Cheap Eat of the Week: the kimchi fries at Banh Mi Boys
By Gizelle Lau
Kimchi fries: almost as weird as poutine (Image: Gizelle Lau)
Officially opened earlier this year, Banh Mi Boys brings delicious Vietnamese-style sandwiches to Queen Street West. And sure, there’s lots of banh mi, tacos and steamed bao, but blink and you might miss the kimchi fries ($5.99).
The dish starts with French fries made to order, then it’s topped with spicy pulled pork that’s smoked overnight and quickly warmed on the grill when ordered. It’s all topped with a generous squeeze of sweet mayo, a healthy dollop of kimchi and green onions.
Call it what you will: ridiculous (really, whoever thought to put kimchi on French fries?), a hot mess on a plate (it may not look like anything exceptional) or — if you must — poutine (although they prefer you refrain from calling it that), this dish may seem nonsensical at a first glance, but is brilliant at the first bite.
Hot, crispy, salty fries make way for the sweet mayo, while the pickled, spicy kimchi adds some heat and tang to the dish. Meanwhile, green onions finish it all off with a fresh bite.
If there were ever a time to use the “party in your mouth” cliché, this would be it.
Banh Mi Boys, 392 Queen St. W., 416-363-0588
Gizelle Lau is a food and travel writer and photographer in Toronto who lives from one meal to the next. Her column, Cheap Eat of the Week, highlights dishes that costs $10 or less. Follow her on Twitter for your daily dose of food from in/around the city.
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