Grilled Cheese, Meat & Bread, Vancouver

A friend and I bumped into each other one sunny afternoon and instead of going to get that raw vegan power shake we've been texting about, we headed for Meat &Bread, which I have been to a few times.

We had both been getting over different forms of illnesses, and while a power shake would have been great, life is short. However, I abstained from their meaty meat goodness and tried their grilled cheese, which I've always eyed, but never made a priority. Using crumbled aged cheddar with freshly shaved purple onion, it could have used another 60 seconds under the press. With bits of cheese unmelted and the onion not doing its job of bringing that sweetness to the mix, I only blame myself for getting the vegetarian option at a place called Meat & Bread.

On the side was some form of bacon pea soup with kale. It was good.

Comments

Monty’s Bakehouse wrap, Air Canada

I’d rate this wrap as strange. Its packaging created expectations of a more appetizing experience, which it was not. After a vastly superior egg salad sandwich from London Heathrow, I could not greet this airplane freebie with serious interest, but at least it was hot, and at least I could review it for this blog. Steaming contents were oozy and largely undistinguishable, but suggested some kind of red pepper or sundried tomato origins.

Melt Room, London

I'm usually such a purist when it comes to the grilled cheese. Melted cheese, butter, good bread, maybe a bit of onion. Maybe. Pickle on the side. Why deviate from what is solidly a delicious combination? The Melt Room looked like a mall kiosk with its shiny plastic decor, but I was brought there by a friend who was craving the lamb shoulder melt she read about in the paper, and I opted for the BBQ chicken, even though I hummed and hawed about the original. I should have just had the original. We shared half of each other's choices and I was put off by the romaine lettuce inside of her grilled cheese sandwich as well as the bland chicken in mine. The sourdough was rather good though and heavily buttered, but the fillings just really did not work. Located deep in Soho, I don't see how this place can last long, but then again, I have never understood British cuisine.

Haloum Grille, Depanneur Le Pick Up, Montreal

A friend and I agreed the personality of the sandwich changes with each person who prepares it, and today we felt something was a little less than parfait with our Haloum Grille. Folks at Le Pick Up seemed stressed . The longest wait ever, and our lunches sat around too long. Temperature of the cheese is important to experiencing haloumi’s firm the texture and the release of its saltiness, and I prefer when it’s grilled directly before entering the sandwich. Creamy spicy slaw of red cabbage, carrot, and kale soothes the major crust burn associated with the crispy multigrain toast. Ideally it’s the bread that should be soft and the haloumi that gets to shine as the crispy grilled champ that it is. Nevertheless, we stayed for hours at the back picnic tables, chatted with the servers, overheard some drama about the evening closing procedure, broke a dish, and spilled a coffee. A good day.

You Say Sandwich, We Say Yeah!

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