TOP > 山形 > 店 

TOP » 山形 » Yamagata Life Diary – Bánh Mì 329

• Facebook
• X
•  views

Maybe you’ve heard, but there’s a new Vietnamese bánh mì shop in town. Its name is Bánh Mì 329, and it’s right around the corner from Yamagata City Hall. I happen to love Vietnamese food, so as soon as I heard the news, I gathered up a few friends and we headed straight over.

Our favorable impression began the moment we walked through the door, when the proprietor greeted us with a cheery “irasshaimase!”, and we could all see the broad smile on his face. Even though he was wearing a mask. I have a great appreciation – and I don’t think I am alone – for people who have the ability to project their smiles straight through the masks they wear.

The next thing to catch our eye when we walked into the shop were the shelves filled with Vietnamese foods and ingredients; as my friends will tell you, I had a hard time tearing myself away from my scrutiny of every package and bottle. As someone who loves food from all countries, and who is constantly scouring online sites for hard-to-find ingredients from around the world, it was extremely reassuring to know that if I was looking for Vietnamese chili sauce or five-spice powder – or if I had a sudden and irresistible craving for Vietnamese bird’s nest drink – I now had somewhere local to find these things.

So many tempting items for sale!

After finally disengaging myself from the shelves of food, I was presented with a fresh dilemma.

Which bánh mì to order?

The choice was not easy, because they all looked so good. The Vietnamese chashu bánh mì? Or the Vietnamese ham version? There was also one with deep fried eggs, and, on a separate menu, a new beef jerky addition. Since I couldn’t decide, I chose the “Bánh mì 329 Special,” which contains most of the fillings: Vietnamese chashu, pate and ham, namasu (pickled daikon radish and carrot) and fresh cucumber, several types of sauce and plenty of fresh cilantro (which you can opt out of if you’re not a cilantro lover). All of this was piled into a Vietnamese baguette, and while it looked quite substantial, the crusty bread had an airy texture that didn’t fill you up excessively, so it was quite perfect.

The main bánh mì menu, with the Bánh Mì 329 special on the right

I’ve tried quite a few of the other sandwiches in the time since, and while I have enjoyed every one, I still have a special fondness for the “Special” – perhaps because it was the first bánh mì I tried here, and also because it contains so many delectable flavors wrapped up in a single sandwich.

Delicious sauces are hidden among the layers of ingredients in the Bánh Mì 329 Special

I dropped by the shop the other day and spoke to the proprietor – Bui Quang Tuan – who graciously took the time to tell me about his background, and how this shop came to be.

Bui is from the province of Dong Nai, located in the southeastern part of Vietnam, quite close to Ho Chi Minh city. He came to Japan in 2015 and spent his first four years in Aichi prefecture, where he was employed at a company, worked hard at learning Japanese, and spent all of his free time traveling around the prefecture – by bicycle, then train, then motorcycle – to satisfy his urge to see new places. “Not really sightseeing,” he told me. “I just wanted to go to green places, or the mountains, where I could enjoy the nature and take scenic photos.”

Preparing sandwiches while waiting for the other staff to arrive

In 2019, he returned to Vietnam for a few months, then came to Yamagata, where he began working as a Vietnamese interpreter and volunteering for a Vietnamese-Japanese association on the weekends. “When I searched the internet for Vietnamese shops or restaurants in Yamagata, I couldn’t find anything,” he said. “So I thought that if I opened up a shop, maybe it would become a place for people to gather together, and to learn more about Vietnam.”

Thus began a multi-year adventure in planning, bread baking, and innumerable taste tests conducted on good-natured friends and acquaintances. After a long period of independent study, a trip back to Vietnam to confirm his techniques at a Vietnamese bakery has given Bui the confidence to start baking his own bread – but while he gets his equipment together, he is procuring his bread from a Vietnamese bakery in Japan that meets his rigorous standards.

The deep-fried egg bánh mì is popular among regulars

Now Bánh Mì 329 is frequented by customers of a wide range of nationalities and occupations, and fans of Bui’s shop (and there are many) are requesting that he consider expanding his menu to include pho, for example, or those delicious deep-fried Vietnamese spring rolls (okay, I admit it, that came from me). “Now I have to start learning how to make fresh pho noodles!” Bui told me, laughing. For the sake of all of the Vietnamese food lovers in Yamagata, I have my fingers crossed that we will see this come to pass!

………………………

Bánh Mì 329 (San2kyu)
Hatagomachi 2-1-11, Stage Hachiyama 102
Hours:
 Weekdays：11:00-14:00 (lunchtime), 16:30-19:00 (dinnertime)
 Weekends and holidays：10:00-19:00
Closed Mondays and Tuesdays