"Do you mind if I have just one more bite?" I asked my friend, somewhat ruefully.
We'd both ordered the Cambodian Num Pang tasting plate - three hefty toasted baguette sandwiches with a choice of eight different toppings. I'd already managed to work my way through the tiger shrimp, the crispy ginger-rubbed catfish, and the grilled tofu. Not to mention, we'd already chowed down on large ears of corn slathered with chili mayo and shredded toasted coconut, and some blue crabs, sticky-sweet with honey ginger soy sauce. Yet here I was coveting my friend's house-cured bacon sandwich with pickled Thai chilies, and her Duroc pork.
"Well, will you let me have some of your pickles? I love these pickles," she answered. I ceded some of the prized pickled cucumber slices. It was a deal.
Kampuchea Restaurant has always served 11-inch num pang, along with noodles, crepes and small plates like crispy pork belly, seared monkfish liver with spiced apricots, and tamarind baby back ribs. But in April, Chef Ratha Chau started offering the sandwiches in smaller sizes, because diners wanted to try more than one kind. They've since become a runaway hit. According to the manager, the most popular variety is catfish, followed by shrimp, bacon and oxtail. (My favorites were the catfish and the bacon; I'm all about the crunch!) All sandwiches arrive on toasted Parisi Bakery bread, with sweet julienned pickled carrots, thinly sliced cucumber, pungent cilantro and chili mayo. (Parisi was the only place that would give Mr. Chau hands-on access to the bakery, where he could experiment with different ratios of wheat and semolina, eventually producing the perfect baguette for his tasty toppings.)
Although I was familiar with Vietnamese banh mi, I hadn't been exposed to the deliciousness that is Cambodian num pang. But now I see why there are so many devotees!
Kampuchea Restaurant: 78 Rivington St., (212) 529-3901.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
7 comments:
Wow that sounds scrumptious!! but how is it different from banh mi?
According to this article I found,
http://www.austinbushphotography.com/wp-content/bio/Phnom%20Penhs%20Golden%20Breads.pdf
num pang differ from banh mi in the condiments and the way they are served. However, they are served as a traditional sandwich at Kampuchea, as opposed to the way this author describes them in Phnom Penh.
The nerve of that hussy to steal your pickles! She must have been drinking. Seriously though, it sounds delish, and that a return trip is in order.
She was drinking! A blackberry martini. ;-)
I was just reading about Kampuchea and must go at all costs now... :)
Why does everyone keep talking about this restaurant!! I must go. Does anyone know where the chef is from? Never heard of him.
The chef is Cambodian American.
Post a Comment