Le’s Banh Mi

Got to learn about the new Le’s Banh Mi when we chanced upon its social media account whilst scrolling around the phone the other day. Le’s Banh Mi is a new Vietnamese eatery which had opened its doors at Citylink Mall pretty recently — they have taken over the former premises of the now-defunct Donburi-Ya within the pedestrian mall; this also makes them pretty near the vicinity of Yugoslavia Bakery & Cafe, Paik’s Bibim and Starbucks Coffee within the mall. Turns out, Le’s Banh Mi is an establishment by the same folks behind VS Cafe; a Vietnamese eatery which has outlets within Whitehaven at Pasir Panjang Road as well as at level two of Northshore Plaza 2 at Punggol. Unlike VS Cafe however, Le’s Banh Mi is a concept that strays away from what VS Cafe has to offer — whilst VS Cafe serves up a rather large variety of Vietnamese fare, Le’s Banh Mi seems to have placed a lot of emphasis on Banh Mi; such establishments also having become seemingly common in neighbourhoods all around the island. Le’s Banh Mi is decked rather simply — most of its furniture and fittings have been adopted from the previous tenants with only the wallpapers replaced reflect its current tenant and its offerings. Offering a variety of Banh Mi on their menu, Le’s Banh Mi’s menu also features a section dedicated to Salad with Wholegrain Noodle and Viet Salad (including summer rolls). Beverages available at Le’s Banh Mi includes hot tea and Vietnamese drip coffee, as well as iced Vietnamese coffee, tea and canned drinks for those looking for something chilled.

We had been making the Banh Mi Dac Biet (i.e. House Special Banh Mi) or the traditional / classic Banh Mi the go-to order for any new Banh Mi spot that we make our visit to of the late; this is how we found ourselves going for the Classic Saigon at Le’s Banh Mi — a Banh Mi that is described to come with elements such as that of ham and char siew pork based on what is being listed in the menu. Apart from the elements described in the menu, the Classic Saigon also comes with what one would typically find it a Banh Mi as well — think ingredients such as that of pate, cilantro, carrot and cucumber strips, as well as that of sriracha sandwiched in between the baguette. Having tried multiple establishments serving up Banh Mi across the island at this juncture, we found that the Classic Saigon from Le’s Banh Mi was a little lacking to what other establishments seem to be offering of the late. Sinking our teeth into the baguette, we found that the baguette lacks crispness as one bites into it; the baguette here does come toasted upon being served to the patrons, though felt a little bit more limp and while it does carry some tension as one chews it apart, it just wasn’t much to our preferences. While we found the ham and char siew included just fine, the char siew did carry a rather light but distinct porky note; not too disturbing for us though we would think some folks might pick it up, while the pate also seemed to have lacked a bit of moisture as compared to the same from other establishments. The Classic Saigon does make use of other elements to ensure that the Banh Mi does not seem particularly dry — such would be inclusion of sriracha that also provides a umami and lightly spicy kick that would do well with those tolerable to low levels of spiciness. Of course, a Banh Mi would not be compete if it is missing of the vegetables; the strips of cucumber and carrot doesn’t come pickled here — these were fresh, juicy and crunchy, while the coriander was also fresh and carried its distinctive flavour which all helped to cut through the carbs and meats in the baguette sandwich.

Having only tried the Saigon Classic Banh Mi at Le’s Banh Mi, it might perhaps not be an accurate representation of the overall experience that Le’s Banh Mi is trying to deliver. That being said, with a menu so Banh Mi-centric, we did feel that the Saigon Classic Banh Mi leaves much to be desired. Truth to be told, the local F&B scene has seen quite an influx of places serving up Vietnamese Banh Mi in recent years; Banh Mi has since become an item that is relatively easy to find in recent types. There are the likes of Banh Mi Saigon and Miss Saigon that serves up some seriously authentic Banh Mi using heritage recipes, while other contenders like Hi Banh Mi and Ba Mi Express serve up rather standard but quality Banh Mi. The Saigon Classic Banh Mi is an offering that would probably do reasonably well in an era that Vietnamese cuisine was still a difficult item to find around the island. With the increased competition around the local F&B scene for Vietnamese fare in recent times, we do feel that the execution of the Banh Mi could be better to leave a stronger impression with patrons overall. We also did enjoy the Viet Dripping Milk Coffee that is being served up here; it comes with sufficient caffeinated kick, carrying a chocolatey undertone as one mixes the condensed milk into the coffee. Prices of the Banh Mi ranges between $7 to $10 here — the priciest Banh Mi being the Salty Egg Yolk Mince Pork Balls Banh Mi, and the Lemongrass Beef Banh Mi; the former does sound a little interesting. That being said, we do hope that the folks behind Le’s Banh Mi could look into how improve their offerings a little further — something that would perhaps put them slightly more on par with other establishments serving up the same around the island.