I finally got to stop by the Num Pang sandwich shop on East 12th Street tonight for a quick bite on the way home. I had the pulled duroc pork sandwich, pictured above. "Num pang" is Cambodian for "sandwich," basically the Cambodian equivalent of the Vietnamese bahn mi.
On the plus side, the sandwich was very delicious, filled with tender and juicy pork, pickled carrots, cilantro, cucumber and chili-mayo. The bread has a chewier consistency than typical bahn mi bread. The ensemble is simple and well-balanced.
On the down side, it's mad expensive at $8. You could get two equally delicious bahn mi from Saigon Bakery in Chinatown, and probably have enough change leftover for a coconut juice. Plus it's a tiny morsel of a sandwich, barely eight inches long.
That said, I'm curious about their veal meatball, catfish and roasted cauliflower sandwiches.