
- Before mixing: https://tinyurl.com/bdef6una
- After mixing: https://tinyurl.com/4h3xmxjj
Channeling summer, this is a great cold noodle dish with a medley of flavors and textures. The chewy, bouncy noodles were a nice contrast to the gelatinous pork skin, crisp cucumbers + carrots, refreshing mint + cilantro, and crunchy peanuts + shallots. The coconut sauce is deliciously creamy, sweet, and coconutty balanced by the nước chấm and chili sauce, giving some funk, tang, and heat. The latter is served on the side to doctor up the bánh tằm bì to your liking.
The flavor was so unique and addictive...and the leftovers held up well.
* Bánh Mì Dặc Biệt: Combo Viet Sandwich ($10): https://tinyurl.com/3m3csyap
-Add extra pâté
Good ratio of fillings to carbs, the toasted baguette was crunchy and soft with a light flaky crumb (doesn't cut the roof of your mouth) with layers of ham, chả (pork loaf), housemade pork belly, housemade chinese bbq pork, smear of mayo, light smear of rich pâté, punchy pickled veggies, cool cucumbers, cilantro and jalapeno slices (not spicy). The warm fatty bits from the pork belly made it extra tasty. I think they forgot the extra pâté but it's fine (wasn't charged for it).
To nitpick, the pickled veggies could have been better distributed so you get acid in each bite. Otherwise, the bánh mì was solid and well-balanced, hitting all the quintessential notes of salty, savory, tangy, sweet, spicy, and umami.
If I had to compare it to the other two bánh mì neighboring competitors...they're all different so it depends on your preferences. Using the dặc biệt for comparison basis:
Bo&Beurre is the priciest but crafted with housemade meats.
Saigon Sandwich is the best value, fully loaded but not traditional with its hard + dense "baguette" and sauciness.
L&G is traditional with a light, crackly baguette but with cold cuts only, no chinese bbq pork or pork belly.
You can always do a bánh mì crawl to see which one is your fav.
S E R V I C E
Danny, the owner (?) was very kind. Polite, hardworking aunties (speak little english).
I was the only customer at the time so food was ready in 5 minutes.
A M B I A N C E
Small hole-in-the-wall shop with two café tables.
Yes, it's in the TL but this part of Little Saigon is not that bad since it's near government buildings.
P A R K I N G
Metered street parking.
Overall, I really enjoyed my lunch at Bo&Beurre. If you work/live in the area, def check this new local business out. I'm hoping the bánh tằm bì will put them on the map!