Banhi Mi for Lunch!

Instead of craving for burritos and deli sandwiches, this time I was really craving for banh mi - Vietnamese sandwiches. That light and crispy Vietnamese-French bread, with the fillings contrasting with pickles and jalapenos. Vietnamese sandwiches are seriously one of the best sandwiches in the world.

When I'm back in the states, especially the Bay Area, I tend to search for eats on Yelp. According to Yelp, the better banh mi near the Peninsula was in Sunnyvale at Cam Hung. Four solid stars. Usually, that means it's pretty good. Unfortunately, the four stars didn't ring true here. The bread wasn't crispy at all, and the fillings were really dry.

That made me want to drive farther to get the really good quality banh mi. Milpitas and San Jose are the cities to go to for quality and authentic banh mi. Huong Lan serves up some really good sandwiches that totally fulfilled my craving. The grilled pork was tasty, the sardines were good, and the classic ham, pate, and headcheese keeps you coming back for more.

The slide show here runs on Flash. If you can't see it, check out my Flickr album: Banh Mi

More Izakaya!

Tanto, Sunnyvale
After being told the wait at Sumiya would take one hour, my family and I ventured to Tanto, a Japanese izakaya (small plates) restaurant. I've been reading the raves about this restaurant for awhile now and was excited to finally try it out.

Buta Kimchi
I love ordering buta kimchi whenever it's on the menu. The addition of Japanese mayonnaise made this dish unique. I love Japanese mayo.

Yaki Udon
The noodles were nice and chewy. I loved that it tasted nice and smoky from the hot wok.

Crab Croquette
Light, creamy, and nicely fried! Just like Japanese croquettes straight from Japan.

Agedashi Tofu
Another well fried dish. Some agedashi tofus tend to be bland. This was not.

Grilled Pike Mackerel
Well seasoned and nicely grilled. A great fish dish.

Kurobuta Kakuni
Braised Pork. Delicious! I recommend getting this dish if you come here.

Grilled Quail
Well cooked and still tender and juicy.

Tempura Moriawase
A decent plate of assorted tempura. I have yet to find the best tempura in the Bay Area. My standards are in line with the tempura bars in Tokyo. I miss those places. They would freshly fry the vegetables and seafood right in front of you as you order.

Fried Rice with Unagi (Eel)
We were expecting fried rice, but it's really steamed rice with a poached egg. It's still a nice rice dish, though.

Gyoza
A solid order of potstickers. It still does not come close to Ryowa Ramen's gyozas.