Hi @attran99,
Nice! Glad you liked it. 
Was it not just delicious? Love that Banh Mi so much. 
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You’re right they are pretty tasty. It’s more of a personal nostalgia thing, I should’ve clarified: My roommate in college used to buy these canned sardines in tomato sauce (they were really inexpensive) and we’d share these sometimes. When I first had the sardine banh mi at a few shops in Little Saigon, it tasted exactly like that brand we had back then, as if they those sandwich shops bought the same brand and just cracked open the can and put it on the sandwich.
Still makes me smile remembering those times; just found it funny. But they are tasty.
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Every Vietnamese person has those sardines. It may as well be considered traditional.
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@Ns1 That’s one banh mi, I’ve never tried buying. My Mom’s is so good…thinly sliced white onions sautéed in butter, and then open the cans of sardines in tomato sauce…perhaps add more tomato sauce and a TON of black pepper. So simple and so good…I have an extra helping when she makes it.
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I agree, but how do you get it with runny yolks??? It’s always been scrambled eggs when I get them =(
At Saigon Bakery? The usual default (if we just order as is) has never been Scrambled Eggs; usually ranging from barely runny Sunny Side Up, to more cooked-through.
I just ask one of the people taking the order for “softer / less cooked” and it works for me.
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One time I was meeting some friends at a beach bonfire, and everyone was bringing their dinner, and all I had was a couple cans of sardines (one spicy and one tomato) and half a baguette, so I brought them. I was kind of hesitant about opening the cans, because I thought people wouldn’t like the smell.
I ended up having to pass them around; people’s ears perked up when I popped the first can. Apparently, if your parents were Italian, Colombian or Japanese, you really, really like sardines. Who knew?
Now I must try a sardine bahn mi, ASAP.
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OC Poultry and Rotisserie Market
2117 E. Ball Rd.
Anaheim, CA 92806
Tel: (714) 780-0225
Love going here to pick up Bahn Mi before heading to The Bruery, where no food but excellent craft beer is served. This time, we were meeting my little sister, a vegetarian. I checked their menu, and besides veggie sandwiches, they also offered a lemongrass tofu bahn mi.
We also got their ready made spring rolls with shrimp and pork. They made-to-order vegetarian spring rolls for my little sis. They only disappointing part was we bought these pork pastries (maybe called pork chaud) and they didn’t end up in the to-go order! The super nice woman, owner, I think, at the register said they were very good! Next time!
My ham, pate, #4, with egg and extra veggies. Delicious!
Inside store. They also sell roast chicken and duck and have fresh noodles in fridge case.
Veggie springrolls
So many beers, so little time! At the Bruery.
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Hi @Xochitl,
Nice report! Sounds like you had a good meal and beers. 
How did your sister’s lemongrass tofu banh mi turn it? Recommended?
Glad to hear the #4 that you got was good, I’ll have to try that one next time, thanks.
Oh my gosh. Banh Me’s and beer - perfection!
We’ve gotten them for air flights - why not beer flights?!
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The lady who runs the place is so sweet.
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Finally got to try My Tho. Got the famous grilled pork with egg.
Bread and fillings were good. I like there was some crushed peanuts in it.
As for the proteins, the pork and egg both were pretty damn cold. I think if the egg was freshly cooked and the pork was at least warm it would be a whole another sandwich. This sandwich came out in under a minute.
I mean it is still solid. I stilll prefer Saigon Bakery and OG Ba Le on Bolsa.
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Have you tried Banh Mi Cho Cu? I haven’t been in some time, but I liked them a lot when I was in OC more often.
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I’ve had that, too. It really is delicious.
@Chowseeker1999
Love that fried egg banh mi at Saigon’s Sandwich and Bakery (Valley and San Gabriel) - still excellent and only 4 bucks.
Super crunchy fresh baguette and warm eggs with the usual crispy pickled veg and mayo. Hard to think of a better $4 lunch.
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I had Saigon’s Bakery again this week as well and I just love their bread so much. Got the cold cut with pate, bbq pork and pork roll which was lovely although the play here is the egg banh mi, it is like the most perfect egg sandwich ever.
