Get More Bang for Your Num Pang!

Photo: Walking up to the restaurant

So a new lunch spot opened up near where I work... My husband turned me on to it this morning. All he needed to say, really, was, "new" and "bahn-mi"... The rest was just chatter. (Sorry, hun. 'Tis the truth.)
I wasn't aware of this place even opening -but apparently, others were, as you can see by this photo.

A friggin' long-ass line outside Num Pang Sandwich Shop.

Great. (Insert big sigh here for a person who has no patience for lines and crowds of people. No snarky comments needed about living in NYC and not liking crowds. Already heard it and I don't really care because I won't be moving anytime soon.)

But what does a long line really say to me? Something is for free OR it means it is good and worth queuing up for! So I "queued" as it were....

I waited as patiently as I could. I checked my phone for messages, put up a "Twitpic" and tweeted a tad about the new experience I was about to undertake.

Surprisingly, I get to the front to place my order amazingly quickly. I order my pulled pork sandwich, the grilled corn on the cob and a diet soda. (Again, sorry to my husband who wants me to try to give up the sugary drinks. Can't do it yet. I have to wean myself... at least give me 18 months or so....!). Anyway, I really wanted the green iced tea -but they were out and brewing more. Some things in life are worth waiting for, but green iced tea was not on my list at that time. A good ol' Boylan's Cane Cola (Diet!) was going to have to do.

Photo: Still waiting...

The wait for my order wasn't long either.. but there's no place to really sit down, so you stand around and wait for your number to be called. It's take out, what else do you want? You just wait around and watch the others listen for to be called and hope it's yours next....

After I got my order... grabbed a couple of condiments and I was on my way.

Quick sidebar: if I did get the green tea, I would have been very happy as they have simple syrup available to sweeten it up. LOVE that. Better than trying to sweeten cold tea with sugar or Splenda -it just doesn't mix when the drink is cold. Simple syrup is a great alternative and costs them nothing to provide. I'm givin' the place props or "plus one" -whatever. It's a little thing that means a lot. To me. Maybe only me, but to me. (It's my blog. I get to say whatever I want to.) Now back to my experience.....

Walkin' back to work, hoards of oblivious people made me drop my hot sauce on the sidewalk and step on it. Oh well. The sandwich probably won't need it... or, at least it better not, because I wasn't scrapin' anything off the sidewalk or going back through the crowd to get red sauce anyway.

Photo: The before picture of my lunch.

Another sidebar: PEOPLE OF NYC -tourists and locals alike: BE AWARE that you ARE NOT ALONE in the streets of NY. There are OTHERS around you. Stay to the RIGHT while walking on the sidewalk (just like the traffic!). DO NOT STOP SUDDENLY in the middle of the sidewalk either -unless you want to be plowed into or cursed at loudly. If you are MORE THAN 2 people walking side-by-side - you are WRONG. Again, it's a city of MILLIONS, you have to share space. You are NOT ALONE!! BE AWARE THERE ARE OTHER PEOPLE IN THIS CITY THAT ALSO NEED TO USE THE SAME COMMON AREAS. Thank you for your attention and compliance. (Oh, and try not to talk on your cellphone or text while walking- but if you stay on the right and have common sense while doing it, go ahead and do whatever it is you need to do - just have half a brain while doing it.) I could go on... but! Let's go to the food...

When I get back to my office, I'm somewhat happy that the food is still pretty warm, but due to the packaging and the heat from the food, the sandwich bread is not as crunchy as I'd like it to be.... Oh well. That's what you get with take out...a little bit of this, a little bit of that. (If only those STUPID people would have moved out of my way quicker, I probably could have had a better sandwich experience. Damn tourists!)

Important to note - Corn on the cob - FAN-friggin-tabulous. Love it. The coconut, the chili and spicy mayo... OMG. Yes. I could eat JUST THAT and be happy.

The sandwich had very crispy veggies that were tasty and the pulled pork wasn't overly cooked or spiced. BRAVO.

My soda was warm by the time I got to my nearby office, too. But... all in all... it ended out exceptionally well. Even my dental floss was happy.And that, dear readers, says A LOT.

Photo: Very good "after" photo. Yes, that is dental floss, a napkin and count them: TWO wet naps.

Num Pang Sandwich Shop

140 East 41st St., Midtown
Phone: 212-86-8889
Officially opened June 28, 2011