Get Lucky?

The boys of Banh Mi Boys now have 2 restaurants serving up-scale Vietnamese subs. With the demise of long-time Vietnamese shop Che Cali, they have decided to expand into Chinatown itself. This could be a good location, right next door to their parents' Nguyen Huong, which already supplies them with all their buns. I visited Lucky Red on Saturday.

Unlike the other recent hipster entry into Chinatown (directly across the street), Lucky Red is a quick take-out place despite the funky uneven wood blocks that make up the walls, the high tables, or red paint job. As such, the people behind the counter looked more like McDonald's employees. But even with a flat grill behind them, likely the bulk of the food preparation is done in the closed-off kitchen.

I ordered a 5-spice pork belly bao ($3.90) and a bulgogi taco ($3.90). Both dishes came stuffed with the pickled carrot and turnip condiment found in Vietnamese subs. The pork belly was rich and tasty. I wasn't as fond of the stringy Korean beef. The bao wrap had a slight sweetness but was a little cakey. To me, a good bao doesn't stick to your teeth. The taco was interesting in that it resembled a fried Indian paratha more than a Mexican taco.

It was an OK lunch but I didn't see many other customers. From the outside, it wasn't clear what sort of food Lucky Red offered. The prices aren't really competitive with its neighbours but it doesn't compensate with boozy drinks and a trendy cachet that are filling up The People's Eatery across the way.