I have just come back for a 10-month sabbatical in a country where cilantro was an exotic jungle vine-- hard to say and impossible to find -- and salted bread marked regional rebels who sparked political flames with their culinary noncompliance.
Now I am back, and every inch of my tortured tongue craves the tangy, spicy, savory, crunchy, and oddly creamy bundle of that South East Asian piquant perfection, banh mi; or even better known as the Vietnamese sandwich.
Vietnamese sandwiches for me, have always been up there with Subway, Jamba Juice and all the usual fast, fresh, and cheap junk food alternatives, but never had I had the patience to explore any sandwich stead outside the 5-mile radius of my front door (I don't dare say their name). While I am completely aware that they, temptingly accessible and successfully marketable, are not the gold standard for all things banh mi, they do offer for the hurried, hungry and lazy the quickest fix.
But enough with apologies and excuses of the past. Today is a new beginning. The beginning of...
Battle of the Best Banh Mi: San Jose edition
Round 1: Huong Lan vs Lee's Sandwiches
Fight!
Bank: $2.75... Seriously, tax included
Weight/Height: about 8 inches or so, not super full
Bread: soft on the inside flaky on the outside (doesn't scrape off the first layer of skin on the roof of one's mouth)
Veggies: the pickled daikon and carrots were a little bland to me. Not so tangy or sweet.
Meat: tender, savory, delicious. could have been more, but still a quality ingredient.
Condiments: a little heavy on the mayo (two salty things without a buffer is no good)
Two-Cents: while the maintaining that the quality of meat was great for a sub $3 sandwich, I still miss the lightly sweetened baguette and the crisp and tangy pickles from Lee's.
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