Sandwiches of New York: #11.

What is it? Figgy Piggy.

Where's it from? Barnyard Cheese, 168 Avenue B in the East Village. barnyardcheese.com

What's in it? Parma ham, soft goat cheese and fig jam served on a soft, flat Portuguese roll called a flautta.

How much does it cost? $9.50 (inc tax).

I've been meaning to swing by Barnyard Cheese in it's new location and try a Figgy Piggy Sandwich for a month or so and finally on a warm sunny weekday I did!

Barnyard Cheese's new location is a tiny sliver of a shop. There's a small kitchen at the back and a counter where you order and pay for your food. As well as made to order hot and cold sandwiches they sell homemade soups and salads, baked goods such as muffins and bars, bags of chips, homemade lemonades, sodas and coffees. They also have a nice selection of imported cheeses sold by weight along with unusual condiments, crackers etc, a selection of which would make either a great hostess gift or the makings of a delicious casual lunch or supper. The decor is charmingly rustic but seating is extremely limited - there's a small bench out front and an interior window ledge with a couple of stools, but you are less than a block from Tompkins Square Park which has plenty of shady benches. My sandwich was swiftly made and service was friendly.

I love all of Figgy Piggy's ingredients separately but this is the first time that I have had prosciutto and goat cheese together. There was a generous amount of filling in the sandwich, the prosciutto was nice and sweet and the goat cheese had a fresh lemony kick to it, these two items by themselves might have been a little unbalanced but the addition of the fig jam complimented both ingredients and brought them together harmoniously. The flautta roll was soft, slightly chewy and a little oily (I mean that in a good way), it brought to mind a blander, less airy foccacia, but it served as a good vehicle for the filling. The sandwich was well constructed and it was substantial enough to serve as lunch by itself. 

I thought it was very good value for money especially as the cheese and ham were both of such high quality. I'd give the Figgy Piggy two thumbs up (despite it's somewhat silly name) and look forward to trying some more offerings from Barnyard Cheese before too long!