PrintNum Pang Sandwich Shop: What's in a Name? A Lot, As It Turns Out
The hoisin veal meatball num pang.
Num Pang
21 East 12th Street, New York NY 10003; 212-255-3271; numpang.com
Service: Friendly, solicitous, helpful
Settingr Basically a kiosk with an upstairs dining area
Compare It To: Baoguette
Must-Haves: pulled Duroc pork, hoisin veal meatballs, coconut tiger shrimp
Cost:$10 for a sandwich and a drink
Grade:A-
With Vietnamese banh mi shops opening up on every corner, I guess it was just a matter of time before our Southeast Asian sandwich explorations expanded beyond the borders of Vietnam. Num Pang chef and co-owner Ratha Chau introduced many of us to the vivid flavors of Cambodia when he opened Kampuchea on the Lower East Side in 2006, so who better to introduce us to the pleasures of num pang, which in the Cambodian language Khmer means "sandwich."
Would the sandwiches be as good as the name? Num pang rolls off the tongue so beautifully. Don't you think a food with that name would be delicious? Robyn and I decided we had to find out. Num num num num pang. I just love saying it. I really do. Don't you?
Chau spent his early childhood in his native Cambodia under the dictator Pol Pot (his four star general father was sent to a Vietnamese prison camp for 18 years by the Pol Pot regime). Chau and his mother and two brothers managed to escape his war-torn country when he was 11 years old and settled in Connecticut. He eventually graduated from Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts. Chau has a genuinely cross-cultural background, so it makes sense that his sandwiches would be an authentic fusion of American and Cambodian food ideas, flavors, and ingredients.
All the num pang are served on a a stubby semolina hero roll baked by Little Italy's Parisi Bakery. Not very Cambodian or Italian or Vietnamese, I'm sure, but it turns to be a wise choice. Each sandwich starts with crunchy fresh cucumber, pickled carrots, fresh cilantro, and a house-made chili mayo—and that turns out be a most excellent sandwich foundation. As a result there is a certain sameness to the flavors layered into each sandwich, but the fillings are generally so good on their own that the blurring of each sandwich's flavor profile doesn't even matter.
The pulled Duroc pork ($7.50) comes with a spicy honey that brings out the meltingly tender porky deliciousness of the pig.
Firm, perfectly grilled peppercorn catfish ($7.25) comes with a house-made sweet soy sauce that completes the sandwich.
I kept resisting the impulse to order the coconut tiger shrimp num pang ($7.50) because I have eaten so many bad dishes that feature coconut shrimp, but I eventually succumbed and was very glad I did. These tiger shrimp are grilled perfectly, and toasted coconut flakes added just enough crunch.
Chau's hoisin veal meatballs ($6.75), just sweet enough savory meatball masterpieces come with jasmin rice, basil, and stewed tomato.
The vegetarian option these days is roasted cauliflower ($6.75) with Chinese and Thai eggplant spread and a soy-milk-based chili mayo. It may sound boring, but it isn't. The sweet roasted cauliflower is cooked just enough, and the rest of the ingredients lend plenty of zing.
The grilled skirt steak num pang, whole (top) and cross-sectioned (above).
Grilled skirt steak ($8.75) had an appealing crushed coriander and peppercorn crust, but the steak itself was pre-grilled and dry. For $8.75 I also expected more steak for my buck.
A chili–liver pâté daily special sandwich is only for those people who love the taste of unadulterated chicken liver, or chicken liver extremism.
I loved the sweet grilled corn ($2.25) slathered with chili mayo, a few more of those coconut flakes, and a little chili powder. I'm sure it wasn't local corn in mid-April, but it sure was tasty.
Wash your num pang down with a blood orange lemonade ($2.50), which at various times has been just sweet enough and really tart.
Are Ratha Chau's sandwiches pricier than most of the banh mi joints around town? Absolutely, but for the most part they're made with first-rate ingredients and great care, and I for one am willing to pay for that. Ten bucks for a sandwich and either a piece of grilled corn or a blood-orange lemonade still seems like a square and fair deal to me.
Read more of Ed's reviews.
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15 Comments:
I like this place, though I found the rolls to be a bit heavy/chewy for what they were delivering. But you can't knock what's in them.
SoundBitesNYC at 2:53AM on 04/29/09
First of all, EDWARD, using a French baguette for a banh mi is quite authentic, due to the French colonizing Vietnam in the mid-19th century. The baguette became part of the culture.
Also, I have to argue that a banh mi without fresh, sliced jalapeno isn't really a banh mi. This "chef" is selling out to the American palate.
