Sau Voi Corporation (On a Banh Mi Bender)

Our last and final stop in the “cheap banh mi” category was Sau Voi.  (I’ve tried a place that had them for $3.25 but was so underwhelmed by it, I’d rather skip discussing that place entirely.)  I’d read that Sau Voi was also in a storefront, much like Saigon, except records instead of jewelry.  Lizz and I were both excited to try what is described as the first place in NYC to offer banh mi, and one of the best.  I was really excited because it’s much closer to the train station than either Paris or Saigon, though neither is very far, it does afford a little more time to us. 

We quickly ordered the same two sandwiches as usual – grilled pork, which was bursting with very sinewy, chewy-in-a-bad-way pork, but lacked for veggies and cilantro.  I mean, I can see some carrots in the picture, but any hope of tasting those few strands were lost in the chewy pork taste.  Squishy bread completed the FAIL sandwich. 

I had greater hopes for the regular/pate banh mi and turned my attention that way, until I saw this…

and noted how freaking flat it was, with floppy innards.  Ewww, just not good looking.  And how did it taste?  The way it looked!  Flat insides, squishy bread, no veggies, and the meats were dull and uninteresting (is that HAM I see? Ham is NOT the same thing as PORK ROLL, people!).  I was really horrified and disappointed with this sandwich, after all the raves I’d heard, and how close it was to the train.  Also, given that these were $4 each – on the high end of the cheap scale – a little annoying that they were so dissatisfactory and unfulfilling.  Boo.

Yvo says: Despite its proximity to the train, I’ll gladly walk the extra few blocks to avoid this place.  I was really disgusted with a sandwich that everyone raves about – did we get a bad batch?  Go on a bad day?  What gives?  It was also way spicier than we’d requested, but even that wasn’t enough to liven it up and make it a good lunch.  Ugh.  Avoid.
not recommended