“You haven’t done Hoi An if you haven’t eaten here.”
So, like every other food pilgrim with a fear of missing out, I gave in. And I ordered two:
1st: The famous mixed bread pork and pâté, Anthony Bourdain’s so-called “sympathy in a sandwich.
2nd: The ostrich. Because why not eat like a confused 19th-century explorer with a bit of flair?
Now, a quick detour: This place had a bit of a scandal back in 2023. By “bit” I mean over 140 people got food poisoning linked to the restaurant, and it was forced to close and pay fines. But since it has reopened and with that fun fact in mind, I approached my baguettes with caution.
But here I am, alive and it’s been well over a few weeks, and my digestive system is still intact. So I think it’s safe to say I survived the Great Gastro Gamble.
Now let’s move onto the sandwich’s…
The Bourdain Banh Mi | 35K/ £0.99 | Rating: 7/10
I bit into the pork and pâté banh mi with high hopes, if not for culinary transcendence, then at least a joyful eye-roll and a moment of sandwich-induced bliss.
What I got instead? Fine. Respectable. A solid sandwich… but not exactly tear-inducing.
The flavours were there, the mix of meats, the pâté, the crunchy veg but nothing really sang. No punch, no standout bite to earn the title of “best banh mi I’ve ever had.”
More “meh”-lody than “symphony.”
More “mildly underwhelming in a baguette” than “sympathy in a sandwich.”
(Okay, I’ll stop.)
Honestly, I’ve had better banh mis for half the price and zero queue. This one came with a wait that felt like a strange mashup of a concert and a silent retreat.
The Ostrich Banh Mi | 35K/ £0.99 | Rating: 8/10
Now this was a moment.
Hot. Juicy. Bursting with flavour. The ostrich meat was a savoury like mild lean steak. It had character, edge, and the kind of delicious chaos you don’t expect from a sandwich.
In short, it absolutely slapped. If sandwiches had talent shows, this one would make the finals.
Final Thoughts
Come for the hype and the Bourdain name, the “I ate there too” brag.
But stay for the ostrich, it is the true hero of this story. It’s weird, it’s wonderful, and frankly, it deserves its own documentary.
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