Chao Vietnamese Street Food: Food Reviews by Zac

Vietnamese food is one of my favorites. Most Americans will tell you how great soup and sandwiches are, but very few would ever list pho or a banh mi as their favorite. The flavors of Southeast Asia are something you need to add to your life.

Lemongrass Pork Banh Mi

Right off I-69, you’ll find Chao Vietnamese Street Food tucked away on E 96th Street. Their website promises authentic flavors inspired by street food. Like most street food, the lack of formality allows for experimentation. Their menu offers traditional Vietnamese items and a handful of modern fusion takes. I researched their menu before going, and I still struggled to order once I was there because so many things sounded good.

The Basics

Website: https://www.chaovietstreetfood.com
Address: 7854 E 96th St, Fishers, IN 46037
Cuisine: Vietnamese / Fusion
Type: Sit Down
Online Ordering: Available through a handful of platforms but their preferred vendor is Toast.

Bite Size History

If you’ve read my prior posts, you’re well aware that I have strong opinions about fries and Cuban sandwiches. The passion you’ve noted for Cubanos actually extends into the entire realm of sandwiches. I could never provide a definitive list of my favorite– it would constantly change. Yet, despite the ever-shifting rankings, the banh mi often claims my top spot.

The French influence on the banh mi is easy to see. The sandwich comes on a Vietnamese baguette which is the lighter and flakier cousin of the French baguette. You’ll find mayo – a French staple with questionable origins. More traditional places may also feature pate which is a classic French dish. It involves finely mincing meat, herbs, and spices that is then cooked but served cold.

On a banh mi, you’ll find: fresh herbs, pickled vegetables, a protein, and an indulgent amount of mayo. 

Within the above listed categories, there is a bit of room for personal preference. For herbs, you typically find cilantro, but may also see cucumber slices or jalapenos. The quick pickled veggies are almost always carrots and daikon radish. For the proteins, you can find: chicken, pate, pork, tofu, and numerous other less standard options. Nearly all banh mi’s have mayo, but some locations may do a sriracha mayo. 

My personal favorite build is: cilantro, cucumber, lemongrass pork, traditional pickled veggies, and sriracha mayo (Dukes or bust).

Review

Atmosphere

As soon as the doors opened, I immediately noticed the lovely scent of brewing coffee. The next thing I noticed was the completely empty dining room at 6:30 in the evening. As a former restaurant employee, I think the hardest shifts were the slow ones. It was too easy to slack off and forget the handful of tasks I was responsible for. Despite the desolate dining room, the staff was attentive and immediately got us setup. The dining room did start to fill up a bit after our arrival.

I won’t pretend like it was the nicest dining room I’ve ever seen, but it was nicer than your standard Asian take out restaurants that all use the exact same restaurant supplier. Instead, Chao looked like it wanted diners to enjoy their food in the restaurant. It has a simple layout that is open and inviting. The layout was set up with the coffee brewing near the dining room to tempt you.

Score: 2 / 3

The Food

For this trip, I was part of a group of 5 (shout out Hannah, Henry, Lex, and Morgan). For the most part, we made our own menu choices, but we did order more appetizers than really needed. With the appetizers, we went with Chao’s Fusion offerings while our entrees were more standard Vietnamese affairs. Morgan and I ended up going with the Chao Fries, Vietnamese Tacos, and 2 different banh mi sandwiches.

Chao Made Hot Sauce: Sadly, I didn’t get a chance to ask about this. The bottle lists the ingredients as “peppers, garlic, salt, sugar”. To me, it seemed like a mixture between sriracha and a Louisiana style hot sauce. The sauce was thin like a Louisiana sauce meaning it poured freely. The sauce actually had a touch more heat than I would expect from either pantry staple. It wasn’t overwhelming, it just added a pleasant heat that wanted to be noticed for a few seconds as it passed through. I’d actually consider buying this sauce.

