Midtown Lunch

I live closer to Washington Ave than to Chinatown, which is how I justified the fact that I had never been to Q.T. for banh mi; I can get great banh mi close to my house but not so much with the decent Chinese food, so when I am in Chinatown,  banh mi is not the priority. But with so many people swearing Q.T.’s banh mi reign supreme, it was getting to the point where I felt my Philly Vietnamese food street cred was in jeopardy, and I had to try for mi-self.

I had ordered the pork and tofu banh mi and sat down to wait when a little mix up happened. I opened my sandwich, (because good food writers inspect their food?) and noticed the tofu was missing. A pregnant woman at another table got my order. She was a regular who always ordered the pork banh mi, but after trying the sandwich meant for me, she told me she found her new favorite. I had no problem waiting an extra minute for my tofu to be added. It was, after all, what stood out, thin and a bit egg like, and infused with a bold lemongrass flavor; I can see why vegetarians go crazy over it. Personally, I really liked the combo of the perfumed tofu and savory pieces of pork. The bread was, of course, crunchy and soft inside, a necessary for any decent banh mi. As for the accouterments, where Ba Le‘s had more greenery, in the form of cucumbers, jalapenos, and cilantro, Q.T.’s was heavier on the carrots.

I finished the whole sandwich a washed it down with a lovely honey lemon iced tea while making a mess in the process.

Q.T. Vietnamese Sandwich, 48 N. 10th St.,  267-639-4520