If there’s one block in Midtown East that bears any resemblance to the East Village, it’s gotta be E. 53rd b/t 2nd and 3rd. It’s here, and pretty much only here, that you will find several narrow, pint-sized restaurants serving up an array of ethnic and slightly eclectic eats in Midtown East. Like many an ethnic nook in the East Village, most of these are BYO. You’ve got Marrakesh for Middle Eastern, Mariachi’s for Mexian, Ariyoshi, Hakata Grill and East 53 Teriyaki House for Japanese, Baluchi’s, Brick Lane Curry House Too and Tadka for Indian, Little Thai Kitchen for Thai, Good Health Burger for Vegetarian, Gordon Chen’s Kitchen and Peking Duck House for Chinese, Luna Piena and La Giocanoda for Italian, Hawaiian Island Grill for fish tacos and other island-y food, and even a token wine bar in Cello. Now you can add Mantao Chinese Sandwiches to the mix. The restaurant is named for the sesame-studded steamed bread (think Chinese sesame bun) which is used for its sandwiches. I decided to give the $9.95 Combo Box a try for lunch today…The sandwiches are rather small (dare I call them Chinese sliders?) so it’s nice that the Combo Box comes with your choice of any 2 sandwiches, as well as a nice-sized green salad w/ ginger dressing (ask for an extra dressing) and a bag of shrimp chips. It’s equally nice that if you’re just in the mood for a snack, you can grab one of these bad boys on the go and be all set.

There are basically 3 tiers of sandwiches on the menu: fried egg sandwiches for $2.50, some sandwiches for $3.95 and then some more ”specialty” sandwiches for $4.50. Check out the full menu here. Doing the math you can see the Combo Box is a pretty good deal if you go with the $4.50 sandwiches. The lady behind the counter recommend I try the “original”, aka the braised pork, and her favorite, the black pepper chicken. The black pepper chicken was by far the tastier of the two. It had sauteed onions and good flavor. The braised pork came with pickled cucumbers, your garden variety hoisin sauce and was far from memorable. With all the choices, I wouldn’t recommend this one. Next time I’ll try the spicy pork, the shiitake and portobello or a fried egg sandwich w/ chinese sausage and cheese. Overall, I’d say the $9.95 Combo Box is a pretty good deal that will definitely not leave you hungry. Surprisingly, however, the tastiest thing I had was the side order of pan-fried pork dumplings ($4.95 for 6 large ones). I really enjoyed the slight char on the outside and the big, juicy pork bits on the inside.

I’d put these right up there with the Cravings Truck, Dumpling Man and Rickshaw.  While the food won’t blow you away or anything, you can come away having a solid meal at Mantao if you navigate the menu and order correctly, making it a welcome addition to an already great food block in Midtown East.

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