noodlepie

Ooh.. you are offal

Come 6pm opposite the Saigon Tower on Pasteur Street and a foxes fart away from Le Loi Street you'll find two sandwich stalls. The traffic lights make this stretch of road prime scoff real estate, but if you ask me it's a precarious way to earn a living. Let's face it - a business plan that is heavily reliant on Saigonese folk stopping at a red light is fundamentally flawed. These sellers have a slim window of opportunity in which to tempt buyers. Their display of cooked innards, entrails, intestines and parts is mouthwatering and tonight I just can't resist snagging a takeaway.

This seller is further south on Pasteur than her blue pyjama clad rival a sneeze or two up the road. I'm not sure if they're in competition, if they're family or if they have signed a sandwich trade pact. This merchant is half Chinese, half Vietnamese. They're both pig parts specialists, so don't expect to find a big girl's banh my pate here. My knowledge of veterinary science is limited, but this seller explains that absolutely everything on her tray comes from the inside of a pig. What no bacon?

You choose what you want, although I'll admit I don't actually know what it is I'm choosing, and she slaps the lot inside a sauce smeared banh my. She has a range of sauces, I choose the brown number which I think is a hoisin based thing with nuoc cham leanings, but I'm not sure. I skip the chilli.

She adds the regulation Vietnamese sarnie crinkle-cut pickled carrots and radish garnish and a hacked up cucumber for my vitamin and iron packed thriller. It's 10,000VD. I'll be honest and say it tastes about as good as it sounds. It's not really my bag anyway. All a bit too 'visual'. It wasn't awful offal, but I'm not sure I'll be back for a second bite. However, if perchance I do get those pig's innard pangs I know exactly where to come. Very pleasant service.

Meatwich

Strolling central downtown I find this guy tossin' his meat over a hot coal grill on Cao Ba Quat street in District 1. He tells me he's been flogging from here for the last ten years, but I've never noticed him before. I'll confess I was fully intent on hitting the KFC opposite for my monthly junk hit when I spot him. However, I've never seen this particular street combo sandwich before and decide to ditch my deep-fried date and get my grub from the gutter. He tells me he sells Banh my thit heo nuong (Grilled pork sarnie). Sounds good, I'll have one please. Apologies for crap snaps, my digital is bollocks in the dark, or I am.

The vendor hacks up a kebab and stuffs it inside a banh my (baguette). The condiment shelf is limited to a choice of chili and soy sauce. I elect for the soy and in go a few pickled carrots and raddish with that 70's crinkle-cut effect. The minced pork kebab is quite sweet. Probably the same marinated as a bun thit nuong. This seller's 'expert consultant' pictured on the right (An 'expert consultant' never fails to appear from nowhere whenever a tay hangs around a streetstall for more than ten seconds, trust me) Anyway, tonight's consultant helpfully informs me that this guy's sandwiches are ngon (yum).

Clearly he's not an expert for nothing. It is ngon, not very ngon, but ngon enough for me thank you very much and for 5,000VD I'm not expecting sarnie nirvana anyhow. It's also an interesting addition to my growing street sandwich portfolio. Personally, I think this could do with a trip to the salad bar to spruce it up. Maybe some shredded cabbage, tomatoes or sommit. Make it look pretty.

Not a Hotdog

When is a hotdog not a hotdog? When it's a croque monsieur shaped sweet coconut cake filled with cream cheese and shoved in a Breville toasted sandwich maker at 130 Cach Mang Thang Tam Street in District 3. Hotdog my arse. This couple have been serving their bizarre after dark snack from this mobile stall for the last three years. There are five fillings to choose from, Hotdog banh pho mai is cheese. Laughing Cow have had a monopoly of cream cheese in Vietnam since the year dot and it sounded like the safest bet to me.

'Hotdogs' go for for 2000VD a throw. If the idea of sugary, coconut cake stuffed with cream cheese gets you off, be my guest. You're welcome to it. It's odd, but crap odd.