NOGATA: Nogata Bánh Mì Sweet Home Salad... Newly Opened and Bánh mì was rather good! (Sony RX100)

On my evening walk and saw a very rare sandwich in Japan... I absolutely love Vietnamese Bánh mì sandwiches!  When vacationing in Hawaii I always goto Ba-Le sandwich shops to get my fix. 

So many vegetable selections... 

Everything looked so fresh!

This place had about 5 staff members... they must be doing very well during Covid19

Pork or Chicken pate Bahnmi... Half Bahn Mi and soup combo`s available.  The friendly cashier mentioned this shop opened 4 months ago and started serving sandwiches about 2 months ago.

Point card system...

REMEMBER! In certain prefectures Paypay is offering 20-30% point back!  My bill with tax was 734 yen and will get refunded 220 yen! Not too shabby!

This definitely had potential! French bread was crispy, the pate flavorful and the pickled carrots had a nice sweetness to them.  If only they added more veggies... it was rather on the light volume side.

Restaurant: Sweet Home Salad

Tabelog FOodie: https://tabelog.com/tokyo/A1321/A132104/13262967/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sweethomesalad/

Address J: 東京都中野区野方6-4-1 同洋ビル 1F

Address E: Tokyo, Nakano-ku, Nogata 6-4-1

MAP: https://goo.gl/maps/azUincJzTe5DPjGh9

スイート ホーム サラダ, サンドイッチ, デリカテッセン, 野方バインミー, 野方駅, delicatessen, Japan, Japanese, Tokyo, tokyobelly, foodie, sony x100, vegetarian, yelp, veggies, take out, healthy, lunch, dinner, take away, ɓǎjŋ̟ mî, 

IKEBUKURO: Back to Pho-Viet for a massive daily lunch... soo stuffed!

And so I return to Pho-Viet for their 100off after 1pm Lunch... as usual friendly and quick quick service!

They even play soccer games just like a pub... Japan vs Australia tonight.

I went with the "Higawari" (Daily Special)

And you can select a free drink of your choice or dessert... I went with a Mango drink but next time for sure I'd like to check out their Vietnamese dessert.  Another great option I had last time is a small bowl of the daily special and a small portion of Pho

http://tokyobelly.blogspot.jp/2013/04/ikebukuro-pho-viet-650yen-lunch-and.html

And there it was... the camera angle makes it appear a bit small but the portions were extremely generous for only 650yen!   Super fresh salad, a nice clear broth soup, huge bowl of rice and...

The main item... don't let this angle fool you... there were easily 8-9 pieces of huge tender chunks of stewed pork with juicy daikon.  I almost had to leave a few pieces of pork... just sooooo much.  But flavor was very tasty and very happy with it.

Least impressive was the Mango juice, perhaps bought from Costco... but I do enjoy Mango Lassi from Indian restaurants.  If you are in Ikebukuro or walking near Saint Paul's University (Rikkyo University) then have a go... full crowd from my 1:40pm entrance to my 2:10pm departure.

http://tokyobelly.blogspot.jp/2013/04/ikebukuro-pho-viet-650yen-lunch-and.html

REVISITED 6/5/2013... Daily special was Chicken Curry Rice

Went with "D-Set" that included a small Pho with shabushabu beef and large portion of the daily special chicken curry.  Curry tasted a bit more Japanese with a very very slight hint of Thai.

But this day I decided to go for the free lunch dessert thats normally 250-350yen if ordered separately instead of the free drink...  Chilled, little rice bits, mango... it was sooooo good.  

http://tokyobelly.blogspot.jp/2013/04/ikebukuro-pho-viet-650yen-lunch-and.html

IKEBUKURO: Pho-Viet 650yen Lunch and College Girls Girls Girls!

Off to Ikebukuro to test out a solidly ranked Vietnamese Spot located just 1-2 minutes from Rikkyo University (aka St. Pauls).  If you arrive after 1pm all the lunch sets are 100yen Off!  Cheehoo!

Looks like a few girls coming down in the elevator...

