Num Pang Sandwich Shop

This casual outpost of the Cambodian restaurant Kampuchea serves up creative and delicious num pang (Khmer for 'bread' or 'sandwich') sandwiches out of a cramped space in the Union Square neighborhood. If you like banh mi, you will love these. Each sandwich is made a la minute, on lightly toasted Parisi Bakery bread and topped with cucumber, pickled carrots, cilantro and chili mayo. The shop offers ten different kinds of sandwiches, which change seasonally. The choices encompass a variety of meat and seafood, including the ever-popular pork belly and pulled pork, skirt steak, catfish and coconut shrimp. Some respectable vegetarian/vegan options are also available.

Roasted cauliflower sandwich with Chinese and Thai eggplant spread and soy milk chili mayo: I love eggplant. I love cauliflower. I love them so much that on my first visit, I bypassed all the porky, beefy sandwiches for this vegan option (a rare occurrence). As far as meatless sandwiches go, this was fairly decent. The smoky, creamy eggplant mingled with the chili mayo and lent the necessary moisture needed to bind the sandwich into a sum of its parts. It also counteracted the crunchier texture of the cauliflower. The roasted cauliflower was good, but some additional seasoning prior to roasting would have propelled the sandwich to greatness. Further roasting might have helped bring out the caramelized sweetness of the vegetable as well.

Hoisin veal meatball sandwich - basil, stewed tomato, jasmine rice: One bite into this, I vowed to never again try and be a friend to the animals. Despite the stifling heat of the upstairs seating area and the fact that my thighs were painfully stuck to the plastic seat of my stool, I completely lost myself in this sandwich. The well-spiced, moist meatball, with hints of star anise, melded with the rest of the ingredients to create a harmony of sweet, savory, tangy, spicy and creamy. The bread, soft and chewy, with a lightly crisped exterior, only highlighted the perfection of the sandwich. The stewing of the tomatoes had coaxed a natural, juicy sweetness out of them, providing both textural contrast and an additional band of flavor. This was one of those dishes I felt like I could eat forever.

Watermelon juice: Cold and refreshing, with fairly good watermelon flavor. My only complaint is that the juice contains sizeable chunks of watermelon, forcing me to sip and chew at the same time. It was not as good as the watermelon ice that you can get at Chinese bakeries, which are blended with ice (making it easier to drink) and taste much more like sticking a straw in a watermelon.

Blood orange lemonade: I'll just repeat what I heard a chatty customer in the shop say about this drink: "It's sour, bitter, sweet and salty all at the same time." I don't think he meant that in a good way, and I don't either.

Beverage missteps aside, Num Pang's sandwiches truly hold their own amidst the throes of the Asian sandwich craze. The next time you want a no-holds-barred, sriracha-running-down-your-palms, silence-at-the-table gustatory sandwich experience, make your way to Num Pang and let your senses take over.

Num Pang Sandwich Shop

21 East 12 St.

(between 5th Ave. and University Place)

New York, NY 10003

Sit-in dining available upstairs, take-out and delivery also available.

Best dishes: Sandwiches