This East Village Shop Turns Pho Into an Unforgettable Sandwich | Sandwich City | NYT Cooking

[Music] My name is Brandon Tran chef and Co-owner here at little Kieran the home Of the F [Music] Sandwich I have always been a little bit Of a rule breaker I think that's part of Being creative [Music] We opened on August 15 2022 the best seller by far is Definitely our F Sandwich I'm obsessed with the F Sandwich every little detail I took it Very [Music] Seriously I'm just moving the beef Around right now so I just want to go Through everything make sure everything Was raised right we get these huge slabs Of brisk it we cut it down we braze it In a soup that has influence from Chinese cooking and Vietnamese cooking Generally about 6 hours then you get This Beautiful see that jiggly the tricks I Can't tell you there's no way so what We're using here I've been told it's Called a chabata steak Panini after Trying that sandwich a few times with a Different type of French baguettes I Realized the bread was not holding in The soup once we dipped into the broth I Was like it was just falling apart so I

Had to search far far and wide I ate a Lot of different bread that summer went To a lot of different bakeries when I Finally found this one I knew right away This was a lot more solid and it just Soaks in everything so nice while still Keeping that texture of the sandwich so When you press it down it this told me That it's going to be able to soak Everything up without breaking down First we're going to toast some bread I Have some bread in the toast Already boom she's hot she's crunchy on The outside fluffy on the inside in the F sandwich there's hoison sauce Thai Basil jalapeno and the beef goes on top Of that on top of the beef is scallion Cilantro raw onions and crispy onions we Do something with the onions that I'm Not going to say but there's more that Meets the eye I'll just say [Music] That the broth it's boiled with bones And spices for like ours and hours the Broth recipe is Loosely based on my Grandma's recipe and one of my [Music] Aunt's once you dip it into the soup That hot broth brings it all together And kind of like snaps something in the Brain that reminds you of f in a really Powerful [Music] Way we're in New York City this is the

Land of remixing things and making it New putting fa on a sandwich is Different it is crazy but it's my way of EXP Expressing growing up in Brooklyn There's always sandwiches New York City Is a sandwich City I'm not a rice noodle Guy when I had F I would enjoy the Flavors a lot but I was never a huge fan Of the noodles and then one day I don't Know when I was just being creative and Writing down a menu ideas a f sandwich Kind of just popped into my head [Music] Yeah you guys anything else let me know That's a big one that's a VIP one for You guys a quick Pi Too okay I've never had something like This you got to dip in the faux broth And oh my God it's Amazing when I first moved to East Village my roommates brought me here Here's something kind of unique to New York so they got me this sandwich and I I mean I loved It y y it's my first time here I've Wanted to come here since I saw this bu Sandwich on a list of best sandwiches It's so good it's just like f it like Really is just like it but in a sandwich Form you get a cup of f broth on the Side to dip it in it's like a version of French dip that's what put us on the map I'll do a sandwich and a I got

You I didn't know that you could put Faux on a sandwich so that was a new Experience for me and being able to dip It in there was a great experience as Well about I know you're doing good I am See you're doing good I'm doing all Right I'm doing all Right I love Brendan I've known Brendan For like years we used to work on the Trucks together he was my favorite Person to work with on the trucks he's Lying I'm not lying he's he's so cool He's laidback he doesn't do too much It's good to see you how's it going good Good talk to I live down the block I Come here three times four times a week My loyalty card is my face card not one Of the Punches y [Music] My absolute favorite part is interacting With the customers appreciate it all the Friends and relationships I've made Along the way they love coming here to Say hi and eat it's really like a dream Come true but when I see like a Vietnamese mommy arune coming in I get a Little nervous they're going to compare The their f with mine and it's a whole Thing I don't want people thinking I'm Knocking our culture or trying to Disrespect our culture the only person I Wanted to get okay from was my mom so I Asked my mom I was like hey I have this

Idea for a f sandwich is that Disrespecting our culture in any [Music] Way she goes well it's a little weird But it's all about the soup it's like The soul of that dish in that moment I Was like oh wow what if I put a cup of Fuz soup on the side and dip it after That she's like oh okay yeah that could Work my family struggled very hard to Get here in America late' 70s early ' 80s they would tell us stories about how It was really scary they were on a boat For months at a Time until this day my mom can't go on a Cruise without feeling like Weird I started cooking in 2012 because My father passed away suddenly he was Like the main bread winner at that time I was still a little idiot I was only 19 I'm not going home I was being a bad kid You Know and I saw my mom working like 7 Days a week And to me it just didn't sit right as a Son how can I live with myself watching Her work the way she's Working he's quit school when our father Passed help my mom get things together And help raise me at the same time when No one asked him to no one asked him no One told him you need to start being a Dad to your little sister so after that I dropped everything I just got the

First job I could which was on a food Truck that my best friend was already Working on and he's like hey come work With us that's how cooking started and He's worked ever since and hasn't Stopped there's been times where he's Come home super tired like I can barely Get a word out of him and the next Morning before I wake up he's out the House so this I would say is the Appropriate amount of meat okay sauce Okay we want it tight so I want it like This yeah not too hard of a squeeze so That it's not too much thin lines is Good wow this is You nice thank you oh he cut the Tomatoes for me you see your buddy's Busy doing something you got a moment Cut the tomatoes for them prepare a Small thing for them in the kitchen it Means everything some of my best Friendships in life Had been made through working together In Kitchen it was not easy to start this Place okay my friends here you go I was A new guy in the Block I'm not a famous chef I didn't go To culinary school nobody knows who I am We really had to fight hard to gain the Reputation we have now so it was very Difficult still is but it's also very Fun a big goal of mine has always been About bigging up and preserving our

Culture through food I'm pushing Asian Culture pushing Asian flavors I belong To a lion dance club I've been in since I was 10 through lion dance I'm Preserving that old culture if it's not Us then who's going to do it what do I Want to achieve to be honest I've been Thinking about that lately I think like I've done It making my family proud that journey To America wasn't for nothing someone From my family made something of himself I feel like I've already done That for