Hanco's! Gesundheit! No, but seriously, Hanco's is the first to be knocked off of my Hype List.

I'm going to be doing a virtual comparison between Hanco's in Park Slope, and Banh Mi Saigon in Chinatown. I didn't have my camera with me at Banh Mi Saigon, so you'll just have to take my word for it. I only ordered pork sandwiches at both because seriously who eats the chicken or beef banh mi? That's like ordering chicken pho.

I had some free time today, so I decided to take a stroll over to Park Slope. The area is really nice, lined with many different restaurants and cafes. Hanco's wasn't very hard to find right at the corner of 7th ave and 10th St with big green signage. 

Here's a shot of the interior. Behind me is a red couch and table. The space felt very cozy once inside. I must admit that the new Banh Mi Saigon felt more spacious, but it also lacked character. It felt more like a cafeteria. BMS's walls were white, and the floor was white tile. Also part of BMS's seating was a bar table that cantilevered out of the wall next to the entrance. I don't mind bar stools and bar tables in very small places like say, BaoHaus in Union Sq, but it just felt awkward when there was so much walking space. Perhaps it gets quite crowded during weekdays.

As you can see the meat is in pieces. Just the way a pork sandwich should be. Upon ordering they ask you how spicy you would like your meat. BMS uses minced pork, which is totally fine, but I feel a lot of the natural meat juices are lost in the cooking process, and you have no choice say in how spicy the "spicy pork" is (spoiler alert: not that spicy). One must also wonder, if there are any meat substitutes, such as tofu, in the mix when the sandwiches are so stuffed and so cheap (not that there is anything wrong tofu long as it tastes good and texture is on point). It's also easier to get away with overcooking minced pork, as the dryness of the meat can easily be overlooked when cooked in oil, since the it has already lost a lot of its natural juices. It is a lot more difficult to execute juicy pork strips. When I placed my order at Banh Mi Saigon, they handed it to me immediately which means, they have the minced pork precooked and sitting on a heater, and is assembled much like a school cafeteria's sloppy joe. I had to actually wait at Hanco's (about 10 minutes or so).

In Banh Mi Saigon's defense you get a lot more sandwich. At least 50% more sandwich (close to a foot long sub) as opposed to Hanco's normal sized sandwich. Not only that but BMS is cheaper, it's $4.50 for a foot long while it's 6.50 for Hanco's average sized sub. When I first ate Banh Mi Saigon, I thought they had mistakenly given me two subs, but it was actually just one sub cut in half. Subway can't even beat that value.

Hanco's also serves Pho and Bubble Tea. I tried a small half sweetened milk tea, and it was exactly what I expected, and complemented the sandwich very well. I've had better tapioca from Kung Fu, but it definitely wasn't bad by any means (it wasn't quite as soft as Kung Fu's). The chopped daikon and carrots were also not as strong at Hanco's, which I felt allowed the flavor of the meat to come through. The cucumber was really small though, surprisingly small. I probably wouldn't have noticed it if I didn't look for it. Both places had amazing bread. The baguettes are toasted perfectly with a crunchy surface and soft underside. They are not hard enough to scratch up the roof of your mouth, which is always a plus in my book.

In contrast, BMS had really potent pickled veggies, and I felt like it detracted a little from the flavor of the meat. However, their cucumber wedge was very thick, at least a quarter inch thicker than Hanco's which added that refreshing crunch and bite I crave when I think banh mi. Both places make very good sandwiches, but if I had to choose, I'd definitely pick Hanco's. Next time I intend to try their pork pâté sandwich.