Lunch time mystery

I need to start taking better notes (or start taking some form of notes) to accompany these sandwiches as I am having a hard time remembering what was what and where.

Definitely a sandwich had at the office, I have been staring at this sandwich photo for five minutes, examining the quality of the bread to the melange of fillings to wonder what it is and where I got it from.

The bread seems of a higher quality than the usual suspects around my office, but the excess of what appears to be slaw and chicken make me wonder if this was something I had ordered for myself.

The mystery isn't so much a mystery as it was a mistake. One rainy day I popped into Piknik, a place I keep walking by endless times, but never trying. I was told they had good things, but I should have trusted my chalkboard instincts. I feel like a lot can be discerned from an establishment's sidewalk chalkboard menu, and their daily specials never ever spoke to me.

But alas, the soup drew me in, and to go with this sandwich I had a vegan curry squash soup that was terribly bland. The sandwich here is their take on a Vietnamese sandwich, and they failed on their cultural diversity assessment. The slaw was way too wet, but unflavourful with no crunch or acid to help it along. The meat was completely forgettable as I think it may have actually been ham and not the chicken it appears to be, but that will remain a mystery. The bread was its saving grace, but wasted in this combination and more of a hearty roll than a light baguette, which is key to a Vietnamese sandwich.

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.

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.

Croque Madame, Word of Mouth Cafe, Leith,

A damn fine Croque Madame can be found at Word of Mouth Cafe , an incredibly comfortable and chic cafe I was taken to walking up from Leith. From the well oiled dark stained wooden tables to the soaps in the loo, the overall aesthetic of the cafe was incredibly convivial to a certain tempo in how I like to enjoy my meals and conversations. The food was also exceptional, beginning with a very berry smoothie that reminds me of home, classic crispy frites which I never knew I missed until being only offered chunky rubbery chips, a light vinaigrette over the mixed salad, and a very well done croque madame, with the right saltiness of ham to cheese, with the egg seemingly embedded into the top of the really good thick slice of bread. The clincher was the liberal use of dried parsley, which is a sight for sore eyes, dashed over everything hot and visually tied it all into the salad. Maybe the food in Scotland has just been really bad, but I went really wild for this meal as it's fresh an...

You Say Sandwich, We Say Yeah!

Search This Blog