This post may not be about Belgium, yet does have a special reason as to why I am talking about Copenhagen. Some other countries may receive a mention or food places and that is because I wished to share them with you.  My son, Hiroki is a student in Denmark and whilst I was visiting him we had the opportunity to eat at Banh Mi.

Copenhagen has already a lot of options for fresh, quality eateries.  Banh Mi is a little gem which Hiroki had kept on raving about.  Alas, I will say that his description of the food was ….. (You need to scroll further down to see).

Banh mi is a quaint little eatery located in the trendy part of Nørrebro in Copenhagen (Elmegade 20, 2200). When we arrived Friday lunch around 13:00 there was no sitting area and the queue was already deep.  The atmosphere was friendly, with music playing in the background.  The patrons who were eating were engrossed in savouring the delights in stead of busily talking away.  If anything it felt that it was a journey of discovery and escapism when eating these pockets of freshness.  Those in the queue were very varied, with office workers, students and a few mothers waiting for their takeaway orders.   So, we joined the queue.

The Mother and Daughter team were expertly creating these brightly coloured sandwiches which were filled of fresh ingredients.  Unsure what a Vietnamese sandwich is?  Their graphic on the blackboard explains how these pockets of delights are created and what ingredients are used. For the meat eaters they do have a selection of beef and pork as well as a mushroom vegetarian option as well.

After a wait of about 15 minutes, our sandwich of Banh mi was ready.  The bread baquette was indeed different to what I am use to. It was soft-but-not-too-soft inside and that crunch on the outside was perfectly balanced.  The filling had cucumber, coriander and chilli.  The carrot and daikon were homemade pickles and they provided an extra special crunch.  I had ordered the braised brisket and the meat was tender and full of flavour (Lemongrass and extra spices).  Quite honestly, every bite was indeed another level of food heaven or perhaps Vietnam?  It was an overwhelming – an experience of texture and flavour.  It was delish!

The *food come* was delightful.  My lips and the tip of my tongue were tingling from the warm chillies.  Each mouthful was a “mmmm” and there was not much talking between Hiroki (my son) and I.  We both slowly ate and enjoyed our flavourable food travels. We complimented the meal with a freshly made lime and ginger drink which was simply refreshing at the same time had some heat to it.  We were both comfortable but not stuffed after finishing the sandwich.

I asked whether it was possible to have a weekly order to Belgium….. alas not!  The daughter did say she was thinking of expanding… Belgium here comes the Banh Mi?  Maybe it will be easier that I visit Hiroki and Banh Mi more regularly to savour this special treat again.

Highly recommend a visit. Do not have a full breakfast before you go as the sandwiches are quite filling.

Contact details:
+45 41 23 22 00
Where to find Banh Mi:
Elmegade 20, 2200 København, Denmark

Opening hours:
Monday Friday at. 11: 00-20: 00
Saturday. 11: 00-16: 00
Sunday 12 noon: 00-16: 00