Entree Kibbles: Bánh Mì Vui @ Hanoi Old Quarter in Vietnam

You know the feeling when you are looking forward to a meal; only to find out it had closed for good when you arrive at the eatery? Well, it happened to us in Hanoi and that left us in a spot as we didn't factor in a backup plan!

It was disappointing although I felt more frustration than disappointment! A search on Google Map and a long walk later; we reached Bánh Mì Vui, which had a rating of 4.8 from over 200 reviewers!

What caught us by surprise was how small the shop was! There were limited seating behind the preparation counter; however, despite the high review score, it wasn't crowded and we secured a table with stool immediately.

Menu for your reference; banh mi was their main meals, and it was segregated into traditional and special. Given our experience with highly reviewed eateries in Hanoi, and the lack of customers, we were a bit hesitant to order one banh mi for each person.

Hence, we just went with two servings of banh mi.

In the meantime, we continued to source for alternatives.

Pate Thit Nuong Banh Mi - while featuring the crisp, the bread tasted hollow. When it comes to banh mi, I love the way the different ingredients came together and created an amazing amalgamated flavor.

This sadly didn't happen here with the majority of the taste came from the grilled meat, and I didn't even feel like there was mayonnaise or pate. Overall, incomparable to Banh Mi Saigon @ Singapore but pricing wise, this was less than S$1.50!

Bo Pho Mai Banh Mi - beef with mozarella cheese; priced slightly higher yet still below S$2.00, I wasn't expecting much from this as I guess such ingredients were commonly found in sandwiches.

Again, this didn't impress even though it was still acceptable as a banh mi to fill the stomach, if I am a local. As a tourist, my limited time in the country means I always pray every meal would be memorable. Whatever the case, we all know life isn't perfect.

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