Num Pang (12 E 12th Street) is everything I want a sandwich shop to be. It’s got a cute little storefront where people line up at the window. It’s got a cozy little seating area with nice views of 12th street. It’s got a new angle on the bahn mi to share with the world, a certain required cultural weight that New York just loves. How many cambodian sandwich shops have you seen? (I can already hear someone being corrected, “It’s not a bahn mi, it’s a num pang!”) The one and only problem with Num Pang is that the sandwiches are nothing special.
I tried the pulled pork ($7.50) and the catfish ($7.25) and both were unbalanced and incredibly soft. Almost like eating exotic sandwiches made for nursing homes or dentists offices, “No teeth needed!” The pulled pork was incredibly sweet and I could barely taste the meat through the sauce and the chili mayo. The veggies (carrots, cilantro and cucumbers) were fresh and bright and gave some relief from the texture, but by and large were swallowed up by the mass of mush. The bread texture was the best part: lightly toasted and perfectly crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside. Bite after bite I couldn’t figure out why everyone was so enamored with these mushy wich’s, it tasted like too many oils mixing improperly and I almost couldn’t finish it, managing only by taking a break and trying the catfish.
The catfish was much better. It had none of the overpowering sweetness to it and the light fish complemented the greens extremely well. This one I could eat without wincing, though I would still recommend getting something to drink as you will want some relief. Perhaps it’s the chili mayo or some kind of oil in the bread, but these sandwiches are much heavier and denser than bahn mi’s. As you can see from the pictures, the sandwiches are sized somewhere in between light-lunch and snack. Compared to other bahn mi shops, these sandwiches are outrageous, charging almost twice what other shops charge (most charge around $4) and not even filling you up! I guess that’s what happens when you open shop near union square instead of the LES or Chinatown.
Fairly complex sandwiches with mediocre ingredients means high strategy and medium execution.
Brothers in Arms:
Fishyslice:
Fishyface:
Porker:
Porkerface:
5 Comments
I totally agree the bread fresh and chewy on the inside but they fall flat in the filling area. The pulled pork was just ok and there was very little pickes and carrots. I personally prefer minced pork meat in my Banh Mi like Baoguette on St. Marks. Their sandwhiches are cheaper and tastier… I might give Num Pang another try for the catfish..
I agree, the pork was kinda gross. I haven’t yet tried Baoguette (st marks or murray hill), maybe in the next few days.
Have you had other good bahn mi’s around town?
I actually had the same reaction to Baogette (the one in Murray Hill) that you had to Num Pang – everything was too sweet and too mushy. I still have to stand by Ba Xuyen in Brooklyn as the reigning champ, but I know it’s not accessible for a lot of people.
They are all poor attempts at what could be a great thing. Watch out! “Pickled” keep your eyes peeled for a revolution.
you should definitely submit some of your photos to http://www.donteatthatyet.com. their goal is to create a visual restaurant review site, with a template simliar to tastespotting.
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