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# Combination at Cay Cafe
- URL: https://onesandwich.com/fremont-cay-cafe-combination/
- Published: 2026-10-10T23:19:19.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-10T23:19:19.000Z
- Description: Pâté (pork liver), Chả Lụa (Vietnamese pork roll), Ham, Thịt Nguội (head cheese), Mayonnaise, Cilantro, Jalapeño on banh mi. Sandwich Score 76, excellent. At Cay Cafe, Fremont.
- Author: Andrew Lekashman
- Tags: USA, California, #shop-sandwich, #auto-imported

A sandwich at [Cay Cafe](https://onesandwich.com/fremont-cay-cafe/), a bánh mì shop in Fremont, California.

Bánh Mì Baguette (r…JalapeñoCilantroMayonnaiseThịt Nguội (head ch…HamChả Lụa (Vietnamese…Pâté (pork liver)Bánh Mì Baguette (r…

**76**

Sandwich Score  
out of 100 · excellent

Excellent, with one move worth +14.

A banh mi with layers outside the form; five of six roles.

**Holding the summit:** balance 0.80 or better

Balance

67

Harmony

100

Contrast

88

Structure

89

Focus

90

Composition

95

Quality

100

Envelope

97

More umami than 90% of the catalog.

Each bar is one pillar of the score, 0 to 100\. The tick marks what a sandwich at the summit needs; an amber bar is the one holding this sandwich back.

**banh mi**, served cold: Pâté (pork liver); Chả Lụa (Vietnamese pork roll); Ham; Thịt Nguội (head cheese); Mayonnaise; Cilantro; Jalapeño.

## Balance

salt2.3 · 90thacid0.3 · 38thfat3.0 · 81stsweet0.4 · 51stumami2.8 · 90thheat0.2 · 67thbitter0.3 · 81st

__Flavor axes__
| Axis   | Value | Catalog percentile |
| ------ | ----- | ------------------ |
| salt   | 2.3   | 90th               |
| acid   | 0.3   | 38th               |
| fat    | 3.0   | 81st               |
| sweet  | 0.4   | 51st               |
| umami  | 2.8   | 90th               |
| heat   | 0.2   | 67th               |
| bitter | 0.3   | 81st               |

**77** Balance, out of 100

The seven flavor axes of the whole sandwich, each summed across its layers. The shaded ring is the catalog's middle 80%; the small number under each axis is where this sandwich falls in the catalog. A shape that sits inside the ring is in the range most sandwiches live in; a spike past it is where this one stands apart.

## What each layer brings

| Layer                                                | Role     | Flavor and texture                       | Points    |
| ---------------------------------------------------- | -------- | ---------------------------------------- | --------- |
| banh miscored as Bánh Mì Baguette (rice-flour blend) | bread    | crispy soft flaky                        | the frame |
| Pâté (pork liver)                                    | protein  | fat 5 umami 4 salt 3 creamy silky        | **−5**    |
| Chả Lụa (Vietnamese pork roll)                       | protein  | umami 4 salt 3 fat 2 springy soft tender | **+2**    |
| Ham                                                  | protein  | salt 4 umami 4 fat 3 soft silky tender   | **0**     |
| Thịt Nguội (head cheese)                             | protein  | fat 4 umami 4 salt 3 silky chewy tender  | **−7**    |
| Mayonnaise                                           | sauce    | fat 5 acid 2 creamy saucy                | **+6**    |
| Cilantro                                             | aromatic | bitter 2 soft fresh herbal               | **+4**    |
| Jalapeño                                             | texture  | heat 4 crunchy fresh raw                 | **+9**    |

Points: what the Sandwich Score would lose if that one layer were left out, everything else the same. A negative number means the sandwich scores higher without it. Flavor runs 0 to 5 on each axis.

## Pairings

- **Pâté (pork liver) + Chả Lụa (Vietnamese pork roll)**: the dac biet's pork roll and liver, one charcuterie
- **Pâté (pork liver) + Ham**: the cubano's double pork, cured over roasted
- **Pâté (pork liver) + Thịt Nguội (head cheese)**: the dac biet's cold cuts, one charcuterie
- **Pâté (pork liver) + Cilantro**: cilantro over rich pate, the banh mi finish
- **Cilantro + Jalapeño**: banh mi brightwork: green heat and herb

## How to raise it

- Between you and 90: balance 0.80 or better (0.13 short).

[All the sandwiches at Cay Cafe](https://onesandwich.com/fremont-cay-cafe/) · [The menu this was read from](https://cay.us/menu?ref=onesandwich.com) · [Build your own in the Sandwich Builder](https://onesandwich.com/builder/)

Menu read 2026-09; items and prices change. The score is the site's opinion of the recipe as listed, not a review of the shop; tiers and house-made marks follow the menu's own wording.