604: Bonjour Banh Mi (updated)

As per your request, here I am at this newly opened Vietnamese Banh Mi Store - Bonjour Bahn Mi. I ordered their special Sub and I liked it enough to go back to grab another order of their grilled pork Banh Mi. Just look at the ratio guys! Please stop going to Banh Mi Saigon if the price is the major consideration for you guys. For an extra dollar, you get so much more filling. Mind you, meat is not cheap. If you are a meat lover then you would definitely love this place!

They are generous with their mayo, which is mixed in with a little bit of pate. I'd prefer a bit more pate in it but it's acceptable.

On the other hand, the grilled pork sub really threw me off. It reminded me of spam with a touch of honey...hmm.. this is not my type of grill meat but it might be yours. The grilled pork or chicken that I usually get are marinated with lemongrass and have a good char. On the bright note, they also added the mayo pate in this, so it made it more flavorful.

Now Obahnmi or Bonjour Banh Mi? Obahnmi has a marginally better baguette that's more buttery and the inside is slightly fluffier. Their vegetables are also more pickled, but everything else is on the milder side. Again, I'm Cantonese so I prefer things that are saucier and stronger, so I prefer Bonjour Bahn Mi in terms of the taste. I also like their meat ratio! In my opinion, I think Bonjour Bahn Mi is just a tad better than Obahnmi, but Obahnmi is still listed in my top picks!

By the way, they also have a loyalty program where for every 10 subs you purchased, you get a free Bahn Mi. So if you purchased enough Bahn Mis, your sub comes down to $6.50. For an extra 50 cents per sub, will you still be going to Saigon for a harder baguette with two thinly sliced cold cuts but with more cilantro and vegetables? Not I. Saigon is actually more expensive considering how they cheaped out on the fillings.

Update: So I came back here to try their lemon grass chicken because the staff recommended it last time. I was slightly disappointed with this because the chicken was on the chewier side and the lemongrass flavor was totally lacking. Why do restaurants cheap out on lemongrass and garlic is a mystery to me... it's so cheap... Overall, it's not a bad sub but I wouldn't say it's very authentic. I still like the generous amount of mayo they add though!

Bottom line: just go with the classic here. I wouldn't want to be adventurous with the other flavours at this store any more.

Price: $6.50 - $7

Taste:

Special (Cold Cut): 4.8/5

Lemongrass Sub: 3.6/5

Grilled pork sub: 3.5/5

Atmosphere: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐

seating: NA

Price Performance ratio: 4.9 / 5

Location: Here

Menu: Here

604: Anar (Richmond)

Anar, a family-owned Iranian restaurant, is situated in Steveston Village, where a lot of Hollywood movies were filmed. The restaurant is so cute and it was so nicely decorated. You could smell Christmas is in the air before stepping into the restaurant. When we entered the restaurant, we were served right away by the boss, who is extremely friendly and enthusiastic. He took the time to explain all their famous dishes.

With our big eyes and small stomachs, we ordered the lamb shank and Loghmeh Kabob (a mixture of beef and lamb kabob). Perhaps I had a pretty high expectation from the reviews online, I was a little disappointed with these items. From experience, I was never disappointed with any lamb dishes from any Mediterranean restaurants I've been to. Lamb seems to be their signature dish. Though the lamb shank was very saucy, it still tasted bland and dry. The kabob was a lot better but could improve with some more seasoning.

We immediately lowered our expectations after the main, but nevertheless, we still wanted to give their dessert a try. We ordered the Baklava with little expectations, and Anar gave us a surprise again! This was THE best Baklava I've ever had. The texture was multilayered with a flaky top with a filling that is syrupy and moist. The fragrant was soaked with richly flavored butter, nut, cinnamon, honey, and spices. It was heavenly!

I really appreciated their Baklava because I know how difficult it is to keep it crispy, and Anar's Baklava was ultra crunchy (play the video above with the sound on).

Honey syrup is poured over the Baklava after it's baked, so in theory, it's really hard for it to stay crispy when it's soaked and cooled. They also added rose water to it so it has a very unique aroma to it! This is on the sweeter side but it's how it should be. I'd definitely come back for their Bakalava and may even give their other desserts a try. The Bastani (their Persian ice cream) is currently on my radar.

Apparently, the dessert is made by the sister, which explains why there's a huge gap in the quality of the two courses.

Loghmeh Kabob:

Price: $17.99

Taste: 3.8 / 5

Price Performance ratio: 3.9 / 5

Lambshank:

Price: $23.99

Taste: 2 / 5

Price Performance ratio: 3 / 5

Baklava:

Price: $6.99 for 3 pieces

Taste: 4.8/ 5

Price Performance ratio: 5 / 5

atmosphere: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

seating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Location: Here

Menu: Here

604: The American

I saw their post two days ago, and here I am at @downlowburgers, which is just steps away from Torafuku! I went in at 3 pm and as soon as I stepped in, I asked the server if they still have the special donut burger. The server beamed and said, ”yes, and only on Mondays!" I refrained from shouting back in excitement, "Yeah, I did my research and here I am!!!" Instead, I smiled back and responded nonchalantly, "Oh yay. That's awesome!"

As soon as I saw down and without even scanning the online menu, I ordered my fried chicken burger with the Lee's Donuts. Man, I can only say that they did not disappoint!!! I already mentioned from my previous post that the donuts from the Lee's (possibly my distant relatives ??) are the best in town. But the actual star here is the fried chicken! The outside was super crispy and the inside was so tender and juicy that the juice was seeping through the wrapper. The batter was fried perfectly but I didn't think it was too greasy or filling. They also chose chicken thigh over breast, which really tells you they really thought it through and picked the best ingredients (oh hello to the best donuts WITH chicken thigh).

I think the last time I ordered a burger was two years ago because I just don't like ordering burgers from restaurants. Beef patties tend to be quite too meaty or dry, and fried chicken burgers are generally sandwiched with chicken breasts and they turn out dry... This exceeded way above my expectation. In fact, the thigh was fried so well that the attention was focused mostly on the chicken and the donut became somewhat unnoticeable. It's still great though but I think I would prefer eating them separately to fully enjoy everything to the fullest. I chose mildly spicy and so the combination gave a lot of flavors - the sweetness with the savory and then a kick from the heat. They were also very generous with the pickles, but too bad I'm not a fan of pickles :(. I did give it a try since it would add another layer of flavor to it but yeah I don't like pickled things.

Then I found out from a friend later on that this restaurant is known for its fried chicken burger and usually has lineups. With covid and my late afternoon arrival, I was lucky to be seated right away :)

The setting was also very interesting. It had an arcade, pool table, and a bar area. Not sure what it was but the vibe made me felt like I was in the states. Then later on I found out that their store name was changed from Downlow Burgers to the Americans (so many realizations after this meal).

In summary, this restaurant has won many thumbs up from a very challenging and fussy customer who generally hates burgers. I'd come back for their burger without the donuts. The donut was just kind of hiding in the background, so I didn't think it added that much extra satisfaction in this meal. I think I'd prefer a separate trip to the Lee's for dessert.

NOTE: Donut burger is only available on Mondays

Price: $13 without a side

($2 extra for a choice of: fried onion rings/ fries/ house salad/ caesar salad)

Taste: 4.7 / 5

atmosphere: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

seating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Price Performance ratio: 4.7 / 5

Location: Vancouver

Burger Menu: Here

Drink Menu: Here