(in front of 157 Hester st, Hong Kong Supermarket)

5 varieties: pork, beef, chicken, dry shrimp, and plain.

Close up

Early 8:30am

1. Presentation:

(left)Paris Sandwich $4  (right) Saigon Sandwich $3.95

The Paris Sandwich took maybe less than 5 minutes from order to pick up. The Saigon Sandwich took about 20 minutes with close to 15 people waiting on line.

2. Ingredients:

Paris Sandwich’s ingredients: Vietnamese mayonnaise with special ground roast pork, salami, and a mix of pickled carrots, cilantro, cucumber,  and jalapeno peppers if you order spicy.

Saigon Sandwich’s ingredients: The sandwich is huge. The ingredient has same as above, the only difference is they use a Chinese barbecue grilled pork in place of the Vietnamese mayonnaise with special ground roast pork.

3. Taste:

Saigon: The over-toasted crunchy bread will scratched the roof of your mouth.  A heaping amount pickled carrots, radish with each bite, and cilantro gives it that freshness taste.  The meat they use is a fatty roast pork bits which taste very Chinese.

Paris:  Perfectly toasted piece of bread, and with the right amount of vegetable and meat. They give just enough to ensure that it overloaded .

My verdict: Paris Sandwich WINS – No annoying lines, fresh authentic Banh Mi taste, and a baguettes that won’t scratch up the roof your mouth.

Paris Sandwich Bakery Cafe
113 Mott St
(between Canal St & Hester St)
New York, NY 10013

Banh Mi Saigon
138 Mott St
(between Grand St & Hester St)
New York, NY 10013

Shanghai Cafe, located on 100 Mott Street, is a good eat for several reasons. It is cheap, colorful, and tasty.

The ambiance of the place makes it a good restaurant to bring friends, especially those of the Caucasian Persuasion. You know, it is not easy sometimes when figuring out where to bring such friends because they may not be as comfortable or accepting of the level of hygiene or taste of decor as you. You may feel right at home at a place whose walls are covered in dollar bills, where there is poor lighting or where the waitress/waiter throws, literally throws, you the bill when you’ve only just begun eating. But when you plan on going to Shanghai Cafe, cast aside your anxieties. Pastel colored lights line the walls and ceilings and the chairs and tables are modern metal.

In terms of food, I highly recommend the steamed pork buns; they are either number 1 or 2 on the menu. Get the cheaper ones, don’t get the ones with crab meat, it’s fake anyway. Below you will find a tutorial on just how to devour a steamed pork bun. It is rather like an art. ALSO, order the scallion pancakes; it’s simply divine and everyone likes them. They’re akin to French fries or mozzarella sticks in that they have a universal appeal.

Pronounced like you’re giving out a sneeze, “A Chau”, the only place in chinatown that just sells authentic Vietnamese sandwiches. A menu of 10 different sandwiches to choose from, each costing no more than $3.50, definitely a great place for a cheap tasty meal on the go. I typically prefer the classic Vietnamese Cold Cuts with Pate Sandwich which consist of Pâté(meat paste), Vietnamese ham, roasted ground pork, pickled carrots, cucumber, cilantro, and mayo on a toasted French baguette. The sandwich hit the spot and filled me up nicely.

A Chau Deli
82A Mulberry Street
(212) 766-3332
9am-7pm

Selection of Vietnamese Sandwiches

Drinks

L’asso
192 Motts Street @ Kenmore Street
212-219-2353
http://lassonyc.com
Hours:
Sunday – Wedmesday 12pm – 12am
Thursday – Saturday 12pm – 3:00 am Happy Hour 5-7 pm
$3 beers on tap
$1 slices <—- Awesome F$%*@#ing deal

It’s been a pizza eating weekend for me, I had Grimaldis the other day and had Torcellos while I was at Northport but nothing compares to Lasso’s pizza. I’ve been dreaming all day of L’asso : )

While tourist folk line up for the ever famous Lombardi’s Pizza down the block, the low-key Lasso is just around the block for the hipsters. The food is simple, affordable, satisfying and the atmosphere of the place is magical. The wall displays the works of emerging artists from New York City, combine with the lounge type playlist gives the place a NYC vibe. Is Bob Marley consider loungy type music?

Today’s special appetizer: grill calamari with shrimp and salad. I personally think the calamari was on the salty side.

Now this is the D.O.C. style pizza (Half Margherita and half Bufalia) 18′ inches long.

Pizza D.O.C. (Denominazione di origine Controllata) or simply put a genuine Neapolitan pizza.

So what make this pizza qualify as D.O.C.?

1. the tomatoes must be San Marzano
2. the mozzarella must be made of buffalo milk
3. the oil must be olive
4. the salt must be natural
5. the oven must be domed, made of brick and wood-burning at 420-480 celsius
6. the dough must be kneaded by hand, no larger than 12′ and no thicker than 1/8′

This is the Buffalia, the difference is that the mozzarella is uncooked compare to the Margarita.

If you’re a true pizza lover, head down to Lasso and grab yourself a slice.

We started off with Borscht, a sourly soup of beets and lento beans.

I was really looking forward to the Handmade Potato Pancake. The taste was superb, texture was definitely interesting, tasted nothing like those instant pancake mix which I’m guilty of making home. They had apple sauce on the side but I liked it better with the Gray Poupon mustard.

Main Course

Deluxe Meat Combination Plate – 1 meat stuffed cabbage, grilled kielbasa, 1 meat, 1 potato and 1 cabbage pierogi.

Ukrainian Meatballs – Made with fresh ground pork and beef, onion, mushroom, egg, spices and oven roasted. Served with creamy mushroom sauce, mashed potatoes.

The portions are quite large, in the end I was stuffed with all that meat and potatoes. I highly recommend this place, if you’re looking for a of taste international cuisine give this restaurant a try.