Kim'a Banh Mi & More is a Vietnamese eatery that specializes in authentic Vietnamese style Banh Mi sandwiches and a variety of other Asian and Vietnamese eats. It is located in the Chic's Beach Plaza, stationed between a Little Caesar's to its left and the La Herradura Mexican Restaurant to its right. It was formerly the home of Swirly's Fruit, which was an ice cream and frozen yogurt bar, as well as a boba tea shop. The transition appears to have been made during the fall of 2021. Kim's Banh Mi & More bakes their own Vietnamese style baguettes daily, which are also on display and can be purchased separately. The Banh Mi sandwich is a unique fusion dish that originated during the period of French colonialism in Vietnam during the late 19th century. The Vietnamese took the traditional French baguette and gave it a much thinner crust that was lighter and crispier than the French style baguette. The Vietnamese also added their own unique fillings. The dining area is bright and airy with four square top tables and one rectangular table. I counted a total of 20 chairs altogether for their dine-in customers.A wall menu states that each Banh Mi sandwich is served with a fresh house made baguette with fresh cucumbers, cilantro, spicy green peppers, pickled carrots & radish, and the proteins of your choice.A kiosk for is available for self-serve ordering and is very user friendly. You can customize your orders by telling it what you do and don't want on your Banh Mi sandwiches. You can also order at the counter if doing so is your preference.During four lunch time dine-in visits, I have tried the following:COLD CUT COMBINATION BANH MI SANDWICH: Red Pork Ham, Pork Roll Ham, Pate, Housemade Mayo Butter, and Sauce.I ordered it at the counter extra spicy and told them to leave out the Mayo, as this is one condiment that has never agreed with me. The counter person was nice enough to ask if they should leave out the Pate as well, since it also contains eggs. I told him that I am okay with eggs in Pate, but not the Mayo.The crust was light and flaky, but a bit too dry and crumbly for my tastes. The Pate spread did not deliver quite the depth of flavor I like, and the filling was not as spicy as I like. Otherwise, the meats and fillings were tasty and filling. My Rating: 3.5 Stars.GRILLED CHICKEN BANH MI: Marinated Grilled Chicken, Housemade Butter, and Sauce. I asked the counter person if the sauce contained Mayo and was told it did not. I also told him to add some Pate and prepare it extra spicy.I had better luck with this one. The crust was light and crispy and not as dry as before. The grilled marinated chicken and other fillings delivered a nice combination of flavors. This one was also a little spicier than before. The Pate spread still did not deliver quite the depth of flavor I like. My Rating: 4 Stars.LAVENDER MILK BOBA TEA: The taste of this boba drink was a bit lackluster. The boba pearls kept getting stuck inside the straw, and I had to get a spoon to eat the rest. My Rating: 3 Stars.PHO DAC BIET SPECIAL COMBO: Pho Beef Noodle Soup with Round Steak, Flank Steak, Brisket, Beef Meatballs, and Beef Tendons, garnished with Chopped Scallions, Onions, and Cilantro. They just started serving Pho earlier this year. My Pho was served to me in a plastic bowl and with a plastic spoon. Their condiments were served stuffed inside a cylinder shaped cardboard container. I've been eating Pho as a dine-in customer for about 25 years, and this is the first time I have ever had it served to me in this manner. I feel strongly that Pho is one dish that deserves to be served in a traditional ceramic bowl and with an Asian soup spoon.About half of the meat slices were fat and gristly to the point of being inedible. I had to dump them in the cardboard container. The actual taste of the broth was only passable. My Rating: 2 Stars.For some better news, I also tried the following:GRILLED CHICKEN WITH RICE: Grilled Chicken with Cabbage, Lettuce, Tomatoes, Cilantro, and Peppers over Rice. Ordered with a Spicy Fish Sauce Blend. This is one of their new rice dishes. The grilled chicken was abundant and marinated beautifully. The flavors of the other ingredients came through nicely, and I loved the kick of their Spicy Fish Sauce. I had enough left over for two more meals. My Rating: 5 Stars.KIM'S KIMCHI: Lotus Root, Mustard Greens, Cabbage Carrot, Cucumber, Pineapple, Sugar, and Vinegar. This was ordered from their Grab & Go Case.I recently added Kimchi to my diet, and their version might be the best one I have tasted yet. The combination of flavors works wonderfully, and I especially love the Lotus Roots. I am already on my 2nd jar. My Rating: 5 Stars,Based upon my four visits to date, my composite food rating came out to 3.75 stars, which enabled me to round up to a soft 4-star rating. I may stop in again sometime when I am in the area and especially when I am craving their Kimchi.
Visit Restaurant Page
"Food was good! The chili oil wontons were flavorful! Little Dude #2 loved his chicken wings! Big Bro ate his beef fried rice without complaint. Daughter & Littlest Dude shared the Lan Zhou soup. Hubby liked his seafood soup and I liked my chili oil soup. Noodles were all amazing, just don't let them sit too long in the soup. Service was AWESOME! Super friendly and attentive!"
"Anya Thai Cuisine, the new kid on the 12,000 block of Warwick Boulevard, Newport News, has it going on! The space has a chill Asian vibe, broad authentic menu, warm and hospitable hosts and servers and can prepare your food as Thai Spicy as you like it. We stopped in last Friday night for a family feast. Anya checked off all the boxes:1. We shared Summer Rolls (4 per order). They were soft wrapped with fresh shrimp, cabbage and pork, with house made peanut dipping sauce. Excellent.2. We next split two bowls of Tom Kha Soup with four flat bottom spoons. The coconut milk, veggies, mushroom, langyel spice and chicken were likewise a taste sensation. Both were terrific appetizers. 3. As was the Thai Calamari with sweet/sour dipper. Crunchy with mild chew from beginning to end. We then went our separate ways with individual entrees. My Drunken Noodles (Thai Spicy) were delicious, and the lemongrass made my nose run as expected. So too, the Pad See Ew, which while the heat profile was tame, still captured the taste buds without remorse. The Best Ginger Stir Fry was a near revelation to my sister, who sucked it down without offering a taste to anyone. All she could say was, "I didn't know ginger was so amazing." She repeated this chant into the next morning. The Garlic Stir fry caused a similar reaction from my spouse, who at least let me sample from her bowl. I concurred. Even the small candy that accompanied the check was so remarkable that we returned the next day to ask where they had purchased this coffee jujube so we could buy some. Anya was pleasantly surprised by our appearance, and was able to advise where she found them. We ended up buying out the entire supply at Farm Fresh International Market. That doesn't happen every day!"
