My work friends P, M, and I met up for lunch last week in Northridge. The place has changed so much since I attended the school in the mid-90s.  The campus has gone through some serious facelifts over the last couple decades and shows no real resemblance of the earthquake-damaged campus that I so vividly remember.

The neighborhood surrounding the campus has gone through some makeovers as well. There are so many restaurants and cute eateries that never existed before. I remember my friends and I used to have to drive to get to places that offered decent food at a student’s budget. I can’t tell you how jealous I am that kids can walk to California Chicken Café now!

Three of us ended up in a place called Bun Me!, a tiny fast food place that offers Vietnamese staples like Bahn Mi sandwiches and Vermicelli Bowls for cheap. This is such a perfect place for students on the budget and looking to upgrade from the usual greasy Chinese takeout and delivery pizza.

I ordered the Bun Me Deli Special with pate, pork roll and char sui pork. The sandwich was not the best I’ve ever had but was pretty tasty … maybe a solid “B.” But I guess for $3.95, I shouldn’t complain. M ordered a Grilled Lemongrass Chicken Bahn Mi which she enjoyed, and P ordered a Vermicelli Bowl, a hearty bowl with vegetables and protein of choice (she let me sample the grilled tofu and it tasted like meat!).

Although the place is small, it is clean and comfortable, and the staff is super helpful and friendly. I love that there’s plenty of parking space in this shopping center for us non-students who drive here. Be warned that there is no restroom here but you can go to Starbucks two doors down.

After lunch, we headed across the street to Get Shaved for some icy dessert. If I remember correctly, this walk-up was once a coffee stand. I ordered a small shaved ice with strawberry syrup, condensed milk, and azuki beans. The beans tasted a little off for some reason so I’ll definitely go without it next time.  By the way, I think I spent more on the shaved ice (which is virtually just frozen water with sugar water) than the Bahn Mi sandwich!

It was so nice to catch up with my friends over lunch, and it probably won’t be long until I return to Northridge to walk down the memory lane. I hope the students know how lucky they have it now.

Bun Me
9420 Reseda Blvd., #5, Northridge, CA 91324
★★★★☆

Get Shaved
9255 Reseda Blvd., Northridge, CA 91324
★★★★☆