Banh Mi Aha!

Lamb’s Conduit Street—all cobbles, pubs, much-loved restaurants, and content-looking people—is what people who don’t live in London hope all of London is like. It feels like an unimprovable little stretch and then, well, a brilliant little Vietnamese spot opens and we are once again desperately scouring Rightmove. LCS didn’t need Banh Mi Aha! but boy is it an excellent addition. There's no more than half a dozen tables inside but the menu spans phở, bún bowls, and things on rice like pork chop with gravy. However, your first port of call should always be bread. The Special bánh mì is loaded as it should be (crispy pork belly, head cheese, ham, sausage, and a spread of chicken liver pâté) but it’s the other touches—a deeply savoury duck gravy that has a hint of Maggi about it and the splashes of aromatic five spice butter—that take it to another level. There’s plenty of crunch too: from the faultless baguette to the enlivening vegetables and herbs inside. Only the best of the best belong on Lamb’s Conduit Street and Banh Mi Aha! fits right in.

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch