What: Beef Banh Mi
Where: Anh Thu
875 Main Street
Worcester MA 01610
How much: $2.75
Time of visit: a Wednesday about 12 Noon
Banh Mi. The motivation to get me out of the house in the midst of all this snow and frigid temperatures.
Oh yeah, a paycheck is a very strong motivation too. And the question everyday from POTN asking where I'm going for lunch helps too. I can't disappoint him. I think he lives vicariously through me. Except for food, he is seriously SOL.
(readers, cue Los Lobos - On Main Street) (clicking on link should open YouTube in a new browser tab so you can hear my selected audio track playing, but you will have to click back on this tab to return) (this finally works again)
This day's travels took me to Worcester MA to see Folk Star Pete and Rock Star Dave, my co-conspirators in the Banh Mi Battel-Worcester MA#1.
So much for my hesitance in photographing inside various food establishments. There was no printed menu, business card or website according to the very nice woman behind the counter. So, I started snapping away and she got out of the way and didn't ask any questions, nor look up. When I first got inside Anh Thu, I must say that I was a bit worried. There was the counter, a couple of coolers, two tables and some Asian groceries lining shelves on one wall. It was not exactly a bustling establishment. I ordered and could tell just by the care she took in quickly assembling the sandwiches that my fears were unfounded. This place is a Banh Mi bonanza.
Banh Mi University graduate? Oh yes! Summa Cum Laude. Note the white deli wrap and elastic as one would expect. Two elastics signified the extra hot sandwich I ordered (RSD and FSP got the not so hot). The bread was excellent. The crust was eggshell thin and flaky. The inside was light and airy with that slightly chewy texture. Loaf size was just slightly smaller than others I have had recently. It could have been straight from Chau's. The beef was modest in quantity, but very tender and super tasty. The shape of the beef pieces was long and thin, similar to Hong Coc. Cilantro was very fresh with no dark spots. The carrots were mixed with equally with daikon, generous, tasty, slightly pickled and yet still a bit crisp. The cucumber was long and a bit too thin. Scallions were not present. The soy/fish sauce was sweeter than most and made for a very nice contrast to the usual salty note. In fact, the sweet/salty taste was very pronounced throughout the whole Banh Mi and really raised it above most others that I have had. The smear of mayo was very generous, applied to both halves of the roll and moistened everything very nicely. I asked the counter person for spicy and she delivered. While not apparent in the picture, the jalapenos were present in quantity. The first bite had a little heat and continued at a decent level for the rest of the Banh Mi. The burn did not last very long. Service was very fast.
Parking on Main Street was not bad despite the snow and they have a parking lot anyway. At $2.75, an excellent value for the money. Great bread too!
I'd give it 5.5B/6.
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The best Banh Mi of Central Massachusetts.
Anh Thu shares a name with it's sister restaurant over on 439 Park Avenue in Worcester, but the sister restaurant does not serve Banh Mi. The food pictured on the menu on the wall is not always available year around according to my server. Also, there were no prices posted that were immediately visible.
