Banh Mi Masterclass @ Ba'get | Recipe: Vietnamese Pickles

Gastrology bloggers dined courtesy of Ba'get.
Location: 132 Russell Street, Melbourne
Phone: 03 9988 4130
Link: http://www.ba-get.com/
Cuisine: Sandwiches/Subs, Vietnamese
Overall Impression: 8/10

Melbourne's love affair with Asian street food continues to grow with the opening of a new traditional Vietnamese Banh Mi establishment, Ba'get in the heart of the CBD.

Ba'get brings together crusty, fresh baked bread with authentic house-made charcuterie, grilled meats, pickled vegetables, pate, Asian herbs and fresh chillies to create an all-encompassing flavour and texture sensation.

Ba'get is the brainchild of Duy Huynh and his family who have been in the Melbourne food industry for over 21 years.

Ba'get is the real deal – Vietnamese street food with its heart firmly located on the banks of the Mekong Delta. The banh mi are made using age-old family recipes that have been perfected over several decades.

We loved the freshness, balance and authenticity of Ba’get’s banh mi. 

We were also given the opportunity to make our own Ba'get baguettes...

Baked hourly, the baguettes are consistently delicious and ingredients are carefully selected to achieve the perfect texture and flavour balance.

Ba'get’s menu featues a wide array of authentic Banh Mi including: traditional Classic hams, Grilled Lemongrass Pork, Pulled Chicken, Buddha's Tofu, Rich Tomato Meat Ball and Grilled Lemongrass Chicken as well as more modern flavours such as leg ham and salami; all lovingly made to order to ensure uncompromising freshness. Ba'get also offers Vermicelli bowl versions of Banh Mi flavours as a gluten free option.

Lovers of caffeine will not be forgotten - they will also be serving up potent quantities of cà phê sữa đá - traditional Vietnamese coffee as well as hot, flaky pork puffs, Vietnamese sesame donuts and a selection of tantalising pastries including Cassava Cake, Coconut and Durian Buns.

Bata's interior is also reflective of Banh Mi's origins, resembling a Vietnamese streetscape; complete with overhanging power lines, splashes of luscious red and turquoise complete with French architectural finishes, referencing its colonial past.

Scrawled in calligraphy across the store's feature wall is an ancient Vietnamese poem; a mantra to the authenticity that Ba'get aims to achieve which rougly translates to:

“Half-truths are never true, nor can true love ever come in halves”

Recipe: Vietnamese Pickles 

Ingredients 

Vegetables

1 x large carrot

1 x daikon

peeled and cut into matchstick battons

Pickling liquor

1 cup of vinegar 1/2 cup of water 1 tb sugar

1 tsp salt

1 clove of garlic sliced

1 bird's eye chilli split in quarters 8 pepper corns

Method

1. Sterilise a jar by placing in a 100c oven for 10 mins, or rinse with water and place in microwave for 2-3 mins, or on a hot dishwasher cycle
2. Peel and cut vegetables into match stick battons — set aside in a bowl
3. In a saucepan, heat the pickling liquor ingredients until boiling, and remove from heat.
4. Pour the pickling liquor onto vegetables and combine well.
5. Transfer to sterilised jar and store in the fridge for up to 4 weeks
6. Always use clean chopsticks to serve pickles

Serving suggestions

Serve with grilled lemongrass pork on rice, in vermicelli bowls, in salads or as an accompaniment to meat or curry dishes where you want to add freshness and zing. Great served with crispy roasted pork belly, and hoi sin. And essential of course, in Banh Mi.

Gastrology bloggers dined courtesy of Ba'get.