Have you ever ate something that you thought was pretty good and later (like a couple of days), you think wow, I’ve got to try that again? I call it, “the cocaine affect”. I’m hooked, no… addicted! That is what I felt a few days after eating a grilled pork bahn mi sandwich at Eastborough in Costa Mesa. The sandwich is quite simple: a French baguette with grilled morsels of pork, cilantro sprigs, jalapeno slice, thin cucumber slice, marinated shreds of carrot and daikon, with a hit of mayo on the baguette.
When I first ate this bahn mi, I thought it was good, not great. But low and behold, “the cocaine affect” took hold. I craved that damn sandwich over and over again. I even tried to recreate my own at home, but to no avail. Maybe I was craving this unknown vegetable, the daikon. I googled what this obscure vegetable is. What is it you ask? Well, it is a Japanese radish, found in Asian markets. I made a special trip to Mitsuwa Market in Costa Mesa to see about this mystical radish. It looked similar to a parsnip and I was intimidated by it. For $8.00 for a twelve inch grilled pork bahn mi with tons of yummy daikon, I decided that I would let Eastborough make my sandwich for me.
Eastborough is located in the hip, trendy Camp. The Camp is right across the street from The Lab, both on Bristol Street. The restaurant/counter is an outdoor type, permanent kiosk. I think that’s an oxymoron? Anyways, you order at the counter and sit under this patio cover or, because I can never get parking at The Camp, I call in my order and have curbside delivery. Since discovering my new found addiction to bahn mi’s I have tried a few other places that serve them and they just don’t measure up. I will get my “fix” there.
Address: 2937 Bristol St, Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Website: http://costamesa.east-borough.com
