Sneaking a peek at two Damansara Uptown newbies, starting with Obanhmi, producers of the best Vietnamese sandwiches available in the Klang Valley, bar none.
Run, not walk, here: This baguette crammed with lemongrass pork, ham, pork pate, pickled radish, carrots, house-made mayo, sriracha chili sauce & cilantro seizes a spot among the tastiest things we've eaten this year. At RM11.20, it's a lunch option that's both filling & fulfilling.
Obanhmi's cheerful chief, Hanoi native Daniel Nguyen, & his collaborators insist on soaring standards. Fab baguettes are baked fresh here (the cafe will post baking hours on its entrance), with each bite harboring a thin crisp that relents effortlessly to make way for a light, fluffy interior.
Try the so-called "OMG" banh mi: Melt-in-the-mouth pork pate combines with thick, creamy layers of egg, ruthlessly rich but not cripplingly cloying, fashioned into a total triumph of taste & texture thanks to crunchy veggies & minced meat with herbal nuances.
Obanhmi's attention to detail extends to the dressing for its banh mi: Mayonnaise is painstakingly produced in-store for more natural flavors, while the chili sauce is Vietnamese, supplying a spiciness that lingers on the lips pleasantly without stinging.
The menu's compact for now (for breakfast, Obanhmi serves baguettes with condensed milk or eggs for south of RM5), but expect more recipes like barbecued pork & skewered beef with dips in the weeks ahead. We'll be hearing more about Obanhmi, for sure.
Liquor is not available, but this Vietnamese iced coffee proves more than pleasant enough.
If you enjoyed learning about Obanhmi in this entry, please remember to return to this site on Oct. 1, when we unveil "Eat Drink KL: 100F," the next stage in this blog's evolution, comprising a new resource that we hope this city's restaurant lovers will support; it'll be free of charge, but it'll require a substantial readership in order to become sustainable.
Bonus Damansara Uptown stop: If Obanhmi makes you hanker for more things Asian, check out ChopstiX, where Malaysian noodles steal a soup-soaked spotlight.
Nyonya curry asam laksa, a bit of a hybrid recipe; the broth could be more savory, but a request for extra cockles makes this nourishing enough. Can't really complain.
The remainder of ChopstiX's menu includes chicken floss prawn noodles, fish ball loh shi fun & Marmite chicken rice; nothing wild, but the office crowd in this parking's-impossible neighborhood isn't actually the adventurous sort, right?
Prices shouldn't spark protests at ChopstiX: Nothing exceeds RM6, for now.
O Banh Mi (serves pork),
33, Jalan SS 21/56B, Damansara Utama, Petaling Jaya. Three doors away from The Ship.
Tel: 03-7732-8540
Open 8am-8pm daily. (Note: Closed through 5pm on Sept. 4 for renovations)
ChopstiX (no pork),
17-M, Jalan SS 21/58, Damansara Utama, Petaling Jaya. Same row as Village Park.
Open 11am-3pm for now; open 12pm-8pm starting Sept. 9.