QT Vietnamese Sandwich — Restaurant in Philadelphia

This week I stopped in QT for my 1st experience eating a banh mi. As a vegetarian, I went for the lemongrass tofu banh mi. The french baguette was so crunchy and light - the veggie ingredients were crisp, fresh and tasty with a whisper of lemongrass. Oh, what a memorable sandwich, I couldn't stop thinking about it for the rest of my day. The next time I order this banh mi, I'll ask for a side of lime and perhaps sriracha, too - yum!

Of course, the very next day, I came back and tried some more:

-- Tofu with Mushrooms and Onions Banh Mi: Love the flavor - it's quite savory and echoes the vegetarian version of a "cheesesteak", in my opinion.

-- Tofu with Mushrooms and Onions Rice Platter: The rice platter includes sides of pickled carrots and fish sauce (both tasty). The tofu was generously portioned over a bed of rice which beautifully soaked up all those aromatic onion and mushroom juices / flavors.

-- Bun Chay (Veggie Noodle Soup): A totally unexpected soup, in a great way. The broth, in my opinion, is reminiscent of Thai Lemongrass soup - a soup which I gave up due to its animal-based broth. But QT's veggie soup scratches that itch for me. This soup's powerful flavor profile awakens the senses. The pineapple adds an undertone of sweetness complementing the broth's savory heat.

-- Spicy Tofu Eggrolls: These eggrolls are very tasty, too - rolled thin and oh-so-crunchy.

-- Vietnamese Iced Coffee: I was hesitant at first since I had this notion that Vietnamese coffee was "too sweet" and thick with condensed milk. But this coffee schooled me on what a truly delicious and addicting drink it is. Uh-oh....

If you're vegetarian or vegan, make sure to let the very friendly folks at the counter know so they can make the necessary modifications (e.g. no pate on the banh mi, no mayo, etc).

The people who work here are super friendly and obviously take A LOT of pride in the way they run the business and of course, their imaginative dishes with uniquely memorable flavor profiles. It makes a big difference to witness people who enjoy being there. This food is made with great care and love.

I'm not sure if the tofu is organic, but if it is, I'd bump my review up to 6 stars.

I found out that QT has been around for 7 years, yet I only discovered it this week after having walked that same block thousands of times. Better late than never. And yes, I'm fantasizing about my next...

If you've never tried a Vietnamese Banh Mi sandwich then this is definitely the place for you to go. What is Banh Mi? It's basically a Vietnamese take on a hoagie (Yes, in Philly we call them hoagies, not subs). Q. T.'s is a very small, unassuming little restaurant but it is definitely not one to ignore. Anyone who has tried one of their sandwiches will tell you that it's the place to go for some awesome banh mi. At Q. T.'s there are a variety of different choices in terms of meat or vegetarian options, you can choose anything from Vietnamese ham to lemongrass tofu. After you choose that all you have to do is wait for the delicious sandwich to come to you. The first sandwich I ever got from Q. T.'s was the BBQ pork banh mi (the second time I had the lemongrass chicken which was delicious as well), it was perfectly marinated and cooked pork on a soft yet crunchy roll topped with pickled carrots, crunchy cucumber, spicy jalapenos, and it is finished off with a sprig of refreshing cilantro. The flavors mix together perfectly in your mouth giving you a taste of Vietnam meets Philadelphia hoagie shop. You will not be disappointed and once you try one of their delicious options you will definitely want to go back and try them all, even if you aren't quite sure what "Vietnamese ham"...

I've noticed an increased popularity in Vietnamese food (specifically phở and bánh mì) over the past year or two. With a sort of "fad" happening, I've run into a lot of restaurants selling bánh mì with "twists," which ultimately turned the sandwich into something that isn't a bánh mì at all. I saw the QT food truck at Love Park and was going to check it out, just to amuse myself with the Americanized bánh mì creations. To my surprise, it was a pretty traditional menu with some modern touches, so I decided to try something. I ordered the QT Special (which is their version of the original bánh mì đặc biệt) and was impressed! They stayed true to Vietnamese culture while adding in their own flair. (The sauce tastes like what would be bì heo in a liquid form, but I could be completely wrong. Regardless it's amazing and has a California-Viet taste to it). Recommend! Worth the $8, especially with the...