Let me first describe to you what a Banh Mi consists of.  A Banh Mi is a Vietnamese sub sandwich that is so delicious my mouth is literally watering as I describe it to you.  They are probably easy to make, but you need access to some fresh ingredients.  Some of these are fresh picked carrots and daikon, cilantro (mmmm), pate (if you’re not vegetarian, that is), Vietnamese salami (the tan coloured cylinder), finely chopped onions, mayonnaise, chili, black pepper, soy sauce, and of course my favourite- fish sauce.  Some of these ingredients may sound puzzling together, but seriously, when they are placed together on a freshly toasted french baguette, they create this delicious synergy of taste bud tantalization.  As Financial Uproar would put it, its like “sex in your mouth” when he describes theatre popcorn (though Banh Mi sandwiches beat theatre popcorn in my books any day).
Unfortunately, the prices for her Banh Mi sandwiches have gone up because of the higher overhead (I assume) of operating a full restaurant versus her sandwich stand.  They used to e $2.25 now they are $4 a sandwich.  However, despite the increased price, they are still good, and they are better (in my opinion) than the Banh Mi sandwiches I had in Vietnam.This is a DEFINITE must eat if you ever come to Vancouver.  I’m sure that you will visit Chinatown here and if you do, you have to stop by Golden Garden.  Kim is the owner of Golden Garden restaurant- she used to operate out of this little hole in the wall grocery shop named Asia Market and had a small Vietnamese sub kiosk in the back.  Her little kiosk business used to be called Kim Saigon Sandwiches.  She recently expanded (in the last few years) and opened up a very modern looking restaurant serving delicious Vietnamese food (and you know how big a fan I am of South East Asian food- including Pho, Pnomh Penh etc).  Despite having her brother and her staff around, she makes these sandwiches freshly in front of you herself.

Kim is so popular that she has been featured on Global TV, and in the local newspapers like the Vancouver Sun.  On long weekends, she gets HUGE orders from all over lower mainland for like 200 sandwiches at a time, and they are so popular that they often sell out in the early afternoon.  They sell out because the delicious baguette that the filling rests on is delivered fresh daily.  She is very friendly and always works so hard.  She once told me that she works 7 days a week for 12 hour days.  Her dedication to her work and her business is always an inspiration.

This is a picture of the Banh Mi sandwich in its entirety, before I devoured it.  Usually just one sandwich doesn’t get you completely full, so my boyfriend often orders two sandwiches.

Golden Garden is located beside tbe CIBC bank on the corner of Main and Pender street in the heart of Chinatown.  I would caution against walking one block north though, because then you’d be in the heart of the Downtown Eastside   Quick Tip: If you take the sandwiches out to go, it will be about $0.50 cheaper than eating the sandwiches in the restaurant.  They also have other delicious Vietnamese cuisine at the restaurant, though the sandwiches are undoubtedly the most popular.

Readers, have you ever tried a Banh Mi before?