A new sandwich shop showcasing Vietnamese food has opened in Bristol city centre. Located opposite the Bristol Beacon and underneath the Bambalan, the Bahn Wagon sandwich stop serves up takeaway bánh mì, rice bowls and coffee.
Bánh mì (pronounced BUN-mee) is the Vietnamese name for bread but also refers to a particular type of sandwich with a complicated history. Typically it will be made using a crispy French-style baguette and combine protein, such as meat, cold cuts, tofu or tempeh, with crunchy vegetables like cucumber, pickled carrot and daikon and red onion. To top it off, expect aromatic herbs and spices as well as condiments like mayonnaise, hoisin, siracha and pate.
The origins of bánh mì begin in the mid-19th century when Vietnam fell to French colonial rule. With them, they bought baguettes, which the Vietnamese would also eat in the typical European way with cold cuts, butter, cheese or pate. But once French rule ended in 1954, the Vietnamese began to fuse their own traditional cuisine with the bread adding fresh chilli, coriander and pickled vegetables.
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Open Monday to Saturday from 8am to 5.30pm, Bahn Wagon serves up its customisable sandwiches starting at £7 with meat options including ginger and garlic chicken, Vietnamese pork sausage and lemongrass beef.
Bahn Wagon began as a pandemic project, delivering street food in Portishead and selling monthly at Clevedon Market. The business is now based in Newport market and features at several markets around the south west. It also offer takeaway in Bristol via the Foodstuffs app.
Bahn Wagon is at 12 Colston Street, Bristol, BS1 4XE.
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