Last night, a friend and I were searching for a cheap and delicious dinner. We were thrilled to discover that Kampuchea's amazing sandwiches can be found for $5 less at Num Pang Sandwich Shop (its sister restaurant). Why this is, I don't know... maybe it's because the menu is much less extensive. At any rate, I sunk my teeth into a special grilled Spanish mackerel sandwich ($7.75). The substantial, meaty fillet spilled out of the spicy-mayo-slathered, toasted roll, which was layered with the customary cilantro sprigs, shredded carrots and sliced cucumbers. My friend devoured his pulled duroc pork with spiced honey. "Good call!" he said. (And then, our wallets emptied of less than $10, we made our way over to Momofuku Milk Bar for some chocolate-mint soft serve.)
Num Pang Sandwich Shop: 21 East 12th St., (212) 255.3271.
Showing posts with label Cambodian. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cambodian. Show all posts
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Kampuchea Restaurant
"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.
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.
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