Vietnam Express - I like Big Bun and I Cannot Lie
A couple months ago, the tiny space on 20th between Chestnut and Sansom that used to be a Thai spot opened back up as Vietnam Express. A and I usually go down to the plaza on 12th and Washington when we want Vietnamese, but this past weekend we didn’t feel like making the trek down to get our fix so we ended up at Vietnam Express instead. The restaurant is as much of a hole in the wall as it gets in Center City — the counter is set in front of the completely open kitchen so if you order your food instead of calling it in you can watch every step as they make it, and the seating consists of 4 stools across the small bar at the front window. The menu offers all the classic Vietnamese options, spring/summer rolls, banh mi, pho, and bun, as well as a variety of bubble tea flavors and smoothies.
A got the traditional cold cut banh mi and a bubble tea. The bubble tea was solid - it was more room temperature than cold, but the flavor the tea was strong and the bubbles were a great texture and had been boiled or soaked in syrup, a small touch I always enjoy. Looking at the photo, it seems like this might come with less bubbles than the average bubble tea, however I usually ask for "less boba" anyway, so I had no issue with this.
The banh mi was also really good. The bread was perfect for the sandwich -- though people may think bread is not the focal point of a banh mi, bad bread can really make or break the experience. This bread was so good; the interior of the bread was soft but held up structurally the entire time, and the crust had some crunch but broke immediately with medium pressure with absolutely no top of the mouth scrapping from overly hard crust. The pickled vegetables were plentiful and good, and the cold cuts themselves were tasty too. Overall a really solid banh mi. At $5.50, also a great deal, especially in the neighborhood this place is located in.
I got the House Special Bun ($11.50), which comes with 1 spring roll, 3 grilled shrimp, and grilled pork. First off, this bowl was massive. The protein serving is extremely generous and the ratio of meat : noodles : cabbage : pickled veggies is pretty much spot on. It comes with one small cup of fish sauce, but a couple minutes into my meal, the very friendly cook and presumed owner of the place called out for me to take another one, which I immediately dumped into the mix. I would say that the second fish sauce was pretty key, so if you’re getting take out, make sure to ask for extra. The spring roll was amazing, more ground meat in it than others that I’ve tried, and it was a fried to a perfect crunchy crisp on the outside. The grilled meat and shrimp were also spot on flavor wise. All in all, a definite winner and I will definitely be back just to get this. For those with a more moderate appetite, this could definitely be two meals worth of food. But I was pretty hungry and with the help of A’s endless stomach, we polished the entire thing off. To be honest, it was so good that if A hadn’t been there I probably would’ve eaten the whole thing but I would have hated myself afterwards and been uncomfortably full for at least a few hours, so I'm glad I had a pinch hitter towards the end.
I had been sort of avoiding this place because of my attachment to little Vietnam on Washington St, but this tiny take out place really exceeded my expectations. I loved the homey family business feeling I got from the place that can often be missing in center city places. I still need to try the pho before I can give a whole hearted endorsement of the entire menu, but regardless of the quality of the pho, I will be back for everything else.
TL;DR - Solid Vietnamese at solid prices in the middle of Center City. Great addition to the neighborhood and will be back when the craving hits.
