Co Ba 53

Co Ba 53 is a relatively new spot in Hell's Kitchen. They're a little bit more of an upscale Vietnamese place with a wide variety of dishes, like clay pot meals, pho, and bun. We weren't sure if the banh mi were only served at lunch, so we took advantage of a rare weekday lunch time to try them out, since we love banh mi.

M's review of her banh mi:

I knew immediately which sandwich I was going to get - the banh mi cha ca ($8.50), with Hanoi-style fish, fresh dill, aioli, house-made pickles, and jalapeños. Years ago, Angelo Sosa had an Asian sandwich shop in our neighborhood called Xie Xie which had a fantastic sandwich with a similar Hanoi-style turmeric fish. The sandwich was small, but so good. The shop's been closed for years, and I haven't had this style of fish since then, but have often thought about how good that sandwich was. I was hoping Co Ba's version would be a chance to taste those flavors again.

The banh mi was really good. The fish was moist, flaky, and flavorful, and very similar in flavor to what I remembered of the Xie Xie sandwich, just a tad bit more mild or subtle. The radish, carrot, and cilantro, typical banh mi additions, were fresh, and the dill was, as always, a perfect match for the cha ca style fish. I really enjoyed this sandwich.

One of the more surprising parts of the sandwich, which is different from most banh mi, was the bread. Each banh mi at Co Ba is served on a challah baguette, which means it's incredibly soft and has a good bite to it, but is a very different texture from traditional banh mi bread. This is a change I completely support (as much as I like the traditional bread when it's good). It was a great sandwich, and the bread was a wonderful finishing touch.

A's review of his banh mi:

I ordered the banh mi thit which is the "traditional" sandwich filled with cold cuts, chicken liver pate, house-made pickles, cilantro, and jalapeños ($7.50). For whatever reason I ended up being served the banh mi thit kho, which has caramelized pork belly braised in coconut juice with grilled pineapple, house-made pickles, cilantro, and jalapeños ($8.50). The waiter apologized and said he could have the kitchen make me the one I ordered quickly, but I'm loathe to waste food so I kept this. I guess I'll just have to go back later to get the banh mi thit.

The sandwich was very tasty. The pork belly was the perfect blend of fat and meat. It was richly flavored with a soy based marinade. I didn't get much coconut flavor, but the grilled pineapple added a nice sweet and tart flavor to pair with the salty, fatty meat. The pickled vegetables and jalapeños rounded out the sandwich. The other really nice thing about this sandwich is the bread. It's not a traditional baguette, they use challah bread. It's a softer bread overall, and the outer crust isn't as crispy and crumbly. It's a nice touch.

Overall, I really liked this sandwich, but I was disappointed to not get the sandwich I ordered. I try to order the cold cut/pate banh mi first anywhere I go so that I can use that as a measuring stick. The pork belly sandwich was really tasty, though.

We liked the banh mi at Co Ba, and would return to try some more, as well as some other dishes. It's a good addition to the Hell's Kitchen culinary landscape.

Co Ba 53 is located at 401 West 53rd Street (just west of 9th Avenue).