Can also practice safely in style, especially if you are a Yankees fan.
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Update 3:
I forgot to add our new favorite Banh Mi to the Banh Mi thread, and with more talk about Saigon Bakery’s Banh Mi, it was time for another journey.
Banh Mi Saigon / Saigon’s Bakery & Sandwiches (Rosemead) (Revisit)
They added new signage to this Rosemead location, and they seem to be pushing the “Banh Mi Saigon” part of their title more than the “Saigon’s Bakery & Sandwiches” title.
It was still the same menu thankfully.
Banh Mi Trung (Egg Banh Mi):
The freshly-baked Baguette is light and lightly crisp, the Egg is a touch over scrambled on this visit, but still tasty and the Jalapenos, Pickled Carrots and Radish are excellent.
It was good to set a baseline as we went on this journey, to remember what our original favorite Banh Mi was like. For about $4, this is still a great value and solid execution.
Saigon Bakery & Sandwiches (Rosemead)
8118 E. Garvey Ave., Suite I
Rosemead, CA 91770
Tel: (626) 288-2132
Banh Mi My Tho 2 (Rosemead)
A longtime favorite Banh Mi spot in the San Gabriel Valley, Banh Mi My Tho opened up a 2nd branch in Rosemead (on Garvey), so we decided to stop by and see how it compared to the OG shop.
Banh Mi Trung (Egg Banh Mi):
The manager was friendly and told us their operation was beginning to pick up steam, but they had to train a new set of staff at this new location (so it seems their original staff remained at the OG location). The Egg Banh Mi was served with Over Easy Eggs, and they were a bit too cooked (hard yolks). 
The Bread was fine, but lacked the airy crispness of Saigon Bakery’s Bread (or Ba Le).
Banh Mi My Tho 2
9011 Garvey Ave., Unit #C
Rosemead, CA 91770
Tel: (626) 872-1884
Saigon’s Bakery & Sandwiches (San Gabriel) (Revisit)
There are 4 branches of Saigon’s Bakery & Sandwiches and we realized that some of the talk and experiences we have on FTC might be attributed to specific branches. We’ve seen how dramatically different one branch can be from another for various restaurants, so we wanted to see how all 4 branches might compare. The 2nd branch on Valley Blvd., was our first experience with Saigon’s Bakery and a sentimental favorite. It had been over a year since we last visited.
Dac Biet Sai Gon (Saigon Special Banh Mi (Cold Cuts)):
Having really fallen in love with Thit Nguoi (Cold Cut) Banh Mi Sandwiches thanks to Ba Le (Westminster)‘s incredible version, we found a renewed interest in trying out other places’ versions. Saigon’s Bakery’s version of Thit Nguoi (Cold Cuts) for the San Gabriel branch was respectable, the Cold Cuts generally fresh-tasting, a little bit of a funky (not bad) note, and it had been a while but Saigon’s Bakery’s Banh Mi are huge! 
We didn’t remember them being this large of a portion, but it was the largest Banh Mi we had on this journey.
This was overall, solid, tasty, but there were other places we enjoyed more.
Banh Mi Trung (Egg Banh Mi):
The San Gabriel branch’s Egg Banh Mi was very good, almost as good as we remembered it, but perhaps because of the pandemic, or just bad luck, the Eggs were a touch too cooked (not dried out), but not as lightly scrambled as before. Still quite good for $4.35.
Another Visit:
We ended up stopping by the following weekend again to make sure the Egg experience wasn’t a fluke, and to try another flavor.
Banh Mi Thit Nuong + Bi (Grilled Pork Banh Mi + Julienne Pork):
Their Grilled Pork was room temperature (not hot), but flavorful, a bit on the sweet side, with some salinity. The Bi (Julienne Pork) was fine, but not as good as Ba Le’s.
Banh Mi Trung (Egg Banh Mi):
On this follow-up visit recently, their Egg Banh Mi Sandwich was consistent with the previous visit: Their Eggs are now prepared a bit more scrambled and cooked through compared to pre-COVID times. It’s not bad at all, still delicious, but pre-pandemic they used to soft scramble the Eggs and you’d get them softer, more yolky.
The Pickled Carrots & Radish, Cilantro, Jalapenos were all fine. The Bread on this visit was a touch dried out.
(Cash Only)
Saigon’s Bakery & Sandwiches (2nd branch)
718 E. Valley Blvd.
San Gabriel, CA 91776
Tel: (626) 288-6475
Mr. Baguette (Revisit)
#1: Banh Mi Dac Biet (Special Banh Mi) (Ham, Pork Meatloaf, Head Cheese, Pate, Mayo, Housemade Salad) + Sesame Baguette:
It’s important to order their Banh Mi with the Sesame option, as it makes a big difference.
First, visually, we’re reminded that Mr. Baguette’s Cold Cut (Dac Biet) Banh Mi is easily the prettiest out of all the Banh Mi we’ve had. 
The Sesame Seed Baguette option creates an extra fragrant, crunchy Baguette, the Toasted Sesame Seeds really enhance the flavor.
Taking a bite of their Special Banh Mi, and it’s delicious! The Ham, Head Cheese and Pork Meatloaf slices are meaty and pleasing initially. However, after about 3 - 4 bites, you start to notice the salt buildup: We started noticing how salty it became the more you ate it. In addition, Mr. Baguette is quite sparse in their Pickled Veggies, Cilantro and Jalapenos, so it’s mainly the Cold Cuts and Baguette. The balance feels slightly off.
For a couple of bites, it’s really tasty, but the Salt buildup and lack of balance begins to show after that. Still quite a good Banh Mi, and we’d be glad to have it again if we were in the area. At $4.89 it’s a little pricier than Saigon’s Bakery, but still a good value.
Mr. Baguette
8702 Valley Blvd.
Rosemead, CA 91770
Tel: (626) 288-9166
Ba Le Sandwiches (Westminster) (Revisit)
Ba Le Sandwiches (Westminster Branch) has quickly shot up recently to become our favorite Banh Mi shop around So Cal. After having tried some of the SGV Banh Mi shops that we enjoyed in the past, we wanted to see how Ba Le compared with them.
#2. Banh Mi Thit Nuong (BBQ Pork Banh Mi):
While I’m not as much a fan of BBQ Pork Banh Mi Sandwiches, we had heard reports that Ba Le’s version wasn’t that good compared to Saigon’s Bakery, so we wanted to see for ourselves. First, Ba Le’s arrived hot, with the BBQ Pork being flavorful, sweet-savory and meaty. They also served it with plenty of very good Pickled Carrots and Radish, fresh Cilantro, their amazing Housemade Mayo and Jalapenos. Tasty.
#11. Banh Mi Dac Biet (Ba Le Special Banh Mi):
Their Banh Mi Dac Biet (Special) is basically their #1 Thit Nguoi (Cold Cuts) with the addition of their Housemade Vietnamese Bacon. Taking a bite, it’s extra meaty, a bit fattier, more luxurious from the Vietnamese Bacon and delicious!
However, we like their #1 Cold Cuts better (more on this later).
#6. Banh Mi Trung (Egg Banh Mi):
Their Egg Banh Mi continues to shine. For this visit, we didn’t ask for any special changes, and let them serve it as is: The default Egg Banh Mi is just a Scrambled Eggs version, a bit softer than Saigon’s Bakery’s current style (at both the Rosemead and San Gabriel branches).
Ba Le’s Housemade Baguette is light and soft, and we like their Housemade Mayo and Pickled Veggies & Cilantro (fresh). Delicious. 
Ba Le Sandwiches (Westminster)
9152 Bolsa Ave.
Westminster, CA 92683
Tel: (714) 891-9424
Banh Mi Saigon (Garden Grove)
For this 3rd branch of Banh Mi Saigon / Saigon’s Bakery, we realize we had never been to this branch before. Walking in, it’s the largest of all of the branches, but it had the same general menu, same split with the round loaves vs. Baguette style, same Desserts, same Steamed Pork Bun setup as the other branches as well.
It was a madhouse on this visit: With about 20 people waiting in line!
