New Asia Deli - Vietnamese Subs

Vietnamese Sub - "Banh Mi"

Meatball Sub

Restaurant: New Asia Deli - Review for Vietnamese-Chinese style Subs
Cuisine: Vietnamese/Asian
Last visited: September 3, 09

Area: Richmond, BC
Unit 1113 3779 Sexsmith Road
Price Range: $10 or less

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 5
Service: 3
Ambiance: 2
Overall: 5 (cause of the subs)
Additional comments:

• Awesome Chinese style Vietnamese subs (I just wish the bread was better)
  
• More about the subs, not about the pho
• Could use more stuffing
• Bread is a bit hard
  
• Chinese owners - family owned and operated
• Located in Continental Square
• It used to be a hole in the wall behind the TD Canada Trust on No 3 Rd.
• Subs are made fresh upon order
• 4 subs for $12
• Crowded at lunch
• Closed Sundays

**Recommendation: Meatball Sub, Special Sub

New Asia Deli used to be a hole in the wall restaurant located behind the TD Canada Trust on No 3 Road across from the Richmond Centre shopping mall. After 2 years of running the business in a shoe box they gained enough popularity to move to a new and bigger location. The owners remain the same and the customers are loyal. Most young people will go here especially for their Vietnamese subs, and the people ordering pho are usually older people or families.

These subs aren't the authentic Vietnamese subs though, they're kind of Chinese-Viet style, so they are a bit different. The marinade for the meat is just really good and they go heavier on the pickled daikon which makes these subs even better. They're not authentic Vietnamese because the ingredients are slightly different. They don't put pate in them and the meat isn't as fatty - which I prefer. The only thing I will criticize is that the bread is not "French baguette" - which sucks. It's too hard and crusty - not soft like the ones from authentic Vietnamese places.

Generally I prefer a Vietnamese sub to a Subway sub any day.

Vietnamese Sub or "Banh Mi" includes some type of marinated meat, pickled carrots, daikon, cucumber, pate, butter-mayo, fish sauce, cilantro & green chillies all in a warm French baguette.

On the table:

• **Meatball Sub 5/6
• Marinated ground pork, cucumber, pickled carrots, daikon, cilantro, chillies

• The French baguette is ok here, it has a bit harder exterior, very crusty.
• The sauce they marinate their ground pork in is really good! This is what makes the sandwich. The meatball is really tender, juicy and moist - the marinade kind of absorbs into the bread too.
• They go heavier on the daikon which is nice - but I would prefer them to give more veggies altogether - the baguette is pretty heavy so I think they could put more stuffing in these sandwiches. I hate eating a sandwich and feeling like I'm just eating the bread - when this happens I feel like I'm eating the sandwich just waiting to get to the middle part. The bread is also just not great here, it's too hard and crusty.
• All in all, this meatball sub is still amazing! I like it better than the infamous Ba Le on Kingsway
• **Special Sub 4.5/6
• Cold cut meats, cucumber, pickled carrots, daikon, cilantro, chillies

• Again this is not an authentic Vietnamese sub, so it doesn't taste like the "specials" you would normally get at a Vietnamese place. These are somewhat "healthier" because they don't use head cheese or that fatty jellied pork rind meat. I'm not a fan of either of these ingredients
• This is more Chinese-Viet style - still really good! Again they could go heavier on the stuffing, and include more of everything. I find they do a poor job spreading out the cucumbers and cilantro. They were looking a little sparse in the sandwich - maybe because they make them so quickly? The sandwich is still really good though, fresh ingredients and made upon order - banh mi should always be made upon order though.