Kim Chau Deli and Kingsway Deli, Vancouver

Anyone who reads this blog with minor frequency will now how much I, J.D. Salami, loves the Vietnamese sandwich. Vancouver is staggering with possibilities, and that doesn't even include the area soon to be known as "Little Saigon." I have heard mixed feelings about renaming the stretch of Kingsway as such, from various sides of the argument, but I personally dislike the idea, especially in Vancouver where Asians are the population majority but still seen as a minority invasion.

Anyhow, I found myself wandering around Kingsway today, and picked up a few offerings to compare and contrast.

On the left is Kim Chau's assorted deli meats. A short wait accompanied the sandwich as it went through the toaster (albeit, the entire sandwich went through rather than before the contents were put in). Coming in at $3 and the lengthiest offering yet to be found in this town.

On the right is Kingsway Deli's assorted coming in at just over $3. Shorter and stout, it was assembled awful fast, but the bread is a soft chewy texture.

There are no losers in this game, but a better comparison strategy is to compare the contents, which will reveal Kingsway Deli (on the right) offers twice as much per bite. However, I am a sucker for the crusty bread Kim Chau's offers.

Someone was telling me about a website of a someone in Scandinavia who ate a Vietnamese sandwich everyday for lunch and scanned it. I want to see this site. Please leave the address as a reply if you know what I'm talking about. (It's not Scanwiches, though there have been some gorgeous specimens on there.)

Comments

Monty’s Bakehouse wrap, Air Canada

I’d rate this wrap as strange. Its packaging created expectations of a more appetizing experience, which it was not. After a vastly superior egg salad sandwich from London Heathrow, I could not greet this airplane freebie with serious interest, but at least it was hot, and at least I could review it for this blog. Steaming contents were oozy and largely undistinguishable, but suggested some kind of red pepper or sundried tomato origins.

Specialty Sandwich, Amtrak train dining car

Advertised as the "Specialty Sandwich" on board the Oakland to Los Angeles Amtrak train, this $9.75 grilled cheese seems a safe vegetarian bet, just as a bagel and cream cheese does when faced with weird processed meat choices aboard the VIA Rail in Canada. The specialty allegedly features gruyere and smoked cheddar, however each cheese was tasteless, plastic, and greasy, cooling to reveal six slices of highly processed cheese product. The crisp, somewhat grainy bread absorbed cheese sweat from inside, completely obliterating any relief that the mustard or tomato could have provided, and was thoroughly saturated in a meaty residue from the grill on the outside. This sandwich leaves the kind of mouthfeel that a glass of water cannot wash away. Note: pack toothbrush in carry-on.

Kim Anh Subs, Calgary

It's no secret I'm a fan of the Vietnamese sub. Hell, they've prevented my vegetarianism . But I do enjoy the vegetarian option now and again, especially when it's warm marinated soft tofu rather than the shredded fake meat variety. In Calgary one weekend, a friend and I found ourselves stranded in the city due to a snow storm, so lounging around 17th Avenue, cold, tired, hungry, and near broke, we popped our heads into Kim Anh Subs where he had ventured once before. Offering a whole wheat sub bun option, Kim Anh's subs were a bit more expensive than what I'm used to for a sub of this style ($3.50 is my price range), but it's Calgary, so what can you expect.

You Say Sandwich, We Say Yeah!

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