When your friends tell you about a hole-in-the-wall restaurant, bar, or other business, do you visit that place or avoid it? More often than not, what appears on the outside does not reflect the true appearance of the business. One image may lead to another, yet some can completely surprise us. When someone as esteemed as Sarah Bennett suggests places to check out to eat and/or drink at, I make it a priority to seek out such suggestions. In this particular case, a recommendation for one purpose eventually turned into a brand new purpose, which led me to my discovery of Tiger!Tiger! in San Diego.
After a visit to Tiger!Tiger! (T!T! for short), you may never judge a book by its cover again. From the outside, T!T! appears as a dive bar to those unfamiliar with the place. Once you step in, you will find more than just an ordinary bar. Locals renown T!T! as a go-to bar for craft beer, especially for local breweries like AleSmith or Stone Brewing. Besides the craft beer, T!T! also devises amazing food with quality far beyond any typical bar, reflected best in their Wood-Fired Pork Belly Bánh Mì. This delectable sandwich features Chinese BBQ Pork Belly fired on wood in their brick oven visible throughout the entire bar. The star pork belly pairs up with a supporting cast of pickled vegetables, cilantro, cucumber, and chili aioli on a thick baguette, served with a side of slaw. The other ingredients all contribute tremendous roles in supporting the succulence of the pork belly, as no ingredient competes with each other. The pickled vegetables, cucumbers, and chili aioli all assist to open the palate to absorb all the flavors coming in one bite at a time. Although not a fully traditional Bánh Mì, eating this may open your culinary world to the joys of traditional Bánh Mì sandwiches.
You can snag this Bánh Mì at Tiger!Tiger! for just $10. Unfortunately, security checks ID at the door, meaning nobody under 21 may enter. If you crave this sandwich, find someone nice to buy the sandwich to-go for you, because you have to try this – I mean it!
