You Say Sandwich, We Say Yeah!

My first venture to Duffin's will only lead towards a downward spiral. So much more than just a donut shop, Duffin's has possibly everything I could ever want at any time of day, and that's great, because they are open 24 hours. So whether I want a donut, or fried chicken, or any kind of sandwich I can think of, one only needs to go to Duffin's. Coming from the North Shore after an extended dog walk/hike with someone who had a car, our mission was actually to get a donut, but as soon as we stepped foot in we were ordering almost everything else. Not ordering fried chicken was hard, so I ate a jelly donut while I waited for my carne azada sandwich, the first on an extensive menu list. As slices of flank steak with a lot of salad, the sandwich was actually pretty damn tasty on a chewy little bun, all for a fiver. 

I've walked by The Dirty Apron countless times, and you think I would have walked in at the mere hint of SANDWICHES so prominently written across its chalkboard, but something kept me away, perhaps because I felt the sandwiches would be made by those taking the cooking classes, and well, I don't want an amateur. On the suggestion of someone who was briefly in town and ate their take out sandwiches for a week, I thought I would try it out en route to a meeting. Offering both baguettes and paninis, I opted for the baguette to see what they're really made of. Choosing the roast chicken sandwich that comes with chipotle mayo, roast tomato, parmesan, and watercress and a few anchovies, I agree with Young Elvis's recent observation that watercress is a damn fine complement in a sandwich. That said, I had a few issues with this sandwich. While the chicken was fine and accented by the anchovy, there seemed to be more chipotle mayo than chicken, and the baguette t...

Just an update, I've been back to Cafe Phin a few times since a little recon work a month back, and I'm slowly making my way down the menu after a strong start. The pho and stews are all right, but I'm just here for the baguettes. If the laws of deductive reasoning are put into play, the sandwiches will increasingly get more amazing as pork belly was superior to the assorted meats, and this lemongrass chicken banh mi is so far the best. Perfectly grilled juicy and tender chicken inside of the toasted baguettes makes me want one RIGHT NOW, but my quandary is do I double down? Do I continue down the baguette menu to dare their lemongrass tofu and meatball to be even better, or do I simply revisit the chicken, whose flavours I think about at night? I think the choice has kept me away, but I will sooner or later have to make this decision.

This sammie doesn't have a ton of curb appeal when shut with the breaded edge facing outwards, and so was skeptical of it. I assumed that the bun would have a hard shell to rip up my mouth - the unfortunate side effect of a crusty sandwich.  But within my first few bites, I cannot believe the error in my ways. What a brilliant concept to pile Eggplant Parmesan with tomato ragout into a feather-light bun! It has a sharp tomatoey tang with just the right amount of acidity, and the satisfying oily texture of eggplant melts right into a kind of savory pudding in the mouth. Presumptions aside, this elegant and hearty Italian comfort food is packed with flavor and it does so right in the convenient format afforded by the sandwich. *Editors Note: Sadly the Eggplant Parmesan is no longer in rotation at PLENTY.