Mama Tran, Perth & Ton Sian Grocery, Northbridge, Western Australia (Alissa and Don Eat Australia)

My father introduced me to banh mi many years ago, and from my first bite I was hooked on a dish I truly believe is the King of Sandwiches. My first banh mi was from the Ton Sian Grocery store located on Palmerston St in the city. Being a manager with regular meetings in the city, it became a bit of a running joke that my father simply could not come back from a meeting without popping in. This unassuming suburban outpost that began the Tran's Emporium empire may not seem like the most likely place to get an incredible sandwich, but they are so good it became clear just why my father just had to pop in here.

Nhu Lan, Richmond, Victoria (Alissa and Don Eat Australia)

If one can fall in love with a sandwich, banh mi is that sandwich. I think I grew bored of sandwiches as a food sometime after the 100th sandwich of primary school, yet banh mi - with its combination of French baguette, cold cuts, herbs and vegetables - is magical and addictively tasty. As Anthony Bourdain so eloquently put it, banh mi is 'a symphony in a sandwich'. The call of great banh mi is so strong that Alissa and I bypass inferior but closer stores and drive a relatively long distance just to eat at banh mi specialists Nhu Mai in our hometown of Perth, and popping into one of Melbourne's best was high on our list of priorities while we were over.

If you do an online search for the best banh mi in Melbourne, and Footscray bakery Nhu Lan comes up repeatedly. Unfortunately, the week we were in Melbourne was also a week of closures on the rail and tram system heading towards the Footscray area, making the task of getting from Preston to Footscray a little more difficult than it was worth. Thankfully, Nhu Lan's other store in Richmond proved a more conveniently located compromise.

Nhu Mai, Girrawheen, Western Australia (Alissa and Don Eat Australia)

When we came back from Hanoi we were craving bun cha, and Alissa's discovery of Little Lang Nuong in Girrawheen lead to the even greater discovery that the Girrawheen shopping precinct is Perth's Little Vietnam. Seriously, it puts Northbridge to shame. With this in mind, we had to know if good banh mi could be found here too, and in our search the name Nhu Mai kept coming up. Seriously; when you type 'Girrawheen' into Google, Urbanspoon's page for Nhu Mai is the third entry. Girrawheen is a fair distance from our home in Bateman, so a trip to Ikea proved a convenient opportunity for a detour to see if Nhu Mai's banh mi lived up to its reputation.

Nhu Mai has a fairly unassuming exterior filled with gaudy, brightly colour signage that actually does little to promote its main business as a sandwich shop. Perhaps its just so well known for sandwiches it doesn't even have to try, and its a recently expanded range that needs the extra push. Noteworthy is the massive pile of sugarcane sitting in the corner.

You can't help but be drawn to the counter as soon as you enter the shop, its trays containing the delicious fillings that make banh mi the king of sandwiches. While were were in Hanoi, we ate a totally baller foie gras pate banh mi, but we had missed out on eating the fresh, coriander-filled variety. Seeing the ingredients all layed out, Alissa and I were very excited.

Nhu Mai seem to offer two options - pork or chicken, and we both went with the pork option. Looking at the pre-filled baguettes to the left of the display, it was pretty clear that pork is the more popular option. Both versions go for a very reasonable $5 each. When you consider what Toastface Grillah are charging for their Pear Grillz or Danny Zuccho ($9 each between two slices of bread), its almost criminal in comparison.

With the March weather following Perth's annoying habit of being a cruel extension of the already searing summer, Alissa and I decided to go with some sugarcane juice. This hit the spot, providing us with a drink that was cool, sweet and refreshing - especially needed in our car with broken air conditioning.

Nhu Mai did not have a lot of seating inside and had some fairly loud music playing, so we decided to take the banh mi home to eat. Unwrapping the roll and having a closer inspection revealed a very generous selection of various cold cuts, a good serve of carrot, coriander, chilli and tangy sweet relish/sauce. Taking one bite of this banh mi, I was convinced. This was easily one of the best sandwiches I've ever eaten, the generous serve of so many cuts of pork, the flavour of coriander and the carrot crunch, the sweetness of the sauce/relish and the kick of the chilli in a lovely, crispy baguette combined in perfect harmony to create a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.

The Verdict: Excellent
Unlike Alissa, who is pretty much a bread fiend, I don't hold sandwiches in particularly high esteem. To me they just remind me of ho-hum school lunches, and the asking price for so-called gourmet sandwiches are so out of proportion that its no wonder people make the unhealthy choice of a burger instead. I mean, its just putting filling in bread - how hard can it be, right? Easy as it is, the fact that so few places get it right means there must be some art to it, and Nhu Mai are seriously masters. You can keep your overpriced cheesies; Nhu Mai in Girrawheen is where it's at.

Nguyen Sinh, Hanoi, Vietnam (Alissa and Don Eat Asia Day 23, Part 4)

I rarely rate a sandwich or a burger very highly, but if ever there was a sandwich that could lay claim to being the king of sandwiches it would have to be Banh Mi (or as they spell it in Hanoi, Banh My). Banh Mi can technically be any kind of sandwich or bread, but the classic that has become well known in the west is a combination of a French baguette, assorted Vietnamese cold cuts, pate, vegetables and herbs. A product of the French Indochina colonial era and spread throughout the world during the Vietnam War diaspora, Banh Mi has outlived its origins in troubled times to become the kind of sandwich that can command long queues at the best Vietnamese bakeries in places throughout the world (including a well known example in Melbourne).

Coming to Hanoi, there was no way we wouldn't be eating one of these magnificent sandwiches and we didn't wait long at all to get one. After checking in and mistaking a less than stellar restaurant for the famous Chim Quay place in the Old Quarter, we found ourselves at Nguyen Sinh; a specialist in charcuterie well known for their foie gras pate Banh Mi. Alissa and I walked in a bit confused by their lack of English signage, but knowing what we wanted we were able to communicate that we were here for the Banh Mi. 

The staff lovingly assembled our rolls with an assortment of their cold cuts and the aforementioned pate, along with some pickled vegetables. We had decided to go across the road to Pho 10 before eating these, so we took the rolls away.

Back in the hotel we unwrapped our baguettes and were blown away. While lacking the combination of fresh herbs I usually associate with a good Banh Mi, the foie gras pate more than made up for it with its mouthwatering unctiousness and the sheer quality of the cold cuts - the Vietnamese must truly be the masters of charcuterie in Asia. Combined with the sweet and sour pickled vegetables and the expertly baked baguette that had both a crispy crust and a soft inside, this is exactly the kind of food that can convince a sandwich sceptic such as myself that putting some fillings inside bread can be as good and as satisfying a meal as my favourite bowls of noodles or a fine dining experience. Being someone who loves her bread as well as being an avid fan of foie gras, Alissa was in heaven. 

The Verdict: Excellent

It may not be the classic Banh Mi we known in the west (and I hear Hoi An do Banh Mi even better) - but seriously, this is foie gras pate and great cold cuts in an awesome baguette for a bargain price. You've gotta do it.