Banh Mi 29

I had heard positive things about this shop. The basic ingredients were decent and the baguette was well toasted, but the unusual meat floss affected the experience.

The trend around Banh Mi just does not seem to be stopping any time soon — this is especially so when there seems to be a new Banh Mi stall opening every couple of weeks around the island. Joo Chiat might be pretty much known for 233 Banh Mi for quite a while — 233 Banh Mi was first situated at a mixed-use development named Soho Life before it had subsequently moved to the ground level of a nearby shop house unit. It seems that there is yet another Banh Mi stall that had made Joo Chiat their home — Banh Mi 29 Vietnam and Thai Food had recently opened their doors in the same exact development which 233 Banh Mi was first located in, though Banh Mi 29 Vietnam and Thai Food occupies a unit that was occupied by a different tenant. Having occupied a space that is pretty much a hole-in-the-wall, Banh Mi 29 Vietnam and Thai Food is primarily an establishment that is meant for takeaway operations; that being said, there are some dining chairs provided for patrons to sit at whilst waiting for their orders to be prepared. The entire space is decked in a way that is more for function than form — very basic decor with somehow haphazard placement of kitchen equipment; the folks running the stall having to shuffle in and out of the counter whilst preparing orders. Given how Banh Mi 29 Vietnam and Thai Food is pretty much focused on their Banh Mi offerings based on its namesake, the menu comprises of a range of Banh Mi — this includes items such as The Classic, Grilled Pork and Meat Ball; just to name a few. Beverages available at Banh Mi 29 Vietnam and Thai Food includes Vietnamese coffee, as well as Thai milk tea.

Whilst we had been intrigued enough by most establishments that focuses around Banh Mi to make a visit to give them a try, one thing that made us particularly interested with Banh Mi 29 Vietnam and Thai Food was how they carried a Stew Intestines Banh Mi on their menu. To our knowledge, Banh Mi featuring intestines are quite a tough find around the island despite the many Banh Mi-centric establishments that have opened of the late — the only establishments serving such Banh Mi would be Miss Saigon at Orchard Plaza and Banh Mi Saigon at Ang Mo Kio; both being establishments that are related to one another. Given such circumstances, it is needless to say that the Stew Intestines Banh Mi was the one which we would be going for at Banh Mi 29 Vietnam and Thai Food. The menu does not describe much about the elements within the Stew Intestine Banh Mi; that being said, we did note that the folks behind the counter referred to it as “卤肉” in Chinese — this translates to braised meat in English.

Based on our observations though, the Stew Intestines Banh Mi comes with stewed intestines, pate, onions, pickled cucumber and carrots, coriander and chilli (optional). Sinking our teeth into the Banh Mi, we thought that the baguette itself here does come with a bit of crispness, though there is quite a good bit of tension holding the baguette together as one attempts to chew it apart — pretty decent, though some may prefer it to be crispier. That being said, the generous spread of pate made the Stew Intestines Banh Mi easily one of the most flavourful Banh Mi that we have came across — not quite as complex in its flavours as the one we have had at Banh Mi Saigon / Miss Saigon, but it was definitely savoury enough for a good flavour that didn’t require much help from sauces (not that this version felt drowned it sauces either). Unlike Miss Saigon / Banh Mi Saigon, the intestines here do get a little intimidating for some — while the ones at Banh Mi Saigon / Miss Saigon can be said as being sliced thin and are gelatinous, the ones from Banh Mi 29 Vietnam and Thai Food are sliced pretty thick for a good bite and savoury flavour. The intestines do feel rather clean considering there is really no odour that comes along with it, but the chew and the slight graininess in some bits might not gel well with those whom are not too used to innards. That being said, this is where all that pate, pickled vegetables, coriander and chili came in pretty useful; the pate being savoury enough to mask off those flavours of the intestines sufficiently without overwhelming it, while the pickled vegetables provide a refreshing tangy crunch to cut through the meatiness — the corianders also dough much of the same with its distinctive note. The optional chili was a great addition — provides quite a good fiery kick that tickles the tastebuds even for those whom are tolerable to moderate spiciness; makes it even easier for those less accepting to innards like us to have the Stewed Intestine Banh Mi.

There are really no shortage of Vietnamese eateries within Joo Chiat, and Banh Mi 29 Vietnam and Thai Food just further adds on to the growing list. Whilst they are one of the newest additions to the ‘hood, we do feel that they are all about bringing in the authentic flavours of Vietnam into our island. There are not many establishments that are willing to serve up items like the Stewed Intestine Banh Mi — locals here, especially the younger crowd, do not particularly have a preference for such items, and it can be said as a rather adventurous offering here. We were actually pretty intrigued that not only do they offer the Stewed Intestine Banh Mi where the stewed intestine is contained within the Banh Mi as a “filling”, but they also do serve the same item where the stewed intestine is being kept in a separate container and that the Banh Mi can be used to dip into the bowl of stewed intestines much like how one would enjoy a Shakshouka. We would think that some credit is due to Banh Mi 29 Vietnam and Thai Food for how they are adventurous enough to offer such an item here. Having tried both the Stew Intestines Banh Mi, and the Milk Coffee, we do feel that the food quality at Banh Mi 29 Vietnam and Thai Food — that being said, perhaps it would only be a more fair comparison with the other establishments we had tried thus far if we had went for The Classic Banh Mi at Banh Mi 29 Vietnam and Thai Food instead, considering how innards aren’t quite out thing. Prices of the Banh Mi at Banh Mi 29 Vietnam and Thai Food can be said as fairly reasonable — its Banh Mi are all priced at $6 with the exception of the Stew Intestines Banh Mi which we had; the Stew Intestines Banh Mi being priced at $10 instead. We would like to think that we would be heading down to Banh Mi 29 Vietnam and Thai Food to give their The Classic Banh Mi a go some other time; we are also quite intrigued by their Fried Banana as well; an item that seems to be increasingly common with Banh Mi-centric establishments but still a rare find at this juncture.