CNN Travel has spared no expense in praising Hoi An’s banh mi as “the best in Vietnam”.
CNN’s travel column describes where they go to find the best banh mi in Vietnam: “Walking along the alley of Hoi An ancient town, we were excited by the noise and bustle of the traffic. Street vendors push carts that appear to be overloaded with porcelain vases and bowls. A cyclo slows down to offer a ride…”
Vietnamese bread appeared exclusively on CNN Travel’s article.Image: CNN Travel
“We have only one goal in mind in our mission: To find the best banh mi in Hoi An – and maybe even the world.”
The sandwich was introduced to Vietnam by the French at the end of the 19th century. After that, the Vietnamese created countless different fillings, such as pork pate, char siu, cold meat, and mayonnaise sauce. , herbs and spicy chili sauce.
Huynh Huu Phuoc – a Hoi An resident and founder of the cooking classes and Eat Hoi An street food tour – was introduced as a companion to CNN Travel. Here are the banh mi shops in Hoi An that CNN Travel praised as “the best in Vietnam”:
1. Fried Bread
The bread here was created by Mr. Do Van Phi – former professional chef of Nam Hai restaurant (now a 5-star resort Four Seasons The Nam Hai). What makes this bread special is the roast pork part.
Do Van Phi’s bread.Image: CNN Travel
The most delicious part of the pig is the belly, but each pig has a different taste and smell. Mr. Phi always takes the meat of the free-ranged pig to make the filling. This is the secret of Phi Banh Mi.
2. Madam Khanh Bread – The Banh Mi Queen
As the most famous banh mi shop in Hoi An, Madam Khanh was known as the queen of bread, opened in 1975 by Mrs. Nguyen Thi Loc. After nearly half her life – 45 years of baking, Madam Khanh was passed on to her family. children.
Madam Khanh cake filling.Image: CNN Travel
Madam Khanh’s bread is very beautiful with fresh herbs and homemade mayonnaise. Ms. Loc also used to make pate from pig liver, spices with crushed purple onion, lemongrass, pepper, salt, and a little MSG. However, since the 2nd generation took over, Mr. Phuoc assessed that the taste of Madam Khanh bread has become more modern and in a way, it is more suitable for foreigners.
Madam Khanh cake filling.Image: CNN Travel
3. Saigon bakery in Hoi An
Located in the west of Hoi An, Saigon Bakery in Hoi An is a nostalgic stop for Mr. Phuoc: “When I was a kid, I used to come here every morning early in the morning to eat her bread.” Born in Ho Chi Minh City, the owner of Saigon Bread in Hoi An – named Ta Thi Nghia, moved to Hoi An 20 years ago in search of a life-changing opportunity.
Cake of Saigon Bakery.Image: CNN Travel
From the roadside bread shop, gradually gaining the love of the Hoi An people, she expanded to a second location operated by her daughter. The bread here has a traditional southern taste, using fatty bacon instead of char siu, for a lot of green chili. Mayonnaise is made from eggs, cooking oil and yogurt to create a mild sour taste.
The pate is cooked very slowly.Image: CNN Travel
The owner cooks pork liver pate in a wood-fired oven for a long time, slowly and very tasty. This is the proper way to cook pate – really slow over an open flame. After finishing, they also grilled, and burned again to make the flavor much stronger.
4. Banh Mi Phuong
According to the disclosure, Phuong’s bread sells about 3,000 – 4,000 pieces of bread per day.
7 years ago, a guy with a camera stopped by, ordered bread and said: ‘This is the best bread in the world’. That is Anthony Bourdain – a famous chef, author, travel documentary filmmaker around the world. After that, Phuong bread became extremely famous.
Bread of Phuong bread.Image:CNN Travel
The meat of Phuong bread.Image: CNN Travel
This bread brand “opened” about 55 years ago by the parents of Truong Thi Phuong (aka Madam Phuong). They ran it for about 25 years, before passing it on to their eldest daughter. “The most important thing about bread is that the bread is fresh – crispy on the outside, soft on the inside.”
Phuong bread.Image: CNN Travel
Not only that, Phuong cake is extremely know how it hit people’s minds with a variety of fillings from vegetarian to bacon or beef. Few people know that the golden hand behind all these formulas is Ms. Phuong’s husband. He is the soul of the memorable flavor named Phuong bread.
5. Good Bread
“This flavor is the most authentic in Hoi An,” said Mr. Phuoc. “They use bread like Madam Phuong’s bread with homemade pate, then bake it in the traditional way with lemongrass and chives sauce.”
Banh mi Lanh starts with a trolley.Image: CNN Travel
The bread is not too sweet, nor too salty, the taste is light and smooth. The first piece of bread may not taste good yet. But by the second piece, you start to feel all the flavors of the cake and bread mix, in just one piece.
Good Bread.Image: CNN Travel