A Breakfast Sandwich The Vietnamese Way At The Banh Mi Cart

I have never eaten a Vietnamese breakfast, but if I did I’d want it to be the egg and pork roll banh mi from the No. 1 Banh Mi Cart. We’ve eaten most of the conventional fillings from this cart but there are usually eight to 10 on offer and some (sardines in sunflower oil, roasted eel, tuna fish) are more on the edge. There was breakfast served at the cart for a time, and I’d like to think the pork roll and egg sandwich ($7) on the lunch menu is a legacy of that. 

If you were thinking New Jersey-style pork roll, think again. This is the same pate found in the classic banh mi but with a fluffy folded omelette in the middle rather than more pork. I asked for mine spicy so I also got some jalapeno slices and sriracha in addition to cucumber and cilantro. The first thing I noticed was the amount of egg in here was perfect, and the omelet was seasoned and cooked well. There was some salt and pepper on the pork roll slices lining the crisp baguette. This was one of the better sandwiches I’ve had in recent memory and that’s no easy feat. If only every breakfast sandwich had this many flavors instead of just salt and fat, I’d be a happy camper.

No. 1 Banh Mi Cart, corner of Hanover Sq. and Pearl St., (646) 996-8990, on Twitter

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