You Say Sandwich, We Say Yeah!

This little diner style cafe is cute enough, with several locations I keep walking by, I finally popped my head in one day between meetings on Ossington and sat at the counter. Ordering a cherry soda and a pressed sandwich, I realized with each bite that I would not be returning. The sandwich was fine, reminiscent of all the grilled paninis of the early 2000s I ate throughout my undergrad, but this was an uninspired sandwich at best. A mess of flavours between salt and grease, I quietly ate this thing, drank my cola, used way too many napkins, and will not be fooled by their turquoise trays and palatable fonts. All style here, folks, and not much substance.

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.

  In my persistent hunt for a good Italian sandwich in Vancouver, I was repeatedly referred to Cioffi's , which lies just outside of Vancouver boundary, literally on the otherside of Boundary Road in Burnaby. By and by, I ended up having my last sandwich in Vancouver in a moving van, helping another friend move (albeit move furniture from my home to hers), and we ended up driving up Burnaby Mountain to drop off one of the handy movers. On the way, with empty bellies and a sofa bed safely tucked away, I ran into Cioffi's for three sandwiches and san pellegrinos while they maneuvered the cube van in the hostile parking lot.  For some reason, I thought I was getting a big hoagie style sandwich, and not a grilled panini, but that's all they were offering. With a few premade numbers and fresh grilled, I perused the aisles of oils and dry goods and meat and cheese selections, and was largely non plussed. There is a more than decent selection, but I'm glad I didn't ...

This focaccia fella already had spinach, tomato, roasted eggplant, roasted red peppers and grilled portobello mushrooms, so why the hell not add some thinly sliced roasted yams? Focaccia sandwiches (that are not subjected to the panini grill) are such a delight because the soft inner bread absorbs some of the moisture and flavor of squishy roasted ingredients without becoming soggy. For a college cafeteria sandwich, this combination had an impressive freshness, fantastic and integration of flavors. Deep bites of grilled mushroom work so well here that the yams might be overkill. My bad.

Yikes. Presentation was never their strong suit, but these clear plastic AND paper bags kept the sandwich visible while it started to sog up as I raced for the train. Those days are now over, but I will never forget that tin foil is still the best sandwich wrapper invented. I believe this was a bacon and brie with cranberry sauce panini.

A Scottish chain cafe that is a bit of a deli meets speciality gift and wine store, Peckhams has got locations all over the place, but the one I stopped in was the Union Square Mall in Aberdeen. With about 30 minutes in between transit changes, my travel companion and I stopped for a tea, and I ordered a roasted vegetable sandwich, asking if it'll be ready fast, while she ordered a bag of wasabi peas. The peas were all but eaten by the time I went up to see if the sandwich was ready, and I had to get it wrapped to go by then. In the short time span it took from wrapping to eating it en route, the heat of the roasted mushy vegetables had sogged up the underside of the bread. The vegetables, which mostly tasted of eggplant more than anything else, was rather bland, which always disappoints me in a hot sandwich. A poor panini appears popular in this country as I have yet to taste a good one. I may just have to have another go at the toastie , as at least my expectations are...

Long standing as the best gallery cafe across this fair land, the VAG cafe has the best atmosphere for relaxed chilled out coffee meetings, solo lunches, or something more formal. Ducking in on a rainy afternoon for a quick bite with my mum in the dwindling hours of the afternoon, we shared a perfectly grilled Mediterranean panini and kale salad. There was no skimping of artichokes either, which is possibly one of the most underrated sandwich ingredients out there. I hope when they move the gallery, that they'll keep the cafe in tact.