Midtown Lunch

It had been a while since making a visit to Nicky’s Vietnamese Sandwiches on Nassau St. (btw. Fulton & Ann) and I was pleasantly surprised to see the small space was jam-packed with people ordering and consuming banh mi and pho. Scenes like this make me happy that not everyone chooses to stand in line at the nearest chain for lunch, but I digress. I’m here to talk about the third lunch-worthy item on the menu at Nicky’s which is the pork chop, chicken or tofu over rice or rice vermicelli. Yes, at $8.50 it’s more expensive than most places in Chinatown but as I discovered, if you want Vietnamese food and aren’t in the mood for a sandwich, Nicky’s will still fix you up right.

After ordering my pork chop over rice vermicelli I realized I should maybe have gone with the chicken for the sake of variety since I’d already had a pork chop banh mi from here, but it was too late. That being said, I did see a plate of chopped up chicken sitting beside someone’s bowl of pho and it looked pretty good.

You don’t get a whole lot of pork – it’s a thin piece with bones intact that you have to gnaw around – but what’s there is a little sweet and nicely cooked. Get a forkful of that with some vermicelli and pickled carrot and you’re in business. If you like spice, you may want to remember to squirt some sriracha on before heading out the door, or ask if they have any containers to go. There are enough flavors happening here that you won’t really miss a jolt of heat.

If you’re sick of street meat over rice or crappy Chinese food for lunch, I can recommend the meats over carbs at Nicky’s. Or you could stick with the banh mi.

Nicky’s Vietnamese Sandwiches, 99 Nassau St. (btw. Fulton & Ann), (212) 766-3388