It’s quite the fall day out there today. The sun is shining and with Nocturne Art at Night happening this very evening, you can feel the buzz in the air. If you happen to yourself find downtown today or while checking out the cool art tonight, head on in to Indochine Banh Mi and grab one of the best sandwiches around.
I don’t know what it is but sometimes you just need a sandwich. You with me? Maybe it’s the simplicity, or the ease of a hand held meal, or maybe it’s the nostalgia of growing up on them. Whatever the reason, the minute I start craving a good sandwich, I head to Indochine almost every time. It’s certainly not your traditional sandwich shop but I ain’t no traditional gal. Tuna salad sammy? Nuh uh. Ham n’ cheese? Nope. Egg Salad? Maybe once a year. There are a few other places in town with some killer sammies, notably the meatball hero at Salvatores, the meatball panini at Ciboulette and I hear the Italian Market makes a mean Italian sub, but when I’m looking to get my sandwich fix, I look no further than the pork meatball banh mi.
You see. I’m addicted to flavour. To me, a basic sammy with its mayo, meat and cheese is pretty damn boring unless of course that meat is prosciutto, that cheese a heavenly strong aged gouda and that mayo a home made roasted garlic aioli. You see where I’m going with this? Flavour junkie. The Vietnamese pork meatball banh mi fits the bill. Tangy pickled onions and daikon, spicy chili peppers, crunchy cucumbers, loads of fresh cilantro, tart citrus mayo, and savory pork meatballs all nestled in a fresh baguette. Flavour bomb. It’s pretty much my perfect sandwich.
If meatballs aren’t your thing, there’s a whole menu of fillings from lemongrass chicken to marinated organic tofu to satisfy whatever you’re craving. But the menu doesn’t stop at sandwiches. They offer bubble tea, smoothies, pho, bun (a Vietnamese noodle bowl which you all know I am mad addicted to at Pho Hoang Minh), fusion tacos, and a fusion salad box. Healthy, fresh, gluten free, vegan, they’ve thought of it all.
Indochine also gets huge points in my books for sourcing locally, making as much as they can in house (in a teeny space I might add), and giving the city healthy lunch options without sacrificing flavour. They even offer the addition of Ratinaud pâté to any banh mi for a more authentic experience. Plus, with almost everything under 10 bucks, it makes healthy and local affordable.
Back when I first started blogging, Indochine was one of my first reviews (it’s even framed on their wall) and I remain a huge fan today. While some take issue with the fact that it isn’t an authentic banh mi shop, I am thoroughly impressed with all Liz has done to bring the banh mi experience she fell in love with in Alberta here to us in Halifax while at the same time being committed to supporting local. I for one am grateful.
