Banh Mi & Bowl — Restaurant in Santa Clara

This is the 3rd time I came here. First 2 times it didn’t stand out as exceptional, but it was alright that if I come again, I wouldn’t mind eating here. Mostly it’s just a bland sandwich that fills up your hunger. But this time is different. I ordered standard pork pate, and had it in the car. Something tasted bitter and also a bit fermented. Like someone soaked certain ingredients in sour beer. Then I parked and looked into it, it’s the daikon and the carrot. They’re sliced into very big chunks which makes it hard to chew. But also they tasted just flat bad. The rest of the ingredients are fine. I think in a hot summer, they maybe left out for too long. I called up the restaurant to let them know. A girl picked up the phone. She wasn’t the owner. I think she was my cashier. And she just said “sorry.” Didn’t even ask anything further. Didn’t taste their own daikon to confirm. Didn’t say they’ll check or do something about that. Didn’t offer to makeup for anything (I don’t need a refund or another sandwich, but having that offer is the standard protocol to handle customer feedback). Just a plain sorry. Their sorry was as bland as the sandwich. Needless to say I will not come back again. Keep in mind the price here is more on the expensive side. I’ll give some points for the...

I ordered three sandwiches (#3 5-Spice pork and #1 Cold Cut + Pate) and one Thai tea, which totaled $46. While it may be off-putting as it is more expensive than the sandwiches in Century Mall, San Jose, though, to be fair, the higher pricing could be due to location, inflation, etc.

Food: The sandwich bread is not fluffy or airy like at Duc Huong Sandwiches; it is the type that needs to be eaten right away, as it is hard. As for the meat, it tastes good. Other things to note are that the pickled veggies are a thicker slice, and the taste is very subtle and clean compared to what I'm used to eating. I don't exactly need to worry about the bread getting soggy or have to ask to put the veggies separately. If this is your preference, this could be your next favorite sandwich shop. As for the drink, I wish it were stronger.

Service & Cleanliness: Inside the store, it was tidied and not busy (at least on Friday at 4 p.m.). It is a nice place to purchase food to go quickly. They are available on Uber Eats; you can order by speaking with the cashier or using the iPad. The service was excellent, as they even offered to help, which was nice. I would not mind coming...

I was pleasantly surprised by the Banh Mi and pork egg rolls. I have been getting Banh Mi from Lee's for years and enjoying them greatly, but I think these are even a little better. I've only tried the 5-spice grilled pork and the Lemongrass chicken, but both were fantastic. I've actually never had a chicken based banh mi and was skeptical, but I ended up ordering it the second time I went without hesitation. The egg rolls were also next level. They were not overly greasy, and they were full of flavor. I did try a little of the sweet and sour sauce, but it really didn't need it for flavor. I think I'm going to test things next time I go and try something different, but it will be hard not to go with what I...