Café Cuong’s Vietnamese Hoagies

Today I found myself a) hungry and b) in need of inspiration. What’s a person to do in the land of fast food, Wawa convenience stores and prepackaged Lunchables? Before making a tragic culinary blunder, I took a tip from Matt O’Hara’s Finding Philly blog when I searched out the Vietnamese Hoagies he described a couple weeks ago.

Café Cuong is a small shop just a few blocks from the Italian Market in South Philly. While I had an idea of what to expected, I still wasn’t sure. Entering the restaurant I found a Spartan room without most of the trappings and equipment that you’d find in a traditional restaurant. It quickly became apparent that I was standing at an altar devoted to the Bánh mì – especially when I was directed to a small hand-written sign on the back wall listing 8 menu items, all different types of the sandwich.

While I played it “safe” by choosing a Vietnamese Hoagie and a Cooked Pork Hoagie, my beverage selections were a bit more risky: “Grass Jelly Drink,” “White Gourd Drink” and “Chrysanthemum Tea Drink.” Needless to say, my beverage choices were not winners (Hey, I had to try anyway, right?).

Without getting into too many specifics (Matt already did a fine job) the sandwiches were terrific on several levels. First, the light flaky bread was a perfect match for this type of sandwich by adding substance without overwhelming the subtle flavors. Second, the pate spread over the bread added a rich flavor without making it too heavy. Finally, the pickled carrots and cilantro introduced flavors not commonly found on a hoagie in Philly (or at least the hoagies that I’ve eaten!). Overall these sandwiches were a great find and at $3 each, a great deal.

Café Cuong is located at 811 S. 8th Street Philadelphia (215) 574-0527

[Tags]Philadelphia, South Philly, Cafe Cuong, Vietnamese Food, Vietnamese Hoagie, Bánh mì[/Tags]