Arrived about 1:15 and line was only 3 deep... guess there must have been a 1pm rush for the 100 off deal.  Seems 2 workers here also served former President Clinton in Vietnam. Cool.

Learn a little Vietnamese while you wait.

Several nice selections.  Torn between the Pho and Fried Spring Roll set and the Pho with the Daily Special "D Set."

How to Vietnamese Coffee

Seems they sell some Viet items.

There it is!  Volume wise it was very conservative

The daily special was the seasoned chicken!  Almost like Filipino Chicken Adobo... very tender and flavorful

Went for the waitress recommended Beef Pho.  Very tasty broth and it hit the spot.  Hmm... How can I fault this 650yen set.

A little red seasoning.  Not spicy and it almost tasted like red shredded squid... was great with the chicken.  Plus my lunch Mango Juice!  The Indian restaurants definitely do this better... shoulda went for the Tapioca Iced Coffee.

The crowd here mainly consisted of young college girls chatting away... and the center of conversation was all boys.  I never realized how sweet Japanese girls can get so super loud and wild when in groups.  Anyways here's a video of all the girls deep in conversation next to me.

Lots of interesting businesses in this building.  All Hostess Bars?

And if you time it just right there is a great park across the street filled with Cherry Blossom Flowers.  Anyways for 650yen and a very lively atmosphere I'll definitely be back to check out some other lunch menu items after 1pm!

Shop: Pho Viet Vietnamese Restaurant

Shop Website: http://www.ikesen.net/food/ethnic_phoviet/index.html

Foodie Website: http://tabelog.com/tokyo/A1305/A130501/13002878/

Address J: 東京都豊島区西池袋3-31-15 ロイヤルプラザ 4F

Address E: Tokyo, Toshima-ku, Nishi Ikebukuro 3-31-15, Royal Plaza 4F

MAP:

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SHIMOKITAZAWA: (CLOSED 12/2011) Vi-Sand Bánh-Mi vietnamese sandwiches... lacked the addictive pâté.

Its so hard to find Vietnamese Bánh-Mi sandwiches in Tokyo but a random search on my favorite foodie blog came up with Vi-Sand in Shimokitazawa. 

Interior was very comfy and the artwork on the walls soothing. 

I picked up the 650yen drink,  beef sandwich and appetizer lunch set.  The beef was pretty much identical to what you can find at a beef bowl shop like Yoshinoya... nothing really special.  Bread was on the soft side rather than that crispy outside like a baguette.  Owner mentioned that they toast the bread for lunch and use the oven for dinner to get it crispy on the outside.

Lots of tasty coriander.

Volume will just hit the spot... you won't get stuffed.  There is pate in here but honestly I couldn't taste it... perhaps the special hot sauce or flavor of the beef was too overwhelming... or more could have been added.

Friend ordered the 2nd most popular selection, Chicken Bánh-Mi.

This tasted much better because it didn't remind me of eating at Yoshinoya... but the volume lacked and the chicken was ground up... not regular sliced chicken. 

Tiny noodle appetizer with lunch.

Lots of beautiful paintings on the walls.

The shop and restroom was immaculate...

Great BGM on the Bose system... think it was tuned into a French radio channel.

After having amazing Bánh-Mi at Ba-Le in Hawaii its just hard to enjoy whats offered in Japan.  The best way to describe it is having Ramen or Sushi in the US... it just isn't the same as having it in Japan.  But customer service was super friendly and owner Michael (bilingual) was a pleasure to chat with. 

Here's a photo of our Hawaii trip in 2009... Ba-Le is the place to try if you ever visit Honolulu.

Shop: Vi-Sand Shimo-Kitazawa

Shop Website: http://www.vi-sand.jp/

Foodie Website: http://r.tabelog.com/tokyo/A1318/A131802/13122615/

Address E: Tokyo, Setagaya-ku, Kitazawa 2-12-3 (Just minutes from South Exit)

Address J: 東京都世田谷区北沢2-12-3
MAP:

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