An iconic old banh mi shop just got reinvented in Toronto

A legendary old Vietnamese restaurant in Toronto that’s been serving affordable banh mi for years just got a serious makeover.

The iconic storefront for Galaxy T&T now houses festival pop-up concept Tum Lum, providing the pop-up with a physical location. According to the Instagram for the restaurant, tum lum loosely translates to “A satisfied mess of many things brought together at once.”

Not to worry, though, the new operators say that the old Galaxy T&T favourites like banh mi and juices aren’t going anywhere. However, there are definitely some changes to the menu and space now that Tum Lum has taken over Galaxy T&T.

“After all those years, the shop was old and worn. Juicers, counters, floors, everything needed work. And the kitchen? It needed a lot of renovation, from the floor to the ceiling,” reads a social media post from Tum Lum.

“So we rebuilt it, piece by piece. New counter, new lights and a fresh coat of paint.”

Tum Lum’s signature dish is bánh tráng nướng, which is kind of like a Vietnamese pizza made with crispy rice paper, egg, scallion, pork and sauce, grilled fresh to order. Tum Lum also serves handmade cá viên chiên, deep fried fish balls often served on a skewer.

“Some shops close. This one got passed on,” reads a post on social media from Tum Lum.

“For years, Aunty Mai fed Bloordale from her tiny shop on Bloor. When it was time for her to retire, she trusted us to keep it going. We’re Tùm Lum. We’ve been cooking Vietnamese street food at festivals since 2019, and now we finally have a home. A fresh renovation, her recipes, and Vietnamese snacks you can hardly find in Canada.”

Tum Lum is now open at the old Galaxy T&T address at 1227 Bloor St. W.