Comments on: Mantao Sandwiches “Official” Opening is Today

By: norabelle

norabelle — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 00:08:16 +0000

found the food and service very disappointing. the cashier messed up my order and instead of ‘fessing up – she claimed i lied. definitely not going back.

By: deanlo

deanlo — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 12:26:48 +0000

went yesterday and got to cut the line because everyone was too busying staring at the menu. I got the combo with short rib and spicy pork. meh. the meat was too chewy and cut too big for a loose meat sandwich. on my first bite of the pork, i couldn’t even get my teeth through it so i ended up taking having to take in an entire sinewy, business card sized slice of pork. not fun.

my friend thought his angus was good but it looked a little dry to me. shrimp chips don’t pop on your tongue like a good shrimp chip should but the flavor was spot on. dressing had a touch too much onion in it for my taste but was delicious.

going to try the original pork bun today if possible.

By: JungMann

JungMann — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 19:16:49 +0000

I had the combo which was weak after a 15-minute wait. Everything was too sweet, from the ginger dressing for my salad to the marinade for my pork belly sandwich. Proteins were also tough, my burger was cooked to well and somehow they screwed up normally tender pork belly. Shrimp chips were also stale-tasting, but the buns themselves were great! I’m thinking this might be a case of opening day jitters — hopefully will clear up when I try them again in a few weeks.

By: PG

PG — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 23:55:51 +0000

I don’t think the combo is worthwhile unless you’re ordering two of the $4.50 sandwiches (in which case you might as well get the combo instead of paying $9 just for the sandwiches). My salad had some slimy greens, and the dressing is just oil. The shrimp chips were OK. I had the same problem some have mentioned with fat in my original pork sandwich, although this fat was more like the pork belly kind. Still, I momentarily mistook it for tofu because it was a solid white cube of fat.

All that said, the sandwiches were tasty (I think the buns might be superior to Momofuku’s, even if the fillings are far inferior) and the service was friendly. Not worth the 15 min. wait, but if you are in the neighborhood and don’t see a line out the door, I’d recommend giving it a try.

By: dubs

dubs — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 22:51:03 +0000

That’s a horrible shill… could’ve came up with a better name than sandwichnyc

By: BenBen

BenBen — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 18:10:00 +0000

Shilliamsburg ?

By: D

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 17:39:02 +0000

sandwichnyc it’s pretty clear where in midtown you work.

By: sandwichnyc

sandwichnyc — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 17:33:45 +0000

I just had my two Mantao sandwiches and I loved them! I ordered the spicy pork and the short rib and found them both to be very tasty (and far from fatty). The portions were perfect for me…I was pretty full. I also really enjoyed the bag of shrimp chips!! I was very satisfied with my lunch experience and definitely plan to make it one of my regular lunch places.

By: sushiburger

sushiburger — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 17:19:07 +0000

hahah yeah.. momofuku’s is exponentially better…

I actually didn’t get that much fat in my pork.. maybe i just got lucky?? and basically none in my short rib… i think i just got lucky..

By: Tyler

Tyler — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 17:16:08 +0000

Just had the same two sandwiches as sushiburger, and I have to say I’m pretty disappointed. Both my original pork bun and short rib sandwich were 50% fat (and not the delicious melty pork belly fat, the tough chewy fat) and the meat/bun ratio is way off.
To top it off, the “salad” was literally three bites, two cherry tomatoes and maybe 12 pieces of mixed greens.
I understand it’s their first day and all, but after 10 bucks and a 20 minute wait for food, I was contemplating just heading down to sophie’s,which is where I’ll be tomorrow.
and sushiburger, comparing the pork sandwich to Momofuku (so fucking good) is like comparing the Spotted Pig’s burger to Goodburger…