Bánh Mī 135 (Duluth, GA)

 1630 Pleasant Hill Rd Ste 135B, Duluth, GA 30096

 

Bánh Mi 135 is a rather new Vietnamese sandwich shop in a shopping mall in Duluth, just north of Atlanta. It has a very limited menu, namely Bahn Mi, i.e. Vietnamese sandwiches, with pork, chicken, egg, and vegetables. All sandwiches are $5. The place itself is very new and has limited seating.

I get a Grilled Pork and a Shredded Chicken bahn mi. Both come on rather large, light, crunchy, and fresh sandwiches. The grilled pork is warm, tender and flavorful, although it has a bit of an aftertaste (cannot really identify the specific flavor). The shredded chicken has a bit of a curry flavor and is also tender. Both come with the usual vegetable condiments, which are exceptionally fresh (the cilantro has a particular great flavor).

 

 

VERDICT: 92/100

Bahn Mi 135 serves some of the best Vietnamese sandwiches I have ever had. It's the type of place I love: doing one thing and doing it really well.

 

Zimbe Dogs (Anderson, SC)

206 W Franklin St, Anderson, SC 29624

Zimbe Dogs is a small hole-in-the-wall just outside of downtown Anderson, where you order through the window. They serve a broad variety of hot dogs but also burgers, wings, and various sides. The owner is friendly and very entrepreneurial, telling me all the specials for the next day.

I get a Chili Dog ($2.50), a Fire Dog ($3), and a Mammoth ($4). The Chili Dogs is just a hot dog with chili, which tastes a bit too sweet. The wiener is a overpowered by the bun. The Fire Dog turns out to be a Chili Dog with some crusted Fritos Flamin' Hot Flavored Corn chips on them. Tastes largely the same, just crunchier. The Mammoth is a sloppy joe, in this case a soft and sweet bun with yet the same chili. I’m happy I added jalapeños to it, as it is too sweet for me.

VERDICT: 80/100

Old school hole-in-the-wall with decent hot dogs and broad selection of other stuff. The chili is a bit too sweet for me though.

Billy Meadow's Station (Colbert, GA)

 6729 GA-72, Colbert, GA, USA

 

Billy Meadow's Station is a big house/shack off the GA-72 that serves only a few items: grilled cheese sandwiches, hot dogs, coleslaw, and various chips/crisps. This notwithstanding, it has survived for a long time and I found out why today.

I get a Chili Dog and a Chili Slaw Dog (together $5.70). The bun and "dog" are pretty standard, except that they grill the buns on both sides, giving them a bit of a smoked flavor and nice crunch. Both dogs come with relatively light ketchup, mustard, and onions , but it is the chili that makes the difference. It has an excellent flavor, bit sweet and bit smoky, which means even a relatively modest amount does the trick. The slaw is chunky and not overly mayo-y, soothing the taste.

 

VERDICT: 92/100

I now know why Billy Meadow's Station survives: it does a simply thing really well. This is exactly the type of place this blog is about. Will be back for sure!

Frituur ‘t Brochetje (Emelgem, Belgium)

Ingelmunstersestraar 23, 8870 Emelgem, Belgium

 

Frituur ‘t Brochetje is a medium sized but very modern frituur in a busy street of a small town, with a decent size space to eat inside. It is also exceptionally clean inside. They have a large selection of snacks, from the usual companies, but also some homemade sauces (including Mayo and Tartar). They have been selected as the best frituur in Belgium twice, so I come with high expectations.

 

I get a Small Fries (€ 2.30 or $2.60) with Mayonnaise (€ 0.90 or $1) and Homemade Tartar Sauce (€ 1.20 or $1.35) as well as a Crisly (for a hefty € 3.90 or $4.40) with Samourai (€ 0.90). T gets 5 Vegetable Bitterballen (€ 4.50 or $5.10) with Mustard (€ 0.90). Although homemade, the small fries are thinner than I had expected. They are perfectly fried, crispy outside but soft inside, and I get almost as many in the small tray as around it. While the fries are good, they are not exceptional. The mayo is basic, from a common brand, but the homemade tartar sauce is delicious. The Crisly is standard but as generous as they were with the fries, as stingy they were with the Samourai (particularly for € 0.90).

 

VERDICT: 91/100

Frituur ‘t Pleintje is very good, with a big selection of snacks, but not the best I have ever been to. Do make sure you try their homemade sauces!

Harvest Market (Schiphol, Netherlands)

Schiphol Airport, at Gate D, The Netherlands

 

Harvest Market is a restaurant at Schiphol Airport (at the D gate) that claims to offer “fresh and local” food. It serves various sandwiches, some traditional Dutch and US snacks (burgers, chicken nuggets, croquettes, fries) and coffee and pastries.

 

I get the Meat Croquettes (€ 9.80 or ~$11), which normally come with fries, but I ask for bread instead. The two croquettes are big, and not the standard ones you get in a snackbar, but the ragout is too creamy and not particularly flavorful. The wholewheat bread is fresh and thick, but not the best combination for croquettes.

 

VERDICT: 84/100

Obviously, this place is insanely expensive, given the location. Still, the croquettes are highly quality, they lack a bit in flavor.

Frituur ‘t Pleintje (Geel, Belgium)

Winkelomseheide 145, 2440 Geel, Belgium

 

Frituur ‘t Pleintje is a modern frietkot in the town of Geel, roughly 100 meter from another frituur. It stands out not just for its broad selection of snacks, but particularly for its vegan selection — and they fry their fries in vegetable oil.

 

I get a Small Fries (€ 2.50 or $2.80) with mayonnaise (€ 1 or $1.10) as well as a Spicy Viandel (€ 2.20 or $2.50) with Samourai (€ 1). T gets a Regular Fries with Vegan Stoofvlees (€ 8 or $9) and Pickles (1) as well as a Double Vegan Burger (€ 6.40 or $7,25). The fries are very good, although some are perhaps a bit too tough on the outside. The mayo is excellent (they don’t use the usual brands). The spicy viandel is not spicy but fortunately the samourai sauce is. T says that the vegan stoofvlees is excellent, the vegan burger a bit basic.

 

VERDICT: 92/100

Very good frituur and highly recommended for vegans!

BÖCKELS Beste (Erkelenz, Germany)

Aachener Strasse 115, 41812 Erkelenz, Germany

 

BÖCKELS Beste is a regional chain of over 30 currywurst places in Germany, mostly in North Rhine-Westphalia. This particular one is in an OBI, a big German home improvement retailer, situated just next to the entrance. It serves only currywurst and fries but this location also has a cafe with coffee and two types of cakes. 

 

What makes them particularly interesting is that they have a choice of six levels of spicy (all powders).

 

I get a Currywurst (€ 2.79 or ~$3.15) with level 6 (Es Drauf Ankomen Lassen). The sausage is good, the sauce too (not too sweet and good temperature), and the heat is quite brutal. It is really HOT but does not fully kill all taste. Shame it doesn’t come with a roll. T had a Medium Fries (€ 2.59 or ~$3) with curry sauce, also level 6, which was also brutally hot, but the fries were very good for Germany.

 

VERDICT: 89/100

Very good currywurst. Und Mega-Scharf!