Num Pang

I was going to wait until tomorrow to post this picture, but I'm too excited to wait to share about this sandwich I got from Num Pang, on the corner of 12 & University Pl. It's hard to find it if you're not looking very hard because its a hole-in the wall, really. I only noticed it because there was a long line. Num Pang is actually a Cambodian sandwich place, I don't know if this really counts as Bahn Mi, but whatever, it was a Southeast Asian sandwich and that's what I have been dying for. It's been a long time since I've had a sandwich this good and I wish I hadn't been eating it alone. It would have been nice to have somebody to freak out about it with, but instead I just had to sit silently at a counter with 4 lawyers who were freaking out to each other about how good the sandwiches were.

5 spice pork belly sandwich with pickled Asian pear, cucumbers, carrots, cilantro, and house made chilli mayonnaise ($7.75). The pork belly comes in one slab and it was so meltingly soft but crispy, I could have cried. The Asian pear was also a great addition because it's sweet and sour and crunchiness helped to balance out the fatty pork. Although when I ate a piece that fell out of my sandwich by itself, it was so sour, a few tears came out. The mayonnaise is also very good, but I'm not sure that I noticed the chilli in it. The bread is also different than Bahn Mi bread, a little more solid, I guess. It was incredibly messy to eat, but I had no problem licking the sandwich remnants that made their way onto my hands. I have no shame. This was so delicious, and I think I'm going to go back tomorrow and try the pulled pork or catfish sandwich. It's a little more expensive than what I wanted/expected to pay, but it's definitely worth it.