Banh mi in Braintree: Vietnamese sandwiches stuffed with all the fixings at new eatery

Alexandra Weliever, The Patriot Ledger
·4 min read
Banh Mi Hem, owned by Hung Nguyen, is a new spot for Vietnamese sandwiches in Braintree. It shares space with Nguyen's Ganh Pho restaurant.
Banh Mi Hem, owned by Hung Nguyen, is a new spot for Vietnamese sandwiches in Braintree. It shares space with Nguyen's Ganh Pho restaurant.

BRAINTREE – In Vietnamese, "banh mi" means "bread," but the Vietnamese sandwich is filled with much more than just soft wheaty goodness.

Banh Mi Hem, a sandwich shop in Braintree, was started by Hingham resident Hung Nguyen about six months ago. He also owns Ganh Pho, where his banh mi were first offered before he had the idea to sell the sandwiches under a new name.

"We've all had sandwiches before," Nguyen said, sitting in a booth at Ganh Pho. "What I want to deliver is the experience."

A cold cut banh mi sandwich.
A cold cut banh mi sandwich.

Nguyen bought Ganh Pho in March 2020 after spending years in the banking industry. People came to the restaurant for pho, he said, though over time the banh mi became popular.

Since Googling "banh mi" didn't really lead diners to Ganh Pho, Nguyen said he decided to open Banh Mi Hem as a second concept, though it shares space with Ganh Pho.

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Customers can order his sandwiches, spring rolls and other treats for delivery straight to their door or pick it up at Ganh Pho.

The menu offers several kinds of banh mi, each sandwich bursting with fillings and wrapped in an airy baguette. Banh mi derive from the French colonization of Vietnam, thus the baguette that envelopes the meat, oil and vegetables inside.

Fried spring rolls at Banh Mi Hem.
Fried spring rolls at Banh Mi Hem.

"That's why it's a staple in Vietnam for the working class," Nguyen said. "They can easily grab one from a sandwich store on the street for breakfast, lunch, dinner."

It's the preparation and kinds of fillings that differentiate banh mi from other sandwiches, he explained. Plus, the baguette roll isn't too crunchy. The bread soaks up the filling's flavorings easily, spreading the taste of marinated meat and light oils to the rest of the sandwich.

His most popular banh mi is filled with marinated grilled beef, melt-in-your-mouth pate and fistfuls of cucumber, pickled carrots, cilantro and daikon, a root. Another is stuffed with cold cuts, and a more modern banh mi is geared toward breakfast with fried eggs and avocado layers inside.

Nguyen's personal favorite is the grilled chicken banh mi, which fuels him with protein on gym days, he said.

Avocado, egg and cold cuts are the ingredients in these banh mi sandwiches.
Avocado, egg and cold cuts are the ingredients in these banh mi sandwiches.

Each sandwich costs about $11, unless you order additional toppings.

Along with a number of savory sandwiches, Banh Mi Hem also sells two kinds of rolls and several sweet drinks to go.

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The crunchy egg rolls are stuffed with pork, shrimp, taro and vermicelli noodles, and come with a light fish sauce. Lighter choices are Banh Mi Hem's spring rolls, which are filled with a choice of protein, mint, lettuce and vermicelli and wrapped in translucent rice paper and served with peanut sauce for dipping.

Shrimp spring rolls in rice paper at Banh Mi Hem.
Shrimp spring rolls in rice paper at Banh Mi Hem.

"It's not too heavy," Nguyen said of his shop's offerings, from the sandwiches to the rolls.

Ganh Pho and Banh Mi Hem are new challenges for Nguyen after years working in banking. He said he reconnected with Vietnamese food culture after being sent to the country for work in 2012 and stayed for about five years. When he came back, he started investing more into Vietnamese restaurants, he said.

In the spring of 2020, he bumped into the previous owner of Ganh Pho and learned they were interested in selling.

Banh Mi Hem, owned by Hung Nguyen, is a new spot for Vietnamese sandwiches in Braintree. It shares space with Nguyen's Ganh Pho restaurant.
Banh Mi Hem, owned by Hung Nguyen, is a new spot for Vietnamese sandwiches in Braintree. It shares space with Nguyen's Ganh Pho restaurant.

Nguyen also sells fresh sandwiches, pho, teas, coffees and smoothies at the Braintree location.

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"This is very close to what a Vietnamese roll, a banh mi in Vietnam, tastes like," he said, gesturing to sandwiches in Ganh Pho.

Nguyen said he'd like to open a separate location for Banh Mi Hem where diners can enjoy a good sandwich and a memorable experience.

If you go

What: Banh Mi Hem and Ganh Pho

Where: 904 Washington St., Braintree

When: 10:30 a.m. to 8:25 p.m.

Info: ganhpho.com/ or banhmihem.com

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Reach Alex Weliever at aweliever@patriotledger.com.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Banh mi: New Braintree eatery makes Vietnamese specialty