Arguably the most highly anticipated new resto of the season, the second location of Banh Mi Boys (399 Yonge, at Gerrard, 416-977-0303, banhmiboys.com) was unveiled this morning. As is the norm at the original Queen and Spadina location, there was a lineup.
Avoiding the crowd of frenzied food bloggers and lunch-time TV crews, NOW spoke to head Boy David Chau on the eve of the launch.
Hours?
“For the first week, we’ll be open every day from 11 am to 7 pm. And then from next Monday, it’ll be 11 am to 10 pm and later in the summer.”
Is it the same set-up that you have at Queen and Spadina, 29-seats up front, kitchen at the back, lineup out the door?
“Design-wise, it’s roughly the same but nothing really different.”
We can’t get enough of your sweet potato kimchee fries, beef-cheek bao and duck confit Saigon subs but can we expect anything new on the menu?
“Not for the first week. I’m working on a new grilled shrimp dish but I’m still perfecting the sauce. Let’s just say it will be very authentic. And there’s a cold sandwich in the works, too, but it’s hard to find time to experiment!”
Will there be more Banh Mi Boys any time soon?
“Definitely more but we want to do everything slow and steady. We don’t want to sacrifice the way we do things just to grow at a faster rate. We’ve had offers but we’d never cut corners.”
