One of the joys in working above Post Office Square is that I am close to Gresham lane and can often go there to pick up lunch. A highly popular venue along that strip is Em Saigon which often has quite a considerable queue outside the place. Having heard good things about the banh mi there, Brisvegustation and I went to check it out on a lunch break.
Usually (at least for me), one banh mi is not enough for a main meal, but two is too much. So between the two of us, we ordered three to share. It also meant we could have half each and compare all three flavours. Prices were a tad steep, being $14 - $16.50 each, but they were made fresh and huge.
First up was the crispy chicken. Like all of them, this was generously filled with hand shredded crispy chicken breast. It was also topped with lashings of siracha mayonnaise. Whilst the taste was fairly good, with an abundance of salt and pepper taste, the chicken was unfortunately very dry. I suspect that it would have been executed better if they had chosen to use chicken thigh instead of chicken breast.
Next was nem nuong. Again flavours were fantastic and the sausage was well seasoned with cane sugar as well as salt and pepper. However I'm not sure if it has been left on the grill for too long but it was still quite dry, in spite of the ample carrot and cucumber in the roll.
Although we were already quite fully after one full banh mi, we still had to finish the biggest of them all, the signature. Comprising of crispy pork belly and, an omelette, carrots and cucumbers, it was absolutely hefty. Of the three, I found this one the best. For some reason the omelette provided quite a bit of balanced moisture to the bread roll. The pork belly was crispy but also on the dry side.
Overall we enjoyed our meal at Em Saigon. The fillings were generous, justifying the price. Improvements could be made, but I wouldn't mind a return visit.
Price Range: $15 - $25pp
Taste: 7/10
Value: 7/10
Service: 7/10
Environment: N/A
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