Rob Shaw
What makes a great sandwich? Is it the perfect ratio of bread, condiment and filling? Whether you’re a hard-line traditionalist or an ingredient rebel, one thing is certain: Australians love to love sandwiches. Here are Sydney’s best to wrap your hands around.
Tokyo 7/11, The Dolphin
Tokyo 7/11, The Dolphin
The egg sandwich at The Dolphin is an ode to the irresistible packaged tamago sando found at Japanese convenience stores. Boiled egg is mixed with a hefty squeeze of Kewpie mayonnaise and spread liberally on slices of pillowy white bread. It’s only available at lunch on weekdays but The Dolphin has enlisted the help of Foodora to deliver it straight to your desk.
The Dolphin Hotel, 412 Crown St, Surry Hills, NSW, (02) 9331 4800.
Photography supplied.
Roasted broccoli sandwich, Brickfields
Roasted broccoli sandwich, Brickfields
Brickfields’ Simon Cancio packs an eclectic mix of influences into this creation: the chilli oil, lemon juice and parmesan are a tribute to a pasta dish he twirled as an apprentice at Sean’s Panaroma in 1995, and the chilli-mayo is inspired by the condiments in Portuguese chicken burgers. Add roasted broccoli and ciabatta and you’ve got a killer remix.
Brickfields, 206 Cleveland St, Chippendale, NSW, (02) 9698 7880.
Spanner crab with hash brown bun, Bodega 1904
Spanner crab with hash brown bun, Bodega 1904
If a Filet-o-Fish and a lobster roll spawned an offspring it would be Bodega 1904’s shellfish slider. Buttery bran rolls, made across the Tramshed at Dust Bakery, are stuffed with avocado, hash brown, shredded iceberg, and spanner crab mixed with chunky salsa golf, the Argentinian take on Thousand Island dressing. And you can eat them for lunch and dinner seven days a week.
Bodega 1904, Tramsheds, 1 Dalgal Way, Forest Lodge, NSW, (02) 8624 3133.
Porchetta roll, Victor Churchill
Porchetta roll, Victor Churchill
While the wagyu brisket rolls at Victor Churchill’s younger sibling, Vic’s Meat Market, are also worthy of applause, nothing beats the Woollahra original for a show. Walk past the cases and dry-ageing rooms and front up to the rôtisserie, where from 11am till 3pm you can have slices of salty porchetta layered into a milk bun with Dijon and a lightly pickled slaw. And all with the finesse and ceremony you’d expect from Sydney’s finest butcher.
Victor Churchill, 132 Queen St, Woollahra, NSW, (02) 9328 0402.
Fish and chip sandwich, Continental Deli
Fish and chip sandwich, Continental Deli
Born from a craving that Continental manager Mikey Nicolian had one day at work, this “fish and chip” sandwich is pure after-school cool. The fish is a whole tin of Ortiz sardines, and the chips? Smith’s classic thins. Enriched by Pepe Saya butter, mayo and hot sauce, it all comes together in a ciabatta roll with slices of dill pickle. Extra points for the accompaniment, too: the Ortiz tin filled with more chips swimming in sardine oil.
Continental Deli, 210 Australia St, Newtown, NSW, (02) 8624 3131.
Poached egg and salad sandwich, Cornersmith
Poached egg and salad sandwich, Cornersmith
A staple at the original Cornersmith – and also available at its vego spin-off in Annandale – the poached egg sarnie is a seasonal showcase of the veggie patch that not only highlights local producers (the roll is from Marrickville’s The Bread & Butter Project) but also the café’s DIY ethos (it’s made with soy-milk aïoli). The winter edition has a cavolo nero, radicchio and persimmon salad with a green tomato relish.
Cornersmith, 314 Illawarra Rd, Marrickville, NSW, (02) 8065 0844; 88 View St, Annandale, NSW, (02) 8084 8466.
