Bánh Mì – Tough Mary’s Bakehouse, Nottingham

If I had to pick a sandwich to eat on repeat, the Bánh Mì would probably be it. This Vietnamese classic is a firm favourite of many, and with bright, punchy fillings stuffed inside a crusty baguette, it’s not hard to see why. But how did the bánh mì at Tough Mary’s Bakehouse fare? Let’s find out.

The bánh mì is a sandwich so steeped in history that it probably deserves a documentary or two – indeed there’s already an episode of the BBC’s Food Chain podcast dedicated to the dish. It’s origins can be traced back to a single restaurant in District 3 of Ho Chi Minh City: Hòa Mã. Whilst this is said to be the birthplace of the bánh mì, its creation speaks of a larger chapter in Vietnam’s history.

The French colonisation of Vietnam gave rise to many changes in the country’s cuisine; wheat for example, which couldn’t be grown in the Vietnamese climate, was directly imported from France. The French baguette became a common food in Vietnam accordingly, and when Mrs Le of Hòa Mã decided to pair the bread with the likes of roasted pork, pâté, pickled chilli and carrots, the bánh mì was born.

Arguably it’s this French baguette which is the most important element of the bánh mì, and being in one of Nottingham’s popular bakeries, I had high hopes.

It’s pleasing to say then, that every one of those hopes were fulfilled. The bread was simply beautiful: a brittle crust surrounded its spongy interior, delivering the delightful crunch that has become ubiquitous to the bánh mì. Fresh from the oven, it was slightly warm too – a welcome change from the refrigerated sandwich so many of us are used to.

But what lay between those slices? The answer is something delicious, albeit not all that traditional.

Granted, some of the elements were what you’d expect in a bánh mì: dressed carrot and cucumber, fresh coriander (a key Vietnamese ingredient and bánh mì essential), and mint. This cooling combination married perfectly with the mayonnaise, and brought powerful hits of sourness and sweetness to each mouthful.

But that’s just the crux of the matter, as that mayonnaise… well it wasn’t real. Now I’m all for having vegan options on the menu at eateries such as this – in fact I would actively advocate it – as it’s important for everyone to enjoy eating out, no matter their dietary preferences. But I would have liked to see more than one bánh mì on the menu here, perhaps a vegan option such as this, alongside one with the pork and pâté you’d find at Hòa Mã.

It’s this ‘vegan-isation’ (I have definitely just made up that word) that will have led to the choice of tofu as the bánh mì’s protein. But you know what, of all the options, it was a pretty good choice. Marinated in a soy sauce glaze, then shallow pan-fried, the tofu was hugely flavoursome. It’s glaze in particular lent it a distinct sweetness and mild heat, a world apart from the bland tofu that is all-too-often chucked into dishes to ‘vegan-ify’ them (yep, another one of mine!).

Whilst sold as “crispy tofu”, it was somewhat on the chewy side, a sign that it had been a little while since the frying. This wasn’t a huge deal though, and I appreciated the generous amount in the sandwich.

What I did need more of however, was chilli heat. I’m not talking bucketfuls, as that would likely mask the other flavours, but sliced jalapeños or pickled chillies often feature in bánh mì, and I missed them here.

Daikon radish is usually present too (and some would argue is another essential ingredient), but as a slightly more unusual vegetable, I can understand why it might have been omitted. It’s hard to think of another use for its strong peppery taste in the rest of the bakery’s products. Even I might think twice about trying a ‘radish brownie’.

All in all though, Tough Mary’s bánh mì proved to be a great lunchtime meal, and whilst I felt £6.50 was slightly too pricy for the sandwich alone, I’ll more than likely be popping back for another sometime soon. Like I said, I could eat bánh mì on repeat.

Tribudishional score: 7.5/10.

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