Chao Fries: Years ago, back when I first started eating banh mis, one of the first things I ever said was they made me crave fries. It was a craving that has stuck with me through the years, but one I’ve given up on. As soon as I saw fries on the menu, I had to try them. We chose the Chao Fries over the standard side of fries. The Chao Fries are the base fries that are topped with lemongrass pork, pickled veggies, and the housemade spicy mayo. 

To start off this dish review, I’ll be upfront and admit my photograph lets this dish down a bit. I’ll shoulder some of the blame, but the dish has its share to bear. Visually, it’s not the most appealing. The fries are golden yellow. The carrots and the sauce are orange. Then everything is topped with the brown pork. Beauty standards aside, this dish was a hit for everyone at the table.

The thick cut, beer battered fries would be a delight on their own. They were golden brown with a satisfying crunch. Finessing all of the ingredients into a single bite was a tall order, but once executed you’ll experience a fleeting second of bliss. You’d get the crispy crunch that all deep fried food strives for, followed by the pop of acid, the touch of heat, and finally a hint of sweetness from the lemongrass pork. Don’t forget to request extra napkins.

Vietnamese Tacos: Anyone who reads “Asian Pear marinated pork belly topped with pickled daikon and carrots, cilantro, spicy mayo, and avocado cream” and isn’t interested is likely not a frequent dining companion of mine. This is the type of fusion food that I wish I found more of. 

The tacos were actually larger than I would have guessed – which is a pleasant surprise. The pork belly was tender, but not quite melt in your mouth. I thought the taco played with contrasting temperatures really well. Your bite would start with the hot pork belly and end with the slightly chilled cream. Ultimately, I enjoyed the taco, but there were several strong flavors going on. I’m not sure I could eat more than one of these in a sitting.

Pork Banh Mi / Chao Special Banh Mi: Morgan and I both went for the sandwiches. As you may infer, I went with the pork and Morgan the Chao special.

Here, the sandwiches come with your standard quick pickled veggies, cilantro, jalapeno and a plain mayo. The Chao Special came with pate, Vietnamese ham, and thinly spiced pork belly. 

Banh mis are such a delight because each ingredient layer adds a new, unique element into the fold. The bread has a solid crust but gives into a light and airy texture. The herbs add a layer of freshness that only fresh vegetables can. The proteins typically add a bit of umami. The mayo provides a creamy sensation with a hint of tang. To balance out the sweetness of the mayo, you have pickled veggies adding acidity to round out the flavors. 

Chao’s banh mi’s meet the expectations. They were a delight. The lemongrass pork was delicious.  I did add the Chao hot sauce to the mayo to add a bit more heat. The Chao Special used your typical flavors and then added an additional strong pepper taste. It didn’t quite agree with my taste buds, but Morgan enjoyed it. To provide a complaint, I don’t think the pickled veggies were strong enough. Their flavor gets a bit lost. 

The Bill: Our bill was split with friends, but one can get two sandwiches and a giant order of fries for under $30. I think the price to food value comparison is fantastic here.

Score: 3.5 / 5

Zac’s Thoughts

I feel like Vietnamese food is often overlooked. Chinese, Japanese, and Thai seem to be the more common Asian cuisines.  Part of me is okay with Vietnamese being under appreciated, because it keeps down the prices. The other part of me wants to take the streets and spread the gospel of the magic of pho or the banh mi. I guess I decided to take the more sane middle ground.

Chao Street Food is doing Vietnamese flavors well. They’re offering the classics and also introducing new fusion ideas. In my limited experience, Vietnamese fusion food is often some of the best. I won’t break into another tangential rant, but Viet-Cajun food is simply amazing.

I will absolutely be returning here and likely ordering too much food. I’ll have to order my favorite sandwich and whatever new clever idea they’re running on special.  With shoulder season upon us, I may also need to add a bowl of pho. If only they offered a soup and sandwich special!

Score: 2 / 2

Chao Vietnamese Street Food: 7.5 / 10

For the home cooks

If you want to learn more about cooking Vietnamese, start with Andrea Nguyen. Her blog would make an excellent first stop. I’m also a huge fan of her cookbooks. I frequently refer back to “Vietnamese Food Any Day” and “The banh mi handbook”.

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