3/08/2005

KP's Vietnamese American Deli


jenny sandwich
Originally uploaded by illewminator.
vietnamese sandwiches have arrived in silverlake! i was so excited to try out this new place, i invited several friends to come along for my weekday lunch excursion. to my amazement, five friends in various stages of employment managed to free themselves to join me for lunch this particular tuesday, which also happened to be KP's third day of official business.

we found KP's sandwiches to be quite tasty... and also quite large -- much larger than what you'd get at most other vietnamese establishments. we sampled the cold cut sandwich (KP's Kold Kuts), which is the most typical, traditional type of vietnamese sandwich (and which we ordered to give us a good idea of how KP would perform on standard menu items, even though i'm not really a big fan of this particular item -- i usually call it the "mystery meat" sandwich, since some of the cold cuts are semi-unidentifiable).

but even though it's not my personal favorite, it was pretty good, with good sized portions of the various mystery meats, the ubiquitous pate, and generous portions of pickled daikon and carrots filling the sesame crusted baguette. we got the sliced jalapenos on the side, but ended up using all of them, anyway (i'm kind of a wimp and take out the seeds before putting the peppers in my sandwich). they really do help give the sandwich a little kick, so i'd definitely recommend using them -- even if you have to remove the seeds to cut down on the heat.

we also sampled the pulled chicken sandwich and found it to be good, too, although we all thought the chicken could use a bit more spices/flavoring. but we did like the judicious use of mayonnaise and, again, the generous portions of pickled veggies and the freshly baked sesame baguette.

other pluses: KP and his staff are very pleasant, friendly people who seem like they'd be cool folks to just hang out with. after we offered our feedback on the chicken sandwich to his staff, KP came out and chatted with us and thanked us for our comments, offering a free chicken sandwich the next time i come, promising to kick up the spices on it.

the deli is quite small, but clean and nicely laid out, with a few small tables just outside the door (KP also says sidewalk tables are coming soon). AND, KP's has free wi-fi, so you can bring your laptop while you enjoy your sandwich and iced coffee.

sandwiches are $6, which is considerably more expensive than the $1.50 or $1.75 sandwiches you can get at most "authentic" vietnamese shops in chinatown, the SGV or the OC, but still in line with your typical sandwich price. there are also "american" style sandwiches, salads, and vegetarian menu options. dessert options include flan or a "flan shooter," basically a mini portion of flan in a small plastic cup to satisfy your sweet tooth without the guilt.

for the convenience of being able to walk to KP's, and the pleasant and friendly atmosphere, the free wi-fi (and to collect on my free chicken sandwich), i will definitely go back to KP's.

KP's address is 2616 hyperion ave., 90027, near the corner of hyperion and griffith park blvd. parking can be difficult, but you can call in your order and do a drive by and they'll bring it out to the curb for you.

4 Comments:

Blogger NuttinButGlutton said...

If you don't live across the street from the place, is it worth 4 sandwiches from Mr. Baguette?

3/08/2005 1:11 PM  
Blogger illewminator said...

if i lived across the street from mr. baguette, i wouldn't even bother owning a refrigerator. throw in the wi-fi and fuhgeddaboudit... i might as well just live there.

but since i don't have that luxury, KP's is a reasonably good alternative to satisfy my weekday vietnamese sandwich urges (on weekends, i'm usually in the SGV anyway, so can easily go to mr. baguette, baguette express, or lee's sandwiches).

3/08/2005 3:26 PM  
Blogger typefiend said...

Its quite a temptation to get a sandwich everytime I am entering or exiting my neighborhood gym (Body Builder's) just a few buildings south of KP's. Its interesting how popular Vietnamese eateries are in this section of town right now...but a welcome addition nonetheless. I think I'll be stopping in tomorrow for a sandwich now (despite having a stomach's load of goodies from Little Saigon this past weekend)!

3/15/2005 9:42 PM  
Blogger illewminator said...

***THIS JUST IN***
KP has re-vamped his menu. he now offers a grilled pork sandwich! It's a little different from the bbq pork sandwiches i've gotten at other places: instead of the chunks of pork, KP's are more like slices of pork, with a reddish marinade that kind of reminds me of chinese-style bbq pork (char siu). it's good and, like his other sandwiches, there's plenty of filling in this sandwich.

he also removed the roast beef american style sandwich and my tuna melt from the menu. ;-( (but he says he'll bring it back after the summer, saying it was too heavy for the warmer weather). there's also now a turkey club that looks good. i can't remember the other changes, so go there and check it out yourself.

4/26/2005 11:43 PM  

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