Banh mi, or Vietnamese sandwiches on good crusty French bread and accesorized with a whole galaxy of contrasting flavors and textures, are the great value of downtown Oakland lunches.
Here we have Cam Huong's BBQ bacon banh mi, or banh mi ba chi. First, the bread- the outer crust is almost shatteringly crisp, quickly giving way to a soft, pillowy interior, moistened by a mayo-like condiment that doesn't taste like mayo down near the bottom of the roll.
Next, the meat- several strips of pleasantly chewy, meaty bacon, not smoky at all, bright pink/red on outer edge (I think that's why it gets labeled BBQ, I'm not sure how they cooked it but it results in soft and chewy rather than crispy bacon) with swathes of creamy white.
Finally, a glorious collision of freshness- the BBQ bacon is nestled beneath lightly-pickled strips of daikon & carrot, followed by cucumber sliced lengthwise, jalapenos sliced both lengthwise and crosswise into rounds, and cilantro sprigs.
When you eat a banh mi, layers of contrasting textures and flavors- crispy, soft, tangy, bright, salty, sweet, spicy, citrusy, meaty- party in your mouth.
At $2.50 for a legitimate, meal-sized sandwich which IMHO needs no adjuncts to form a satisfying lunch (note how it spans the diameter of a standard paper plate), banh mi such as Cam Huong's are one of the great bargains in town. And if you need something more, throw in a mere $3 for the goi cuon (fresh shrimp rolls) that kick the ass of the Le Cheval pretenders at a fraction of the price.
Try to go a little before noon, it can get hectic in this narrow storefront.
Cam Huong
920 Webster
Never mind the phone number, the sandwich is done in a minute or two.
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