Midtown NYC

Lunch’er Joel Reports: New Banh Mi Place Open in Midtown West

Got this report from Lunch’er Joel the other day about a new banh mi place that just opened up in Midtown West…

I stumbled into this place, seeing “Bahn mi” written on a whiteboard, out of the corner of my eye this morning. It’s on 47th street, close to 9th Ave, just off the corner – it’s called something like “Saigon Cafe 9 West”.  Had a small but authentic seeming menu. I opted for the traditional Bahn mi, which at $6 was closer to downtown prices than the more expensive (and only recently available, with Boi Noodles and Cha Pas arrival) Bahn Mi offerings.

There were two [very friendly] women working at the small restaurant, which features tables covered in clear plastic coverings .I ordered the Bahn Mi spicy, it had a little kick, not really spicy though. A little bit more mayonnaise than I’d expect, but wasn’t dripping mayo juice. A good amount of pickled daikon and carrot, piece of cucumber, some cilantro, and the trifecta of meats. A decent sized sandwich, came cut in two. Bread tasty, nothing special. Wasn’t too soft and had some crunch.
That being said, on par with Boi noodles Bahn mi, other local offerings. A good go to in this area. I’m sort of interested and scared to try to pickle lemonade.
Something else I found interesting – there is a new place going in on 9th btw 46+47th called Pho 66.  [So] the stranglehold on new 9th Avenue restaurants by bland Thai places may be loosening. Yay!
Saigon 9 West, 348 W 47th St (btw 8+9th)
Has anybody else been?  Let us know what you think in the comments…

Posted by Zach Brooks at 9:30 am, January 10th, 2013 under Vietnamese.
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8 Comments

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    TrashedOut:

    It’s never gonna be bahn mi. Always BANH. It drives me insane.

    Jan 10th, 2013 at 11:10 am  

  • pigiron:

    The first thing I noticed on that sign was the pickle lemonade. Can’t wait to try that.

    Jan 10th, 2013 at 11:56 am  

  • hungry:

    Oooh! I’m going to try this out in the next couple days. Also, I spoke to some guy who was leaving the Pho66 place. He said it’ll open in next few weeks!

    Jan 10th, 2013 at 12:19 pm  

  • Yvo:

    Pickle lemonade is likely pickled lemon lemonade… it’s slightly salty, super tart, very refreshing on a hot day, but personally I get tired of the taste about halfway through. Interesting though (I generally see it on Vietnamese menus, they pickle their own lemons and cut them in half, then pour seltzer over them, I think some places use Sprite to cut the saltiness a little).

    Jan 11th, 2013 at 11:03 am  

    • pigiron:

      Thanks Yvo. I was thinking it was traditional lemonade with pickle juice added (which actually sounds quite good). Pickle juice is criminally underutilized. I add it salad dressings, marinades and even add it to beer occasionally. I’ve heard it’s got restorative powers that surpass every sports drink (electrolytes or something), but I just like the taste.

      Jan 11th, 2013 at 11:20 am  

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