I wasn’t sure what to do for lunch but had to be near Union Square, so I decided to stop by Num Pang Sandwich Shop, an old favorite on East 12th St, just west of University Place. It was pretty busy, with a line of about 7-8 people, but that’s what happens when word gets out about how good the food is.
To my surprise, there was a new special and it sounded pretty good. Today’s Lunch is a grilled portobello sandwich with concord grape vinaigrette ($8.40 after tax).
Yesterday’s lunch at Teriyaki Boy got me thinking about the Honorary Street Food category. When this happens, I often end up at Num Pang at 21 East 12th St, just west of University Place. It’s one of my favorite places for lunch, and Today’s Lunch is Ginger BBQ Brisket with Pickled Red Cabbage ($7.75).
Num Pang is the Cambodian version of banh mi, but there are some distinct differences. Both are served on baguette-style bread with meat or vegetables and toppings, but num pang does not include pate or pickled daikon. What is included is delicious. Find out more after the jump.
It’s been a couple of months since I’ve been to Num Pang located at 21 East 12th St between 5th Ave and University Place. I haven’t written about Num Pang recently, so for our newer readers, Num Pang is in the Honorary Street Food category. This means a storefront with little or no seating that serves food traditionally known as street food in their home country – in this case Cambodia. Num Pang is basically a Cambodian variation on banh mi.
For Today’s Lunch, I decided on the peppercorn catfish with homemade sweet and sour sauce for $7.50. Things can change pretty quickly in New York. Would Num Pang still be as good as they were a couple of months ago?
I was near University Place today around lunch time, which means one thing, NUM PANG! Regular readers of NYSF know about my love of Num Pang, and it’s been a few weeks, so there was no question about Today’s Lunch, other than what to order.
I want to try everything on their menu, so Today’s Lunch is a new sandwich (for me at least), grilled skirt steak with crushed coriander and peppercorns. Of course it had their usual sliced cucumber, fresh cilantro, shredded carrots, and spicy chili mayo.
This was the most expensive sandwich on their menu ($8.75), but it was obvious where the money went…into the steak. There were 7 thick slices of grilled, medium-rare steak. I enjoyed Carnegie John’s steak sandwich recently for lunch, but this was on an entirely different plane.
I’m going to have to start rating places on a 1-10 scale to differentiate, because while John’s steak sandwich would be an 8 out of 10, Num Pang’s was a 9.5 out of 10. Both were very good, but one was almost as good as it can get. I love the spicy chili mayo, too. It kicks everything up a notch (apologies to the Emeril haters).
What do you think about a 1-10 rating system for our reviews? Please leave your thoughts below.
We would also like to invite readers to submit their own Today’s Lunch Guest Review for inclusion on New York Street Food. It can be lunch from a food truck, food cart, or even honorary street food. Just send it to newyorkstreetfood@gmail.com.
After my earlier post today about banh mi starting to get popular in London, I had to go back to Num Pang for Today’s Lunch, even though I had it not once, but twice last week. This is turning into a serious addiction (which I have no desire to cure).
I hadn’t tried their coconut shrimp sandwich yet, so that was the choice today. My first bite had a strong taste of fresh cilantro, but subsequent bites were more balanced, with the succulent coconut shrimp, carrot, cucumber, cilantro and their spicy mayo. I’m not a huge coconut fan, but IMHO, this was a perfect sandwich.
Another wonderful lunch from Num Pang. It’s not the cheapest lunch around, at $8.20 after tax, but certainly one of the best.
Luckily I have to go out of town for a few days, or else I may need an intervention to keep me away from this place.
