I finally made the long trek uptown to Banh (and my companions were coming from Brooklyn, so an even longer trek!). I’d been advised to try the egg coffee, which was interesting, but in my opinion not as good as plain old Viet coffee. The top egg layer was very thick and sweet, and hard to mix in. It put me in mind of affogato, in its sharp contrast between very sweetened and not sweetened at all.
It being Tet, there were a few special dishes on the menu, and we (well, I, the non-meat-eater) chose the vegan fried rice cakes. These were terrific.
Summer rolls, because summer rolls are always welcome. I think they’re all pretty much fine, but my friend commented that these were wrapped especially well, so they didn’t fall apart all over you and make you feel clumsy. So, better than average summer rolls! (The peanut sauce was well above average.)
Sticky rice with sweetened egg yolk and young coconut (which is the best coconut - I am ageist).
And my tie for favorite, the vegan pho, which had an intensely flavorful broth and about a million different vegetables, notably oyster mushroom, grilled Brussels sprouts, and very thinly sliced (probably) delicata squash.
Pro-tip: If you go on a Friday for lunch, arrive around 1:15 or so. The crazy people who get there right when the place opens (holla!) will be finishing up, and you’ll get a seat.
