Hoang Thien Y Deli
2738 Nicollet Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55428
Today I felt like a sandwich. That is, I felt like eating a sandwich.
Let me state that I am no bahn mi expert. (Let me state that I also realize I am missing some symbols for proper Vietnamese punctuation. The blogger unpredictably adds anywhere from 2-10 inches of space between random lines of text if I copy and paste words from online).
When I lived in Minneapolis, it was more convenient to explore Eat Street. One day, I tried this deli after reading this Citypages article: http://www.citypages.com/2008-09-17/restaurants/very-vietnam/
I returned for bahn mi sandwiches when such cravings hit. I haven’t eaten here for over a year and stopped in for a take-out lunch on the way home from class.
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| Pork Bahn Mi |
This visit, I found the pork to be a bit dryer than what I remembered and the bun tasted slightly stale. However, the sandwich contained my ideal balance of crisp, pickled vegetables and fresh herbs. I have been disappointed by other local bahn mi sandwiches because they contained skimpy strands of soggy vegetables.
The bread was on the chewy side, but I would prefer chewy bread over an overly dried/crusty bread that destroys my mouth. Hoang Thien Y Deli adds the most delicious spreads to these sandwiches. I can’t tell what these creamy spreads are made of but I love their added savory richness. My prediction is that they involve butter and pâté.
Lastly, this deli adds a thoughtful sprinkle of salt and black pepper, which makes all the difference in the world. In the picture above, the salt and pepper sprinkle may appear excessive, but I think it’s perfectly balanced. Each sandwich was carefully and thoughtfully created by the kind staff. Although the pork and bread were didn’t quite live up to my memories from my last visits, I devoured my sandwich. I brought home to Jake his first Bahn Mi, and he also devoured his sandwich giving it high marks.
The check-out counter is a display of various dumplings, eggrolls, and rice creations I haven’t seen or tried before. The deli offered a few hot steam table offerings such as chicken feet, chicken wings, meatballs, and fish. I grabbed a package of some kind of dumpling made with a glutinous wrapper, filled with shrimp, and sprinkled with green onion. The dumplings were packed with a container of a sweet, fish sauce-based, dipping sauce.
The thick wrappers were sticky to the touch, chewy, and bland but inoffensive. I found myself wishing for more salt, herbs, or acidity to counter the wrappers. Inside was a small bit of shrimp. I am curious how the shrimp was cooked. The outside of the shrimp was a red color and the texture was very firm. The meat almost tasted slightly dried or smoked.
My total bill for two large bahn mi sandwiches and package of dumplings was $10.
The woman who assisted me at the deli had tried to steer me toward a package of small dumplings wrapped in what looked like banana or plantain leaves. Next time, I would like to take her advice. As James Norton has mentioned, the menu is extremely affordable and Hoang Thien Y Deli offers items I haven’t seen at other Vietnamese restaurants.
When I return I would like to try the bun rieu, a noodle soup with crabmeat, fried tofu, and tomatoes, and bahn mi with meatballs. I also noticed they offered ban xiao crepes filled with shrimp and pork.
Eat Street preferences
So far, I have preferred Bahn Mi’s at Hoang Thien Y Deli, Bun noodle salad and Thai tea at Jasmine Deli, and Pho at Pho 79. I would welcome any recommendations or thoughts.
Related
I have always thought that the bahn mi at Lu Sandwich Shop were outstanding, although I haven’t been there lately. Lu is not real obvious; it’s in the southern part of the building that houses a big Asian grocery, right across from Quang. Lu’s address is 2718 Nicollet; it is sort of in the parking lot, not right on Nicollet.
thanks for the suggestion. i just passed Lu’s today and will try to stop in next week!