Vegan Pho
In very sad news, Banh Mi Saigon in Hadley MA and the rest of the strip mall it is part of, were destroyed last night in a huge fire. Banh Mi Saigon doesn’t sell dumplings but it is the best Vietnamese restaurant in the Pioneer Valley and one of the overall best restaurants in the Valley. In the roughly 18 months it had been in business, the two young brothers who ran this little lunch counter joint had built a loyal following by serving excellent Banh Mi, Pho, Bun and rice plates. They served a completely vegan Pho that was outstanding, even as a meat eater I thought this was a great Pho, you didn’t miss the meat at all. They also served some of the best Vietnamese BBQ Pork and Spring Rolls I’ve had anywhere and their fried tofu Banh Mi was outstanding.
And the hits keep coming with this fire, another great local restaurant, Mi Tierra, was also destroyed. We at Dumpling Hunter are sending our best wishes and hoping that all the affected businesses can rebuild.
Grilled Pork Banh Mi
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This was an epic disaster on a mini-mall scale. The Asian food store — my go-to for all my ingredients — was also destroyed. And the hard-working Korean tailor farther along, with two small children — his shop is gone also. So terrible.
Good news on one front — the dim sum restaurant, Oriental Flavor, in Amherst gets better and better; while Ginger Garden also is a refuge for those of us who love Chinese food.