March 29, 2009

Hanco's Vietnamese Sandwich Shop


At some point this winter, the Tea Lounge on 7th Ave closed its doors and has since been replaced by Hanco's, a Vietnamese sandwich shop that has it's primary location in Boerum Hill. Recently, I read somewhere that more bánh mì eateries have opened in NYC in the last year than any other type of restaurant. I haven't had the pleasure of trying one until Saturday.


One glance at the ingredients in a bánh mì and its pretty clear these sandwiches are a delicious by-product of French colonial rule in Vietnam during the 19th and 20th centuries. Ham, pork and pâté with shaved carrots, daikon radish and cucumber served on a baguette with some mayo and butter? Sign me up! Everything inside the sandwich was incredible but the bread really held the sandwich together, literally and figuratively. The baguette was crisp but not to hard, making it possible to eat the sandwich without destroying it.


To accompany the sandwich, MB ordered up her favorite Vietnamese treat, a pair of gỏi cuốn - spring or summer rolls, depending on who you ask. Unlike their fried cousins, chả giò, these rolls are basically a small salad you can eat with your hands. Peaking through the uncooked rice paper, you could see the three medium shrimp resting on a bed of rice vermicelli and greens. The rolls are served with a light peanut dipping sauce.


3 comments:

The Great Brown Hope said...

*drool* you should really come back to boerum hill and have a sandwich from Nicky's (on Atlantic around the corner from the original Hanco's). Nicky's makes a top notch sandwich in original, pork chop and chicken. to boot: they have the best Pho that i've ever eaten.

Alan Maginn said...

done and done. i'd say this weekend but we're going to be in rochester for a wedding. maybe the weekend after?

Unknown said...

MMMMmmmmm... what a fantastic find! I'm so excited to eat there again (and very excited to try Nicky's too!). No question, best replacement for (snobby) tea lounge.