Banh Mi Thit Nguong (Grilled Pork Banh Mi):
Having just tried Ba Le Sandwiches’ Banh Mi a few minutes earlier, there’s no doubt about it: Saigon’s Bakery’s Banh Mi are just massive! It’s like the Claim Jumper of Banh Mi Sandwiches! 
It’s probably 150% the size of Ba Le’s Banh Mi.
The Garden Grove branch’s Grilled Pork is cold. It was not served hot, and it was just OK. It tasted almost exactly like the San Gabriel branch’s Thit Nguong (same flavor), but this one was cold, and we noticed the Bread was a bit drier than the San Gabriel branch.
Banh Mi Thit Nguoi (Deli Cold Banh Mi):
This 3rd branch’s Cold Cuts (called “Deli Cold”) Banh Mi was just as massive as their Grilled Pork Sandwich. The Cold Cuts here are fresh-tasting, no slight funk that we detected at the San Gabriel branch, but otherwise, just about the same meaty flavors. It’s very good, but we like Ba Le’s Thit Nguoi more.
Banh Mi Trung (Egg Banh Mi):
This 3rd branch’s Egg Banh Mi features Eggs that are even more overcooked than the San Gabriel and Rosemead branch’s version we tried recently. They still have some moisture, but it’s not the runny Egg Yolks / light Scrambled versions we enjoyed at Saigon’s Bakery pre-pandemic.
We loved the generous Pickled Carrots & Radish, the Jalapenos are spicy here and plenty of it, but the Egg felt a bit overcooked. It might’ve been a fluke (hopefully). Otherwise, still quite good overall.
Banh Mi Saigon
13861 Brookhurst St, #17
Garden Grove, CA 92843
Tel: (714) 539-9921
Cococane (Revisit)
We had to get a refreshment and take a break from all this Banh Mi! 
Time for Cococane to beat the heat!
Original Cococane (Coconut + Sugarcane Juice):
Incredible! So, so refreshing, especially during the Summer. Cool, tropical, not overly sweet. Fantastic!
Cococane
14338 Brookhurst St.
Garden Grove, CA 92843
Tel: (714) 531-3045
Banh Mi Saigon (Westminster)
The 4th branch of Banh Mi Saigon / Saigon’s Bakery in Westminster was the smallest branch out of all of the ones we went to. It was also quite popular with about 10+ people waiting in line.
Walking in, it had the same menu breakdown (with slight variations) as the other branches, same Desserts and Steamed Bao display.
Banh Mi Thit Nguoi (Deli Cold Banh Mi):
This was the exact same size Bread and same Stickers used for all 4 Saigon’s Bakery / Banh Mi Saigon branches we tried. The Bread at this Westminster branch was a bit more crisp than the Garden Grove branch. The Cold Cuts had the same flavoring and tasted fresh (good), but the Cilantro had some rotting pieces but otherwise it was very solid.
Banh Mi Trung (Egg Banh Mi):
Unfortunately, this 4th branch’s Egg Banh Mi was by far the worst out of all the branches: Completely over scrambled (look at the pic above), it was dried out and crumbly. 
Add to that, the not as fresh Cilantro, and it just made this version the one we’d just rather not eat.
Perhaps it’s due to restaurants wary about serving anything not completely cooked through (due to people being on edge / wanting to be safer during COVID-19?) but everywhere we went for Egg Banh Mi, (including all 4 branches of Saigon’s Bakery) served totally cooked through Scrambled Eggs, with all of them on the “well-done” side, with the 4th branch being obliterated Scrambled Eggs.
We found the San Gabriel and Garden Grove branches to be our favorites of the 4 Saigon’s Bakery branches we went to on this journey, with the freshest of the Cilantro and generally solid Baguettes.
Banh Mi Saigon (Westminster)
8940 Westminster Blvd.
Westminster, CA 92683
Tel: (714) 896-8782
Ba Le Sandwiches (Westminster) (Revisit 2)
And we had to finish up this journey with a final revisit to Ba Le after trying all of the other shops to verify how it compared to the rest of the quality shops on this journey. 
