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Tâm, that was a good lunch find
The small family-run eatery, which features traditional Vietnamese cuisine, is in a nondescript strip mall off North Lamar Boulevard, just north of U.S. 183. Since the café specializes in delicious sandwiches, we figured we’d try a couple. We were duly impressed with both the char-grilled pork sandwich and shredded pork sandwich. All of the Vietnamese sandwiches ($4-$6) come with mayonnaise, pickled carrots, cucumber, cilantro and jalapeños. But those fearful of mayo or jalapeños need not fret. The mayo simply adds moisture to the wonderfully crisp French rolls, while the fresh jalapeños offer just a bit of spice to kick things up ever so slightly.
In order to range outside of the standard sandwich fare, we also ordered the Vietnamese green papaya salad with beef jerky and the Bánh Xèo, a crepe filled with shrimp, pork and bean sprouts. Oddly, the two appetizers came out after the sandwiches, but we bashed on undeterred. One of the owners had given us a slight wink when we ordered the papaya salad and with good reason - the sauce that dressed the salad and which saturated the bottom of the plate was quite spicy. While it required the accompaniment of a couple of glasses of water, the flavor complemented the crisp papaya and jerky well and did not ruin the flavor of the dish. The crepe was a little more perplexing, even beyond the shelled shrimp, what with the very egg-y crepe concoction that left quite a bit to be desired.
The confusing crepe notwithstanding, we had a wonderful meal that was enough for three or four people and only cost us $25 after tip, with drinks included. The service was attentive and gregarious, as the owner demonstrated how to shear our crepe with chopsticks in order to eat it. While I almost never find myself in that part of Austin, I will be happy to find the time to make it up that way again for more Vietnamese sandwiches and more experimentation with flavors.
Tâm Deli & Café
8222 North Lamar Blvd.
512.834.6458
10 AM - 8 PM
Closed Tuesdays
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By adi
June 25, 2007 4:11 PM | Link to this
love the sandwiches at this place! will hafta try something else next time!