Num Pang, Cambodian Sandwiches

[BryanZ]

From the folks who own Kampuchea comes Num Pang, a new Cambodian sandwich shop. Really, it's more a shop than a restaurant, as ordering takes place on the sidewalk, but right now it's putting out some seriously tasty sandwiches. The three I tried were better than any of the sandwiches I've had at Kampuchea. Not sure why that is, but I really felt they were spot on this weekend.

The veal meatball was definitely my favorite. Seriously tasty. It almost seems sacrilegious or some kind of weird fusion-y thing--veal meatballs, tomato, mayonnaise, pickled veg, really?--but it really works. This is also one of the less expensive sandwiches. Pulled pork was nice, they're clearly using high quality pork, and really reminded of NC-style whole hog barbecue. I think it's because the pickled veg and sriracha create some kind of bastardized NC-style sauce, but it worked. Also tried a couple bites of my friend's crab cake sandwich. At something like $15.95 this is not a cheap sandwich, but they really pack it full of crab. There must've been three or four good-sized cakes in the medium-sized sandwich. To be honest, probably the richest of the lot.

I think that the prices are fair, but I wish the sandwiches were a bit bigger. Not really for the sake of value but because one sandwich alone feels a little small to be a meal. Naturally, I ate two, plus about a 1/5 of my friend's crab one, but that's excessive. A sandwich maybe 25% larger would be perfect.

Still, this place is good and easy. My friend lives only a few blocks away and finds himself thinking of reasons why he shouldn't go. If the quality stays the same, it'll definitely be one of my area go-tos.

[Chris Amirault]

More info, please! What were the pickled vegetables?

[BryanZ]

From the website:

Sandwiches served with cucumber, pickled carrots, cilantro, chili mayo & bread baked by Parisi Bakery.

[daisy17]

I'd posted about Num Pang, I think it was on the Bahn Mi thread ... anyway, I had the veal meatball one again. It's really ridiculously delicious.

[faine]

Curious...what's the primary difference between these guys and Banh Mi? I've only encountered bahn mi and these sound rather tasty.

[BryanZ]

Continue to frequent this place when I want a light meal around Astor Pl. and Union Square. A sandwich and an ear of corn is about perfect. There are more specials now. Though I haven't really tried them, they certainly sound good. The veal meatball is hard to leave.

[LPShanet]

Curious...what's the primary difference between these guys and Banh Mi? I've only encountered bahn mi and these sound rather tasty.

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They're very similar. The main point of difference is the country of origin.

[Fat Guy]

I finally made it down to Num Pang and thought it was excellent. I agree with Bryan that the sandwiches are too small for serious fressers, but they are damn tasty. Three sandwiches for two people was a satisfying lunch. I have to find out for sure but I think these sandwiches may be a tad smaller than the ones at Kampuchea. Other than that, I'm not sure I can tell a difference, though perhaps the high turnover situation at Num Pang works in its favor. I don't know.

It's surprising how much seating there is upstairs. It looks hopeless from outside, what with a line into the street in front of the ordering window. But even during a peak weekday lunch hour it was possible to snag two seats at the counter upstairs.

We tried the peppercorn catfish, the hoison veal meatballs, and the five-spice pork belly. I couldn't find fault with any of them. They cost more ($6.75-$7.50 each) than sandwiches at the cheap Vietnamese places in Chinatown, but the ingredients really are a cut above. The corn seems an odd choice for this format of restaurant. It's unwieldy, not to mention great corn is hard to get year-round. The corn we had certainly wasn't great corn. You had to overlook that to enjoy the chili mayo. Also had some watermelon-rind pickles, which were nice, and a couple of cans of coconut juice.