Sandwiched

The stores at the edge of Little Korea abutting Christie Pits Park have always been in constant rotation. From "Korean" pho to "Korean" tacos to tentative attempts at hipsterdom (Apiecalypse), this stretch has seen many failed dreams. So I was surprised to see that a Vietnamese banh mi place called Lam Han was making a go of it here. Especially considering that its next-door neighbours were Subway and Ali Baba, a popular chain of shawarma eateries. This reminded me of another recent banh mi shop Komi competing with Popeye's and Tim Horton's near Bloor and Dufferin. This seems to be a business strategy from Vietnam which in my opinion, doesn't translate well to North America.

I dropped by on Saturday when it looked like the official opening with a flower bouquet gift basket by the front entrance and friends stopping in for first orders and well-wishes. I looked over the menu and chose a lemon-grass chicken banh mi ($7.50). Lam Han also offered combos that included soft-drinks and fries. Looking around, these new shops all seem to be aiming for the Subway meets Ikea aesthetic.

Once I got my order, I skedaddled over to the Park and sat beneath a shady tree. I'd like to report some wonderful discovery but this was run-of-the-mill. In this case, the chicken didn't have much flavour. I appreciated the stab at better ingredients than the usual cold-meat found at venerable Nguyen Huong and its ilk. But "quality" banh mi has been a thing in Toronto for a decade now with Banh Mi Boys. Since the prices aren't much cheaper than Subway, which was a major selling point for the hole-in-the-wall banh mi shops back in the day, I'm not too confident that Lam Han will be competitive.