This article appears to be another of your drivelous advertisements, wherein you write as if you don't really like the place, but end with a gleaming endorsement. How much did they pay you for this one? A year of free sub-standard sandwiches?
chefimpostor at 3:11AM on 04/29/09
@chefimposter
Comment wars aren't really my thing, but I'd like to point out he was eating at a Num Pang in a Cambodian restaurant, not a Bahn Mi in a Vietnamese restaurant. While I don't claim to be a professional on the subject, they're obviously different.
velcerick at 7:22AM on 04/29/09
@chefimposter: I don't think the issue of baguettes is even mentioned until you bring it up in the comments here.
Adam Kuban at 8:33AM on 04/29/09
um....calm down...
Cambodia had a large French influence too... all of southeast asia did. That whole area was called French Indochina.
I wanted to check this for sure... but a quick Google search for "cambodian sandwich" brings up only hits specific to this one Num Pang restaurant in New York. The same goes for a search for "num pang". It's only specific to this one place.
My take on it: Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia all have similar sandwiches in their own styles. This comes from the french influence (yeast breads and sandwiches are not traditional in Asia).
This place called Num Pang, was opened by a cambodian guy, wanted to use cambodian flavors and slapped a cambodian name on it to make it more interesting.
::shrug::
I don't care, as long as it's a good sandwich!
engmcmuffin at 9:19AM on 04/29/09
I'm sorry, but "stubby semolina hero roll" doesn't sound exactly like a baguette, and I think that was the point of mentioning the bread in the first place. So why are people arguing?
thesteveroller at 10:07AM on 04/29/09
My husband and I picked up sandwiches from here one night for dinner and while we thought they were a bit pricey, all three were VERY good. We had the skirt steak, meatballs, and catfish sandwiches. We actually ordered the pulled pork but got the catfish instead but were happy w/ the mixup. Our favorite was the meatball w/ the catfish a close second.
At first I thought that I'd rather just get a filling banh mi from Saigon on Broome for half the price of one sandwich from Nam Pung but to be honest, they are really different. I'm craving the meatball sandwich now! :)
Jacquie at 10:18AM on 04/29/09
Looks like a nice sandwich. The duroc pork is loaded with meat, so I think that's the one I'd like to try. This is definitely on my list for the next time I'm in town.
Kerosena at 10:27AM on 04/29/09
The coconut tiger shrimp num pang is AMAZING, as is the catfish. I would recommend both!
TaylorShocks at 10:44AM on 04/29/09
These are perhaps one of the best sandwiches in the city. At least in the top 10!
The veggie was fantastic. The duroc was even better.
If the food is great, why complain? We are here to eat beautiful food!
Juman23 at 4:21PM on 04/29/09
I work around the corner from this place, and I've gone here six times in the past three weeks. The sandwiches are amazing (if very slightly too pricey).
The pork belly special is to die for, but it sells out around 1:30pm every day.
morley at 4:36PM on 04/29/09
Ed, have you ever heard Khmer? It's not exactly one of the most mellifluous languages. :) Although it is kind of fun to speak once you get the hang of it. That catfish sandwich looks amazing!
marchpane at 5:06PM on 04/29/09
First off it was SMALL. Note using CAPS to write small is kind of opposite, i am aware, i am just calling it out.
I found it to be expensive...this does have to do with the cost/size value.
The pork was good, juicy, tasty,...i could absolutely do without the honey. It took me to a "fusion" place in my mind where i did not want to be.
The kiosk-y feel is well loved..street food esque, and the menu is not finicky and overdone. Very positive points!
Overall i will go again to try another type.. but my go to is still authentic down n dirty banh mi elsewhere.
shiso at 3:24PM on 05/04/09
I'm a portion size hog as much as anyone else, but these sandwiches are DEFINITELY not small. No, you won't get a five dollar footlong here, but they dont skiimp on the meat/fixins and the flavor is off the charts.
GET THE PORK BELLY SPECIAL.
fascfoo at 7:44PM on 05/18/09
Times must be touch; they're cutting back on the amount of grated carrots, cucumbers and cilantro they put on the sandwiches. I think I got 5 strips of grated carrot on the Veal Meatball Sandwich .. none of th emeatballs were sliced in half ... it looked like the guy just threw the stuff on the bread, flipped over the top half of the sandwich, stuck it in a styrofoam box and handed it to me. I was pleased with the taste of the meatballs but the sandwich I got was nothing like the one pictured above!
winterthur at 6:18AM on 11/05/09