Every Vietnamese-sandwich-shop review inevitably mentions its prices for a reason—the bánh mì is one of Orange County's great meal deals, a foot-long montage of baguette, pickled veggies and meat that satisfies everyone from froufrou gourmands to day laborers for an amount you can find in spare change on Harbor Boulevard within minutes. If you've never tasted a bánh mì, our crashing economy should inspire you to visit TAN HOANG HUONG BAKERY pronto.
This hectic, table-free room opens at 5 a.m. every day and never stops slapping out Vietnamese hoagies. To expedite the ordering process, Tan Hoang Huong operates with Fordian efficiency: All the ingredients for the bánh mìs sit under hot lamps (don't worry about the freshness factor—trays sell out of their stock quickly) until ladies in hairnets and gloves spoon them into a half-cut baguette; shove in some jalapeños, cilantro and a long, cool cucumber slice; wrap up the finished product in butcher paper; and hand you the finished product. Even at their busiest, the wait will take less time than a drive-through hamburger.
No real surprises in terms of choice—indeed, the selection here is no different from the menu at nearly every Little Saigon bánh mì shop. But few can match Tan Hoang Huong's taste. The baguettes achieve the happy medium between crunchy and fluffy; the mayo-like sauce smeared on every sandwich is sweet, but not cloyingly so. Of the 10 choices, most feature pork—barbecued, shredded cellophane-thin, as a pâté, or charbroiled—but chicken and veggie choices are available. Tan Hoang Huong's masterpiece, however, is the bánh mì op la, otherwise known as a sunny-side-up egg sandwich. The ladies place about three or four fried eggs into the baguette, each slightly crisped and sweet. Bite into each, and you'll find the perfect yolk: firm, but retaining some runniness so you can enjoy the best of both salty worlds. The best part is the price: a Tan Hoang Huong sandwich costs $2—you can't even get two pinche tacos for that price anymore. But visit before they raise the cost again—just last year, the bánh mìs cost $1.50.
Bánh mìs aren't all Tan Hoang Huong sells. Every day, they lay out dozens of Saran-wrapped mini-meals—bulging spring rolls and glistening desserts are the best sellers. Also available are salads, noodles, fried rice and luscious fruit shakes, all costing less than $4. And don't forget you're in a bakery—order a flaky croissant to go, and let their mule-kick of an iced coffee with the slightest dash of hazelnut wire you for the week.
Tan Hoang Huong Bakery, 15972 Euclid St., Fountain Valley, (714) 775-7422.
