The Return to Duffin's Donuts, Vancouver

What can I say? A short stop over in Vancouver led to a lot of scheduled eats to hit up all the key sushi, ramen, dim sum consumption possibly in 48 hours, but one unscheduled visit led me back to Duffin's Donuts. Lacking options in the downtown core, we actually took a cab to Duffin's to maw down a couple pieces of spicy fried chicken before getting into a chicken banh mi sub. The buns are super fresh and soft, and the carrot to the rest ratio is out of control. The woman behind the counter said it was her favorite, and I can see why. My dining companion ate everything, and I only manged to eat half a sub after the chicken appetizer, which was originally meant as a snack for later. That chicken never lasts for later. Like other sandwiches I have loved, the thin wrapping paper is somehow essential to my overall enjoyment of its contents.

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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.

Panini, Piazza Barberini, Rome

Having recently returned to Rome, I was quickly reminded that sometimes the most simple is the most delicious. By the third bite, this panini sandwich picked up from the Piazza Barberini neighbourhood interrupted my thoughts with " Good Lord, this sandwich is awesome !" Taking a photo so that I may remember for possible replication here at home, this sandwich was most straightforward: a very seedy fresh wholegrain bread, Italian salami, oven-roasted yellow bell pepper, soft mozzarella, and arugula. I'm seduced by the mystery of Italy, and how everything tasted so amazing there ... is it the freshness of the olive oil? Absolutely wonderful.

You Say Sandwich, We Say Yeah!

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