Cash Only, Dining Out, Lower East Side, Lunch, Manhattan, TakeoutKerry Alaric CheeseboroAsian, baked, baked beans, barbecue, BBQ, beans, belly, bread, bun, Bun & Co-, Cash Only, Cheddar, cheddar cheese, cheese, chili, Dining Out, eggplant, flattop, ginger, grill, grilled, hot dog, jalapeno, jalapenos, Kampuchea, Lower East Side, Lunch, Manhattan, mayo, mayonaisse, pork, pork belly, pulled, relish, sauce, sriracha, TakeoutComment

Getting My Fill

Cash Only, Dining Out, Lower East Side, Lunch, Manhattan, TakeoutKerry Alaric CheeseboroAsian, baked, baked beans, barbecue, BBQ, beans, belly, bread, bun, Bun & Co-, Cash Only, Cheddar, cheddar cheese, cheese, chili, Dining Out, eggplant, flattop, ginger, grill, grilled, hot dog, jalapeno, jalapenos, Kampuchea, Lower East Side, Lunch, Manhattan, mayo, mayonaisse, pork, pork belly, pulled, relish, sauce, sriracha, TakeoutComment
Bun & Co. | 78 Rivington St. (bet. Allen & Orchard Sts.) | 212.253.8441 | www.mybunandconyc.com
[mappress]

IN THE EXACT same space that used to hold the well-received and popular restaurant Kampuchea now exists a a different animal, of sorts, called Bun & Co. Where Kampuchea used to serve some of the yummiest Cambodian food around, Bun & Co. now sells Asian-tinged sandwiches—all of them in hot dog buns—filled with a variety of foods, from your standard grilled weiner to sloppy Joes to smoked salmon to liver and tongue.

This afternoon, I made my second trip to Rivington and Allen Streets (they were closed my first visit) and caught them about 15 minutes before they were to opened. They graciously let me enter anyway.

Yes, the space looked the same; only the menu was different. I had skipped breakfast in the hopes of having the appetite to try two separate sandwiches, so I ordered both a plain grilled hot dog and a ginger barbecue pulled pork sandwich. Their toppings ran far more exotic than most, very much to my liking, so I chose a chili mayo for my pulled pork, and bacon & chives for my plain hot dog. Unfortunately, they hadn't prepped the bacon and chives yet, ultimately a good indication of how they run their kitchen.

And fortunately for me, they had already started grilling it before asking me if I wanted to try something else. I then ordered their jalapeño and cheddar-stuffed hot dog, thinking it would replace my plain dog, but instead, came with the plain dog—which I topped with their seasonal eggplant relish—and my barbecue pulled pork sandwich.

The hot dogs were excellent, with casings that snapped loudly through the top of my head with each bite and clear juices full of the layers of its seasonings as spices. The eggplant relish was bright and earthy and a good compliment to the plain hot dog, while a drizzle of sriracha sauce added extra zing on top of the jalapeños that flicker the front and back of my tongue. The pulled pork sandwich, with its sweet and vinegary sauce, played nicely with crisp, shredded cabbage, and the creamy, spicy chili mayo rounded out each mouthful pleasantly.

They offer sides as well, and though I had scant room left in my tummy (I couldn't finish two of the sandwiches with the hot dogs being 20% longer than the average hot dog), the prices were manageable enough for me to spend 2 bucks to sample the baked beans with pork belly, which was likewise excellent, and left me grateful that this tasty, yummy, cheap, and filling food is not made available anywhere near me, lest Bun & Co. would have their fill of seeing me so very often.

Bun Apple Tea!

.kac.

Bun & Co. | 78 Rivington St. (bet. Allen & Orchard Sts.) | 212.253.8441 | www.mybunandconyc.com