The owners of Banh Mi Houston strive to make the namesake sandwich as recognizable an emblem of Vietnamese food as the taco is in Mexican cuisine.
“You say ‘taco’ and everyone knows what it is, but no one knows banh mi,” owner Todd Lam said.
Lam and co-owner Julie Bach’s love of food and interest in starting a business together prompted the opening of Banh Mi Houston in December. They were business partners at a Houston-area insurance agency before they decided to share their idea of a perfect sandwich with the Houston area.
The cuisine of Vietnam—a former French colony—is heavily influenced by French cooking, hence the presence of the baguette in the banh mi sandwich.
The words “banh mi” essentially mean bread, dough or a cake made out of wheat, Lam said.
With bread such an important component in the sandwich, the restaurant owners focused on perfecting it. Lam said they aimed for a crust that provides a crunchy texture without becoming hard or crumbly.
“We spent six months trying to get the bread right,” Lam said. “We threw away a lot in the process.”
Bach said she loves the bread recipe they developed and would like to add po’boy sandwiches to the menu because of its use of the bread.
In addition to a breakfast menu with combinations of egg, cheese and meat prepared banh mi-style, the restaurant offers six meat-based sandwiches, including meatball, lemongrass chicken and basil beef. The restaurant also serves tofu banh mi and vermicelli bowls.
The vermicelli dishes feature grilled meat on a bed of rice noodles with herbs and vegetables, including pickled carrots, topped with traditional Vietnamese fish sauce.
Todd Lam makes fresh bread by hand every day for the restaurant’s signature sandwiches.[/caption]The coffee at the restaurant is freshly ground and prepared Vietnamese-style, which means a dark roast with condensed milk added.
Tapioca beverages, smoothies and blended coffee beverages round out the drink menu.
Future offerings could include pho—the traditional Vietnamese beef
Todd Lam makes fresh bread by hand every day for the restaurant’s signature sandwiches.[/caption]soup in a broth. Additionally, the restaurant could offer more vermicelli dishes, Lam said.
The restaurant is a departure from their experiences working in insurance, but both restaurant owners have a varied background that includes cooking. While in college, Lam worked in restaurants, and Bach has enjoyed cooking for her family.
“If it’s successful, I would love to have this more than any other career,” Bach said.
