Locale Profiles: Asian Bakery & Fast Food — An Unsettling Brilliance in Upper South Providence

On a blistery January day, comfort in any form is always welcome. Near the corner of Pearl and Broad Streets, cozied beside the sidewalk – recently coated by a dose of freshly fallen flakes and buzzing with hopeful beggars from Crossroads – a short sleeve serves as a most unexpected epicurean destination.

With the holiday season now a fading memory, the hearts of many are left filled with an empty resolve that promises to make this one the year.  For those fortunate enough to do so, there still exists opportunities to live well, be well and eat well, in all parts of the city.

The unremarkable storefront of Asian Bakery & Fast Food (Vietnamese Sandwich) performs a culinary sleight of hand, to those unenlightened.  Unlike their namesake’s suggestion, everything here is carefully prepared to order in a far-from-expeditious manner, and readers must understand that the wait is not only worth it, but necessary.

Eating wisely, in an attempt to shed those extra el-bees, does not have to be an activity one dreads. Rather, it should be heralded as an opportunity to challenge the palate, while reshaping the waistline.

The traditional winter’s chill-combating combination of soup and sandwich normally promises a high-calorie, sodium-laden pairing of steaming tomato creaminess and fry-pan-toasted oozing pleasure, and inevitably yields a self-loathing disposition. There exists, however, an atypical solution to this dietary quandary that is not only full of amazing flavors, but is actually healthy and, for lack of a more appropriate description, dirt cheap.

A mushroom broth is simmered for hours before bubbling at the base of AB&FF’s take on the national dish of Vietnam – phô (fuh). This richly savory and slightly peppered stock is loaded with hearty broccoli florets, decoratively edged slices of carrot, wedges of bok choy cabbage, fresh peapods and gloriously chewy half-medallions of mushroom (that upon first glance resemble white eggplant). After soaking up the flavorful liquid, the produce is mixed with translucent, thinly gauged vermicelli before being topped with perfect cubes of dense bean curd and garnished with cilantro and scallion.

On the other side of the table, there exists the featured player. The main attraction. The reason this review has been written in the first place. The very first item on their menu consists of large rectangles of deep fried tofu, parked alongside a lengthy cucumber wedge, which is then piled with pickled carrot and daikon, jalapeño slices (optional – they ask first) and topped with a handful of fresh cilantro. All this cruelty-free goodness is tightly packed into a delicately-flaky/chewy/lightly toasted roll (“from Boston”) following a healthy slather of peanut sauce and a few whacks of sriracha – subbed in lieu of the traditional spicy mayo/roll sauce. This bo(w)hemoth is finally wrapped in a single sheet of wax paper and bound by an elastic band. The contrastive textures. The burst of flavor. The subtle heat. The roll. Perfection. And it is all prepared in a minuscule kitchen, with meager utilities. Which may explain the wait.

In order to avoid an extended period of loitering, interested parties should call-in their order at least 40 minutes in advance. With a sawbuck in tow, mosey down to 310 Broad, leave a much-deserved tip and give the remainder to the appreciative soul just outside. This is how one makes true on all resolutions, through the spreading of joy and indulging in comfort, healthily.

Asian Bakery & Fast Food, 310 Broad St, Providence. 401.497.6145