Montrose favorite Les Ba’get re-opens in the Oak Forest/Garden Oaks area with a larger space and expanded menu of bánh mì, phở, and small plates.

1717 W 34th St, Suite 800, Houston, TX 77018

(832) 548-1080

Website

11AM–5PM, 7 days a week (soft opening hours)

We’re devotees of Les Noo’dle, the small phở spot operated by Cat Huynh and Angie Dang in the space on Montrose Blvd formerly occupied by their restaurant Les Ba’get. So, when we learned Les Ba’get had finally re-opened in a larger space in the Oak Forest/Garden Oaks area, we quickly abandoned our home sandwich fixings. Clearly, hordes of other folks had anticipated this event, too. When we arrived for lunch a few days after the restaurant’s soft opening, the hungry-eyed formed a line from the front door to the counter, but this gave us a chance to study the menu, decide our orders, and change our minds many times over.

It is hard not to notice the interior of Les Ba’get: spacious, naturally lit, modern, industrial in a cozy way. But our double-take was at the prices: $9 for bánh mì in a city where Viet sandwiches are ubiquitous and can be anyone’s for under $4. We had to admit, however, the fillings sounded enticing (hoisin butter chicken) and possibly worth the splurge. Knowing that we loved their $10 phở, we went for it, ordering two sandwiches and a small plate of grilled hamachi collar, but saved a few dollars by hydrating at the snazzy metal water coolers.

Lemongrass tofu baguette ($7): All sandwiches at Les Ba’get come dressed with cucumber, cilantro, scallions, pickled daikon and carrot, red jalapeño slices, paté, and aioli. That includes the tofu version, so if you’re a vegetarian or vegan, ask them to leave off the paté and/or aioli. If you’re not a vegetarian but enjoy tofu, the fully-dressed version is the most indulgent soy-filled sandwich you will ever try. The house-baked baguette—not over-toasted, crisp and chewy on the outside, light and airy within—hugs chunks of marinated tofu. The savory, grilled edge on the tofu, enhanced by the thin-sliced pickles, veggies, and unctuous gobs of duck liver paté and homemade aioli, induces pure ecstasy. You can ask for extra paté and/or aioli for $2 each, but plenty of both makes their way onto the baguette in a standard order.

Braised beef belly baguette ($9): Biting into the second bánh mì produced another round of joyful expletives. This baguette cradled tender, fatty, beef belly, its richness ramped up by the smears of paté and aioli, with the crisp veggies and sharp jalapeños offering the perfect counterpoint. Plenty of tasty bánh mì are available in Houston at half the price, and we enjoy them all the time ourselves. However, chef Cat Huynh’s version has graduated to the next level. Considering the quality ingredients and total attention to detail evidenced here, $9 is a perfectly reasonable for this masterpiece of the sandwich arts.

Turmeric lemongrass grilled hamachi collar ($10): The fish collar, which includes the part directly behind the head and gills as well as the pectoral fins, might not be the prettiest thing ever put on a plate. But, when well-prepared, yellowtail collar (also known as hamachi kama) is delicious. Les Ba’get’s rendition is charred to the max with a kitchen torch but cooked until just tender. The turmeric and lemongrass seasoning gives the dish a yellow cast but does not overpower the fish, although the skin leans on the salty side (not a problem for us, though). The acidic pickles and lime wedges make fine companions. This is a fun dish to share with a friend and get a little messy with, picking through the oddly-shaped bits of bones and fins to get at the tender, juicy meat.

We are smitten with Les Ba’get at least as much as restauranteurs Huynh and Dang’s Montrose phở bar, Les Noo’dle. The price point may make it a bit of a splurge, but think $15 cheeseburger at a quality steakhouse vs. a quarter pounder with cheese at McDonald’s: both taste pretty good but one guarantees to be significantly more delicious. Chef Cat Hunyh has done an excellent job assembling a varied, interesting menu at the new incarnation of Les Ba’get. We are counting the days until our next visit.