Hanco's Bubble Tea & Vietnamese Sandwich - Great Brooklyn Eats

I have been wanting to try Vietnamese sandwiches for a while, since I keep passing  them by whenever I go to Park Slope or Brooklyn Heights. According to one of my husband's cousins they are pretty darn awesome and are among his favorite foods. Coming from him this is a pretty good signal that this was something I needed to try. I already loved bubble tea from when my husband and I lived in Fort Lee so I was already sold on that part of the deal.

Today we took advantage that our little one had passed out in her stroller during our walk to try a cuisine she would be less than likely to try. We both agreed that it was about time we found out what was so great about Vietnamese sandwiches so we went to Hanco's on the corner of 7th Avenue and 10th Street in Park Slope, Brooklyn (their website sucks so here is a link to their menu from Menu Pages, just note that the sandwiches are $6.50 not $5.75). My husband ordered the Classic Sandwich, made up of roasted ground pork, Vietnamese ham, pate, mayo, butter, cucumber, picked carrots & daikon radish and cilantro on a toasted french baguette.

I ordered the Pork Sandwich, containing grilled pork chop, mayo, butter, cucumber, picked carrots & daikon radish and cilantro on a toasted french baguette. I accompanied mine with their Taro bubble tea and my husband chose their black tea version. I really loved the flavors I got in this sandwich. The grilled pork was moist and tender and combined perfectly with the flavor of the pickled daikon radish and the cilantro. The sauce on it had just enough heat and the fact that the bread was crunchy on the outside but spongy enough to absorb the juices on the inside made this a sandwich that is pretty hard to beat.

We have both agreed that this place is definitely one that we will be going back to because the flavors were tremendous and the portions satisfying (and even better, the prices are great). Perhaps the only gripe I have about the place is that is was a bit dirty. We sat at the back on the sofa and the seat covers looked a little grimy as did the floor, but I am chucking it up to the fact that there are a lot of us who come in with children and this entails that messes will happen, so I am not going to write them off based on this. If you have not tried Vietnamese sadwiches yet I definitely recommend that you do because they are beautiful, flavorful things.

 Taro Bubble Tea

The Pork Sandwich

The Amateurs' Pork Fried Rice

I did not cook today because there were just too many great leftovers in the fridge. However I would like to share with you the recipe for my very amateurish but still delicious home made Pork Fried Rice. This recipe will give you 4 to 5 heaping servings.

Ingredients:
2 Cups uncooked white/jasmine rice (prepare separately before hand)
2 large boneless Pork Chops - chopped into 1/2" cubes
4 cloves of garlic - crushed
4 green onions - chopped
1 red pepper - chopped
1 large carrot - shredded
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 eggs
3 Tbsp of butter
3-4 Tbsp Soy sauce

Prepare the rice separately and start preparing other ingredients while it is cooking. In a wok or deep pan heat the olive oil at medium high heat and add the garlic, green onions and red pepper. Saute the ingredients for about 5 minutes stirring frequently. Add the carrot and saute for 1 more minute. Add the pork chop cubes and saute until they are cooked through. Lower heat to a medium low.
Slightly beat the 3 eggs. In a frying pan heat 1 TBSP of the butter until it is melted and add the eggs. once they are cooked through to a firm point, take off the heat and put on a cutting board chopping into small chunks. Add them to the pan with the pork and vegetables and mix them in making sure to break up any large lumps. Add the cooked rice and mix well. Add the soy sauce and mix well.
Viola! you have made home made fried rice.
Enjoy :)