A Sandwich a Day: Sesame-Chili Shrimp Banh Mi at Del Seoul

[Photograph: Molly Durham]

Del Seoul is a place that I trust completely. I walk in expecting what I order to be good, even if I usually just go with the same tacos (sambal and sesame-chili shrimp). But a taco is basically a sandwich, right? Meat and vegetables surrounded by a carb? So their banh mi had to be good too, right? And good god it was.

They note on their menu that their sesame-chili shrimp taco is their best, so I tried the sesame-chili banh mi ($.6.95). Thanks to the delicately breaded and fried shrimp, it's lighter than most banh mi I've tried. The menu says this one doesn't have the Korean red pepper aioli, but it was totally on mine, which I count as a victory. That's because this aioli makes the sandwich an A+ rather than just an A. Between this and the jalapeños, I didn't even need the bottle of Sriracha I brought to my table in preparation to set my mouth on fire.

The baguette is big and thick but compresses easily, so even though it might seem too heavy on the bread upon your first look, it's not. The whole thing is spicy and filling but not heavy. Del Seoul continues their tradition of being ultra dependable.

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