GPS said we had to pull a U-turn to get here. I hate GPS. Anyways, TH is located on the busiest street ever and if you weren't looking for it amongst the tons of other Vietnamese stores, you'd drive right by. The one thing that sets TH apart from the other storefronts is that bakery smell emanating from the kitchen. Even though we're on Kingsway and there's a tonne of cars driving by with their exhaust fumes, that smell of bakery permeates through the air outside.
House Special - $3.25
Cha lua (Vietnamese pork ham), pate, and bacon. A favorite of many patrons, this is chock full of meats but it's not overpowering as the pickled veggies and mayo just create a nice balance of savory and tart. The bread is just absolutely excellent - warm and super crispy on the outside while pillowy soft on the inside. I want to climb inside of it and live in it.
Lemongrass Chicken - $3.50
Tender pieces of chicken marinated in lemongrass - there's a nice strong lemongrass flavor again balanced with the pickled veggies really well but I wish the chicken had been grilled to give it that extra charred flavor and another texture. That bread again is just so good!
Shredded Garlic Chicken - $3.50
My favorite of the lot - you'd think it was dry and tasteless by the way it looks but looks are deceiving here. The chicken is moist, tender and all white meat with a nice subtle garlic flavor. You can't see from the pictures but there was actually quite a bit of chicken (I think I might have just cut it at the wrong place). If I could only have one sandwich from here again, I'd choose this one. Oh, the bread...
Meatball - $3.25
Mr. Piglet's favorite - tender pork meatballs broken down into an almost minced meat in a sweet tomato sauce with veggies. Savory with a hint of sweet and bit tart... Really good meatball sub that could roll with the best of the Italian meatball subs. OH, the bread....
Vegetarian - $3.00
Deep fried glass noodles with a red-coloured seasoning - the least favorite of the bunch but I still thought it was ok. I can't put my finger on the seasoning -not quite sure what it's supposed to be but I do enjoy the slight crunchiness of the noodle. If I were a vegetarian, I wouldn't be disappointed with this option. Especially with THAT BREAD!Great banh mi and I had no issues with them but Mr. Piglet doesn't like parsley too much so we ended up with a giant plate of it in the end - so beware you parsley wimps! Tung Hing doesn't stop there, they also offer a variety of baked buns which include the regular favorites like mango cake, giant pineapple bun, monster BBQ pork buns and mega egg tarts all for under a $1.00 each. They also offer some originals like deep fried banana, pork and chive and others.
Deep Fried Banana - $0.80
The banana flavor is there but this is not what I expected. The banana is a thin mash of paste located at the bottom and the rest of it is dense white bun, a bit too dense for my taste but definitely filling. Although deep fried, the outside is more chewy and greasy than crispy.
Chive and Pork Fried Bun - $0.80
Again, the flavors are there - you can taste the chives against the savory pork - but there is a lot of dense bun and the crust is again greasy. After a night of drinking, this would be awesome. Sober, I'd probably go for something else.
Custard Bun - $1.20
A favorite of my friend Ms. Turtle - this was the quintessential Chinese bun with a sweet creamy custard filling, definitely more of a dessert bun and a great way to end the banh mi meal. 
Durian Coconut Bun - $1.20
If you are a durian lover, this is the bun for you! Although there's a mix of coconut and durian, the coconut merely gives it that crunchy coconut texture. The durian is the main attraction and you can smell and definitely taste it within the soft pillowy bread. I tried to get them the second time but they were already sold out. *tear* Durian is Teddy's favorite so he's getting dozen of these for our next get together! (Oh, and each custard and durian bun is actually two buns together. SCORE!)
Pate Chaud - $1.20
The peppery homemade pate is showcased really nicely here, encased in a puffy light pastry shell. I know it looks like there isn't much filling but because the pate has a very strong flavor, less is more in this case and I think they balanced it really well. The Piglets will definitely be back for more of these! 
The Hungry Piglets have already been back twice so it's obvious we'd come here again. The bakery buns are for the most part good with the durian cream, custard and pate chaud being the standouts but come here for the baguettes and banh mi and you won't be disappointed. Banh mappetite!
Pros:
- Take out available
- Excellent baguettes and banh mi
- Efficient service
- Cheap prices
- Moderate to large portion sizes
- Free parking
Cons:
- Cash only
- Sold out quickly - not the bread but certain fillings and bun flavors
- No sitting area for eating in and it's a total dive
- Parking is free but the lot is crummy - I'd park in the lot next door for good measure
No comments:
Post a Comment