banh mi at trang bakery and cafe
I’ve been to Trang six times this year and have so far failed to blog about it. Five of those times have been at the Smith St shop and the one other time was at the new shop in the city in Hardware Street. A review is well overdue.
I love banh mi, I make them at home and I eat them out whenever I have the chance, so I’ve eaten a lot of them. I’m prepared to call these the best banh mi I’ve eaten.
At Trang there are six vegan options on the menu, ranging from lemongrass tofu and a crispy crumbed eggplant to several types of vegan mock meat – duck, chicken, ham and prawns.
There’s almost always a queue at the door, the turnover is huge and the ingredients always fresh.
So far I have tried the lemongrass tofu, the crispy eggplant, the vegan chicken and the vegan duck. I have a hard time choosing between the tofu for its flavour and the eggplant for its texture, so today I ordered one with a combination of both.
The baguettes are nicely crunchy and come packed with some eggplant and capsicum relish, salad, herbs, whatever filling you choose, some chilli, crunchy fried shallots, crushed peanuts and delicious sauces.
There are a couple of tables outside where you can sit to eat at both shops, but a banh mi is also perfect for eating on the run.
I’ll be back to try all the vegan options, but I think I’ll have a hard time getting past that eggplant and tofu combo.
Trang Bakery and Cafe
382 Smith St,
Collingwood, 3066
03 9416 3988
The city branch is sadly closed.
119 Hardware St
Melbourne, 3000
03 9670 4761
I love banh mi! Please ask them to open in Sydney. I guess there is something similar here, I just have to look for it. I make them at home too. My daughter lives in Saigon so I go to Vietnam frequently. There is a restaurant called Hum Restaurant and Cafe. I go there at least twice whilst there. They have the best vegan food and they also specialise in cocktails to die for. Love your site.
I think Banh Mi are the best example of a marriage of two cuisines, french bread with zingy vietnamese flavours. I want to go back to Vietnam, so I will keep that restaurant marked for a visit. You’re lucky to have a good reason to visit frequently. I am a bit that way with Thailand, my sister lived there for a couple of years and I’ve been about 9 times. It is nice to get to know a place.
Great Aunty 3 in surry hills and Newtown do pretty fantastic mock-meat banh mi – we’ve got photos etc here: http://herestheveg.blogspot.com/2015/03/great-aunty-three.html
Thank you Michael. Will check it out soon.