Sadly, Pac Man got to the sandwich before we did.Photo: Melissa Hom
It takes chutzpa to open up a báhn mì shop around the corner from the beloved
Bánh Mì Saigon (not to mention Viet-Nam Banh Mi, which is a couple of blocks down), but newcomer Paris Sandwich is clearly hoping to one-up those cramped storefront operations — the restaurant has a clean, spacious, bright-yellow interior adorned with Fodor's-worthy photos of the City of Light. Despite the chainlike setup (a “fast food” portion of the menu offers comfort dishes like a pork chop on rice and roti-style chicken accompanied by bread and dipping curry), owner Jimmy Ly’s own mother, Kim Phung, oversees a kitchen that bakes crispy, skinny baguettes for twelve types of Vietnamese sandwiches — everything from the usual pork-roll-and-liver-pâté variety to a
faux-chicken version made with gluten. Ly also prides himself on the fact that his desserts Vietnamese flan, green-tea waffles, and the like are made on the premises and that the coffee beans were chosen only after he and his dad did some extensive research in the homeland. Sounds
bon to us.
Daniel Maurer
Paris Sandwich, 113 Mott St., nr. Canal St.; 212-226-7221