#1: Banh Mi Thit Nguoi + Bi (Cold Cut Banh Mi + Shredded Pork):
Out of all of Banh Mi Shops, Ba Le Sandwiches (Westminster) has the freshest tasting Bi (Shredded Pork / Pork Skin), so I’ve been adding it to their #1 Cold Cuts and the result is pure deliciousness:
It starts with their Housemade Baguette Bread, lighter than Saigon’s Bakery, airy, crisp-crunch. You then get a bite of bright, porcine meatiness from their Housemade Cold Cuts, zero funk, just delicious, balanced savory cuts of Pork.
Then the Bi (Shredded Pork / Skin) hits, also so fresh and adding textural contrast, their Housemade Mayo, insanely delicious!, and their Pickled Carrots & Radish, fresh Cilantro and a bit of Jalapeno. The combination of everything in one bite makes it our favorite Cold Cuts Banh Mi in L.A. / O.C.!
#6: Banh Mi Trung + Ba Chi (Egg Banh Mi + Vietnamese Bacon):
First, we got clarification from the friendly Vietnamese grandma who runs the place: Their Vietnamese Bacon is called “Ba Chi” and is different from the Thit Nguoi (Cold Cuts) (@attran99 @A5KOBE @JeetKuneBao @Ns1 @PorkyBelly).
She said that she could grill(!) the Ba Chi (Vietnamese Bacon) to go with the Egg Banh Mi!
She then asked: 'You want Pate?"
Me: “Yes, please!!!”
While not crisped up like American Bacon (more of a flattop sear), taking a bite:
Their Housemade Ba Chi (Vietnamese Bacon) lends a porky fattiness (but not overwhelmingly so), tasty and a beautiful match with the Egg Banh Mi! Add in a perfectly savory Pate, some of their amazing Housemade Mayo, and it was delicious!
Next time, we’re going to ask for the last special request (Sunny Side Up Eggs) to match the Vietnamese Bacon.
Also, how do you ask for “Over Easy Egg” or “Lightly Scrambled Egg” in Vietnamese (@attran99 @Ns1 @hppzz)? Thanks!
Ba Le Sandwiches (Westminster) remains our new favorite Banh Mi Sandwich Shop in So Cal at the moment. The Housemade Baguette is lighter than the other places, their Housemade Mayo is more fragrant and tasty, their Pickled Carrots & Radish are balanced, and Cilantro is fresh. We like their Housemade Thit Nguoi (Cold Cuts) the most, due to the balanced seasoning and freshness, their Bi (Shredded Pork) is a great addition to that, and they’re willing to do Sunny Side Up Eggs still with the Egg Banh Mi (upon request).
All of that combined with a reasonable price of $3.68 makes it a fantastic value, especially for the quality of Banh Mi you’re getting.
Note that I’m being very nitpicky in comparing these places. If any of these were available on the Westside I’d be visiting them every week! They are all legit, quality places. But if we had to visit just 1, it’d be Ba Le (Westminster).
Ba Le Sandwiches (Westminster)
9152 Bolsa Ave.
Westminster, CA 92683
Tel: (714) 891-9424
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Wow you visited all Saigon Bakery locations! I suspected that it will be disappointing and inconsistent.
Thank you for advocating hard for Ba Le Westminster. I really love that shop. It truly is the best Banh Mi in Southern California and wish more FTCers could visit. I bet they know you by now! Or at least recognize your face. Being a regular will have its perks I promise. I hope your love for there Banh Mi gets some extra business for them (Hi lurkers!)
Yo @euno bro when can we get some Eater coverage on this amazing Banh Mi shop doing everything in house?
I always laugh a little on the inside when you go to confirm that a place is the best (when you know damn well it is lol) by eating there again just to be sure
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Fantastic Update. If I had not ordered HolyBasil for lunch today I would be going down to OC.
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Hi @JeetKuneBao,
It’s always good to get a reminder of the best, and for “research”! But we have seen that sometimes the best do fall (Superfine). Hope you get to try Ba Le again when you’re back and try the Egg Banh Mi with their Vietnamese Bacon.
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