Bun Mee
While Jane is frequently packed, especially at lunchtime, it's fairly peaceful, far from the hubbub that exists just down the street at Bun Mee, where the lines frequently stretch out the door onto the sidewalk for lunch and dinner. Named for the phonetic pronunciation of the popular Vietnamese sandwiches, bahn mi, this busy cafe specializes in just that: spicy, flavorful sandwiches.
Owner and CEO Denise Tran was born in Vietnam and then lived with her family in New Orleans. Tran grew up eating traditional Vietnamese food, especially bahn mi, and after a stint practicing law in Seattle, she and her husband moved to New York, where Tran began extensive research in preparation for opening her own bahn mi shop. Many of the recipes originated with Tran's mother and have been tweaked by Tran to reflect fresh, seasonal ingredients and a creative sensibility.
Bun Mee, in the former Tango Gelato space, has small tables in front along with bar seating where you can watch the chefs at work, but the day I was there, the biggest business seemed to be in takeout. Various sandwiches, prepared to order on light, French-style rolls delivered to the restaurant from a San Jose Vietnamese bakery, were wrapped tightly in brown paper and whisked away.
The sandwiches range from a grilled five-spice chicken –my personal favorite- loaded with caramel aioli, shaved onion, pickled carrots and daikon, cucumber, jalapeno, and cilantro ($5.95); to the Bun Mee combo, with roast pork patê de compagne, mortadella, garlic aio- li, and the same fiery veggies ($6.50, watch out, jalapenos are served with the seeds!). For nonmeat eaters, there's a smoky eggplant sandwich ($6.25), and seafood sandwiches include sardine ($5.95) and fried catfish ($7.95).
Bun Mee also serves several entree salads and rice plates ($9.75- $11.95), and sides include some of the best sweet potato fries ($4.95) you'll find anywhere. In addition to Vietnamese coffee, iced or hot, they make their own kaffir limeade, a sweet and citrusy foil to pepper's heat, and strawberry lychee aqua fresca.
I had the pleasure of chatting with Tran, who's usually somewhere on-site, meeting customers, checking on orders, or helping out the staff, and her cheerful demeanor adds loads of charm to this instant Fillmore hit.