Phnom Penh Sandwich Station Offers a Taste of Southeast Asia in White River Junction 

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• Georgiana de Rham
• Lemongrass beef Phnom Penh sandwich

I first tried the Phnom Penh Sandwich Station's eponymous sandwich during a sunset hike up Mount Cardigan for a friend's wedding celebration. Love was in the air as we ate under a starry night sky. For me and that colorful, crunchy sandwich bursting with flavor, it was love at first bite.

Ever since, I've made a point to pick one up every time I'm near White River Junction. I eat mostly vegan, so my Phnom Penh filling choice is always the fried tofu with spicy soy sauce ($12.95), which I order extra spicy. Other choices include ginger-garlic pork, curry or teriyaki chicken, lemongrass beef, and coconut shrimp.

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• Georgiana de Rham
• Inside Phnom Penh

Sandwiched in a crusty roll, each bite is a chorus of bright, complementary flavors, from the vinegary vegetables to the mild, airy tofu and fresh jalapeños. Thinly sliced cucumbers, spicy daikon radish and pickled carrots make a vibrant visual and textural contrast to the tofu, which is pillowy beneath a crisp exterior. Thick swirls of creamy, mild chile mayo mellow the heat. Cilantro and scallion add refreshing, aromatic flavors.

Deliciously satiating, it makes a perfect candidate for Seven Days' summer series on great sandwiches to power outdoor adventures in Vermont (or New Hampshire!).

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• Georgiana de Rham
• Spicy tofu Phnom Penh sandwich

The sandwich and restaurant name pay homage to Phnom Penh, the Cambodian capital where co-owner Sarin Tin grew up. He moved to the Upper Valley in 2006 and wanted to share Southeast Asian cuisine with the community.

My favorite Phnom Penh sandwich shares some vegetable ingredients with a classic Vietnamese bánh mì but is truly a Cambodian-style sandwich with a twist, according to Tin. He and his wife, Lay Yi, also offer bánh mì made with head cheese, pâté, ham and an egg-based spread called "butter."

"People know about a bánh mì, but it's hard to find up here. You usually have to drive to Boston," Tin explained. "So we drive to Boston to get the best bread and source the best ingredients, and we bring the bánh mì to people here."

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• Georgiana de Rham
• Phnom Penh

The couple started Phnom Penh Sandwich Station in 2015 at the Hanover Farmers Market in New Hampshire with — as the name implies — just sandwiches. They expanded to a food truck and then to their original Lebanon, N.H., location, which offers only takeout. Their full-service White River Junction restaurant opened in 2018.

The menu at both spots has grown to include curry, noodle and rice dishes, but it's the sandwiches that repeatedly pull me back.

All fillings, including condiments and pickled vegetables, are made in-house. Yi drives to Boston twice a week to pick up bread from Vina Bakery.

"We started small and learned as we went," Tin said. "For years, we sliced the meat by hand every day. Finally, someone recommended that I get a meat slicer." Fifty- to 100-pound daily batches of pickled carrots were shredded by hand until the couple bought a food processor.

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• Georgiana de Rham
• Bánh mì with housemade chile oil

On a recent visit, a meat-eating friend ordered the bánh mì ($10.95) with a side of housemade chile oil, as well as a Phnom Penh sandwich with lemongrass beef ($13.95). Slices of meat threatened to spill out of the fragrant bánh mì roll, which was slathered with the creamy, golden housemade "butter." My friend reported that the crunchy, vinegary vegetables and punch of welcome heat from the chile oil balanced the rich meats. With the Phnom Penh, she said the tender beef was redolent of lemongrass, garlic and chile.

We crunched partway through our generously sized sandwiches, packed the leftovers in a cooler and hit a nearby portion of the Appalachian trail. There were no weddings to attend that day, but whenever I visit Phnom Penh Sandwich Station, I feel the love.