Huy’s Sandwich (Bánh mì)
So what do you do when 30 years of snow in Denver finally gets to you? You move to Atlanta!!! Owners Huy and Tina, husband and wife team, did just that, three months ago and opened the biggest bánh mì shop in Atlanta. In business a mere 7 days (thanks again to good friend G4 for the intel), Tina puts out the most delicious Vietnamese street food — buns, egg rolls, sticky rice, rice cakes, hot/cold desserts, dimsum items, and many more — while husband Huy tends to the bakery, making French bread for the sandwiches and other baked goodies. It’s a perfect partnership.
First, the logistics. The immaculately clean and gigantic space is take-out only. There are a couple of tables outside. No, they couldn’t put any tables inside because that means more capital needed and more astringent county code requirements to be met. The joint sits in a plaza a stone’s throw away from Hong Kong Supermarket, on the side street next to KoKai. All the food is made in-house and from-scratch by Tina. Every single baked good is baked by Huy from the bakery in the back. They’re open 7 days from 8 to 8 except Tuesdays. They have coffee and bubble teas. Credit and debit cards are accepted.
Biggest bánh mì shop. Did you know? They offer 16 kinds of bánh mì. Including varieties you won’t find in many places: sunny side up eggs, fish (anchovies), meat balls, and liver paté, to name a few. The French bread they use is huge: 10 inches! They use butter!!! The crust is crumbly rather than flaky and the inside is soft and chewy. The meat filling is abundant, with a perfect 4:1 ratio to veggies. The pickled daikon and carrots are balanced in sweet and tart flavors. The cilantro and cucumbers are fresh and crunchy. I ate three bánh mìs on my visit. The Grilled Pork (Number 9) is the best of the lot. The grilled pork has a tiny hint of sweet crust and undertones of lemongrass. It’s tender yet at the same time, crunchy. It’s delicious.
The Combination (Thit) which includes paté, headcheese, and steamed pork is equally good. You get a lot of different flavors from the housemade deli meats. The paté is bold and tastes of concentrated liver. The headcheese is mild and does not have that off-putting smell and off-putting porky taste. The BBQ Pork isn’t the one you’re accustomed to see in other places. Here, it’s more a pork loin that has been roasted. I prefer the grilled pork.
retarded-looking but delicious waffle (the waffle iron was acting up)
But wait, they have waffles (Bánh Kẹp Lá Dứa)!!! I absolutely love these. I remember these popular street food in Saigon. They’re ready in a flash and can be eaten while walking. The batter in these coconut waffles have shredded young coconut meat and infused with pandan. The fragrant aroma is unbelievable. It tastes coconutty, it’s chewy. Tina was having problems creating a perfect consistency for her waffle-maker to handle so excuse the retarded-looking product. I didn’t mind and ate it all. Priced at $1.50, what’s not to like.
You must, must try all of the hot desserts. They’re like coconut soup but sweet and thick. Not cloyingly sweet, just enough. My favorite is the Che Khoai Mi. It has chunks of chewy cassava, young coconut, tapioca, and boba. It’s comforting. Love it. I also had the one with bananas. Both are good.
There are so many things to eat here. I want to try their rice cakes and steamed buns next time. Tina and Huy are the most gracious, kind people you’ll ever find and will treat you like their own child the first second you meet them. (P.S. Tell them Chloe sent you.)
Huy’s Sandwich
6100 Live Oak Pkwy,
Norcross, GA 30093
770-666-6762
Open Daily from 8:00AM – 8:00PM
Closed on Tuesdays
Technorati Tags: bánh mì, Norcross, Vietnamese, boba, street food, take-out
