When the craving for bahn mi hits, it must be satisfied! We saw that Ba Le was advertising "limited availability" for vegetarian bahn mi, so we knew we had to get ourselves there and soon!
We decided to make our way to the Broadway and Fraser Street location as it is an easy transit voyage for us (one skytrain and one bus) and it seems that not every location has all the menu items. This location may be the only one with vermicelli bowls.
We started with the Vermicelli Bowl with Tofu and Spring Rolls. As usual, there is confusion as to what vegan and vegetarian mean but we were assured that this was prepared plant-based even with vegan fish sauce. The generous serving of tofu was hot and crispy and hit the spot. The bowl was full of veggies and lots of noodles. Topped with a fish sauce and vinegar dip, this was a hit with us.
We also ordered 2 sandwiches but ended up with at least a half left over and to go. My advice is to eat these sandwiches as soon as they are prepared as the baguettes soften if they are riding around with you. And the baguette is definitely one of the highlights of a bahn mi! These were definitely of choice quality, being crispy on the outside and pillowy soft on the inside. The spicy chicken actually packed a bit of a spicy kick (not enough to be leery of) and the crispy veggies made this a fresh yet substantial sandwich.
The Vegan Steak Bahn Mi was more of the same. The faux meat was even fairly beefy. There was also a vegan Bologna available in a sandwich but I was never a Bologna fan even as a carnivore.
There are a few tables and some window seating but a lot of people phone in for take-out. The staff were friendly and helped us make sure our order ended up being plant-based. It is worth verifying that as again...seems to be some confusion and the online menu refers to these sandwiches as "vegetarian".
Food 4 out of 5
Vegan Options 3 out of 5
Comfort 3 1/2 out of 5
Service 3 1/2 out of 5
Value 4 out of 5
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