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.
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"I've passed this hole in the wall for a while now and have been trying to figure out how pizza/gyros/burgers/pho all fit together and now I know they kind of belong in the same spot. We stopped by in a Sunday before the lunch rush and were the first ones here. After looking at the eclectic variety we ordered Streak & brisket Pho, Garlic cheese bread, lamb gyro, deluxe fries and 6 boneless wings with hot sauce. You know, to get a feel for the variety of options.The Pho was ok, the broth not as flavorful as I had hoped for or found elsewhere on the peninsula but passable for sure. Noodles and meat were good but I can see how some people might be put off by the fatty portions if you don't know that's where some flavor might be.The Garlic bread with cheese was amazing and we took the leftovers home to reheat for later.Husband said the lamb gyro was tasty and the best part of the meal.A fair warning, the deluxe fries were essentially a delicious but dangerous plate of slathered fries, order at your own risk!Service wasn't fastest but very friendly"
"Sophia and I decided to stay in the Peninsula this Saturday due to weather. It has been years since we ate here so it was time to have some lunch and catch up.We were able to get a booth upon walking in. The crowd was semi-busy which is a good thing. TVs were showing NCAA tournament games and music filled the speakers. One thing we noticed is prices have gone slightly up. Inflation perhaps. Nonetheless, we were hungry and just went with the main course. I selected a large portion of Pho Tai Nam, which consists of round steak and beef brisket. This was pretty good and filled me up, which is the norm every time I order Pho dishes. And as usual, I added some chili oil for spices. Everything was pretty good and tasted well, leaving yours truly with a full stomach.The only true knock I have on the visit is lack of service. We were served with our meals fine, but after we got our bowls they didn't come back to check in on us or see if we needed any refills of water. There were two servers and they were quite busy so that may explain it. Other than the mishap, our visit was fine. We'll definitely be back for another go around. Till next time :)"
