New Café - Banh Mi Oi - Brings “Secret” Family Recipe to West Roxbury’s Growing Food Scene
Xin Chào, West Roxbury!
Earlier this month, Banh Mi Oi celebrated its Grand Opening on Centre Street with the support of West Roxbury Main Streets and local representatives. It is the third business to open in West Roxbury during COVID-19. Lines of people waited outside the door to try authentic Vietnamese cuisine and specialty coffee imported directly from this Southeast Asian country known for its street food, coffee and beautiful landscapes.
Residents seem to be happy that co-owners Phi Pham (27) and fiancé Yeanie Bach (28) chose Westie as their new home. “We sold out of food the first three out of four days we were open (during our soft launch),” said Phi. “We really underestimated the level of support from West Roxbury and the surrounding neighborhoods right from the start.” Demand remains strong for their Vietnamese coffee and signature banh mi sandwiches.
Specialty coffee beans are imported from an eco-friendly coffee farm in Da Lat, a mountainous retreat often referred to as The City of Flowers in Central Vietnam. Because of the temperate climate, frequent rain and shaded sun, the region is ideal for growing certain crops and flowers that can’t grow anywhere else in the country, including coffee trees.
WRMS Executive Director, Jacob Robinson, with Phi and Yeanie at the Grand Opening.
The house-made egg yolk mayonnaise spread on each banh mi sandwich is an original family recipe. It takes up to 45 minutes to make a large batch, with (“a secret”) number of stirs per minute while adding olive oil slowly every 10 seconds. “If you do one thing wrong, you have to throw the batch away,” says Yeanie. “The temperature is important for the final result.”
Growing up, Yeanie learned first-hand all the tricks and techniques of cooking traditional Vietnamese food. “My mom was a street vendor in downtown Saigon,” says Yeanie. “She would prepare the food in our kitchen and sell it right outside of our house. People would travel from all over the city to eat her banh mi.”
If Yeanie brings the cooking chops to the café, Phi adds the flare to the customer experience. Prior to opening Banh Mi Oi, Phi worked as a photographer and set designer for brands like Burberry and Gucci. He bought the 60-year-old wooden shelves and benches seen inside the café at a New Hampshire barn and various other items at antique stores around the city.
“Before the war, Saigon was a very trendy city influenced by French and European culture,” says Phi. “For Banh Mi Oi, we wanted to establish a similar feel by creating a warm and inviting environment that gives a retro vibe aesthetically, and where the food doesn’t just taste good but looks good too. I can entice people to come in; Yeanie makes them stay. She takes great pride in her work.”
Phi, who was born in L.A. and grew up in New Hampshire, met Yeanie at a Vietnamese meet-up two years ago. On their first date, they walked their dogs on the shore in Portland, NH. They started exploring different neighborhoods in Boston and decided to open their first café in West Roxbury because “the neighborhood was unknown to us at the time, and that makes getting to know this neighborhood and its residents much more fulfilling.”
While the two entrepreneurs have postponed their wedding date to invest time and energy in making their café successful, they are excited to be officially part of the West Roxbury community. For example, they started to build a “Wall of Memories” featuring photos of local community members visiting their café.
“Our first customers were a local Westie couple, Louise and Willy,” says Phi. “They came back after they ate to say our spring rolls were some of the best they had ever had, and they would be back tomorrow. We couldn’t have felt more supported starting up, and we’re excited to be here. We want to be here a long time.”
Quick Vietnam Facts:
· “Banh Mi Oi” – “Hey, sandwich!”
· Population - 96 million
· Distance from Boston to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) - 8,768 miles
· Direct flight from Boston to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) - 16 hours, 44 minutes