Amarin Banh Mi – Chincoteague Island’s Happiest Food Truck
/When one thinks of the little Eastern Shore town of Chincoteague Island, Virginia visions of wild ponies and sweeping, untouched beaches come instantly to mind. It’s a small, quiet place where no one locks their doors and the most popular nighttime activity is socializing with strangers while waiting to get a scoop of homemade ice cream. Chincoteague has been an oyster and crabbing town since the 1800’s and continues as such to this day. So naturally a meal here typically involves some variation of fried fish, steamed crabs and fresh oysters on the half. Nothing wrong with that.
But even in Chincoteague one lives not on seafood alone. Today, in addition to the stalwart fruit de mer offerings are foods not previously found here, including killer tacos and food trucks bringing ethnic and cutting edge cuisine to hungry locals and visitors alike. And one of the newest food wonders is Amarin Banh Mi, a little truck tucked back off the street behind its parent shop, Amarin Coffee, a house-turned-Vietnamese coffee shop & bakery which for more than a year has been drawing a regular morning crowd.
Amarin Banh Mi feels like a food truck throwback, when they were still small undertakings consisting of a single culinary idea executed perfectly. It’s a food truck from the age before the big business of food trucks – a smaller, simpler kind of operation that makes you happy to be sitting at one of their parking lot tables enjoying straight up good food. As the name implies, the focus of Amarin Banh Mi is – yes – banh mi sandwiches. And by “focus” I mean that is pretty much the only thing they serve there. Sure, there are a few choices of the kind of banh mi one can get and maybe even a spring roll if they decided to make any that day, but if you’re not looking for that classic Vietnamese hand food found on nearly every street from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City you will have come to the wrong place. Which would be unfortunate, because the banh mi’s that pass through Amarin’s small window are sensational.
There is a fundamental reason that the sandwiches at Amarin Banh Mi are so good: no shortcuts. Everything is made from scratch by the two women who operate this truck: Kim Nguyen and Jane Hoang Corson. Both from Vietnam, they make banh mis the authentic way, like they learned back in the day. “We make everything fresh each day, right here in the truck,” Kim says through a wide, infectious smile. This includes the cooked and fresh ingredients that make their banh mis as good as you’ll find anywhere. It all starts with the bread. Given the French influence in Vietnam’s past, the baguettes and small loaves sold from baskets up and down the streets of every town in Vietnam are among the best in the world. And at Amarin they are the same. Made each morning by them in Amarin Coffee’s pastry ovens just across the small parking lot, the perfectly tensile, golden crust enclosing tender soft air bubbles of warm dough is more than just a delivery system for the sandwich; it is one of its true wonders.
Beyond the amazing bread, one look at their banh mi immediately reveals the care Kim and Jane put into making each one. Take their roast pork banh mi, for example – a moist-cooked pork that somehow retains a crisp crust of flavorful skin. One of five styles of sandwich they prepare, the meat – so delicately spiced to enhance its porky flavors – is evocative of the flavors of Vietnam. And the crunch of that skin between your teeth will drive you wild. The all-essential pate which any self-respecting banh mi is slathered with is smooth and mild, with just a hint of that trademark earthiness to add a bloom of authenticity to the flavor. And the brightness of garden-grown herbs – including the de rigueur pickled daikon, carrot, cucumber, cilantro and fiery jalapeno – finishes the flavor magic in your mouth. After just a couple of bites of this sandwich its perfection emerges, delicately and without fanfare – until its fresh, slightly exotic flavor overtakes you with gustatory joy.
But there is something more than just an outstanding Banh Mi that makes a quick stop at this little food truck an exciting experience. When you approach the raised window next to the pots of calamansi lime bushes you are confronted with what can best be described as a feeling of pure happiness. It’s a different feeling than you get at other food trucks; something makes you feel almost giddy as soon as the window screen opens. You can’t help but grin, happy that you are there. So what is it that makes this food truck the happiest eatery on Chincoteague Island? It’s Kim and Jane themselves. From their genuine smiles and melodic greetings to their effusive, playful energy that you can virtually feel streaming down from the window, you get the sense that these two women love making their food and are truly grateful that you have come to enjoy it with them. You immediately feel not just welcomed, but wanted. And everyone likes to be wanted – especially if there is great food tied to that wanting.
That almost seems to be the plan of these two women and their food; first evelop the customer with joy and positive energy; then give them food that equals that level of happiness; and they will take that joy with them to spread to others. Whether the plan or not, Amarin Banh Mi pays it forward with a feel-good vibe and outstanding food that, well, makes you happy. And it’s hard to ask for much more than that in a quick stop for a common Vietnamese street food in an uncommon place.
Amarin Banh Mi Foodtruck 6141 Maddox Blvd, Chincoteague, VA, VA 23303
