CôCô

In the last few years, hungry office workers from New York to London have been rushing for banh mi, a Franco-Vietnamese sandwich and a novel lunchtime option. It combines fatty pâté and roast pork slices, offset by coriander and the zing of pickled daikon and carrot, all in an airy-light baguette (it’s baked with rice flour to combat the humidity in Vietnam). Contending for the title of Perfect Sandwich, there’s now fuel for a banh mi explosion in Berlin. Hit up CôCô at Rosenthaler Platz to judge for yourself. As is the norm for gentrified, faddish ‘world food’ purveyors, the interior is modern to the point of bland, with high stools at communal wooden tables and a large wall of chanh muối (preserved lemons) in enormous Kilner jars. The selection of different sandwich fillings includes banh mi thit nuong (with lemongrass meatballs) and banh mi chay (with tofu), as well as the classic variety – all are made to order at the bar, where pre-prepared ingredients are plucked from an array of containers on display. If the sun’s out, take your sandwich to the nearby Weinbergpark and munch in peace on the hillside.