The taste of salt water. The sound of leather on willow. The smells of an afternoon thunderstorm. The sight of sunburnt tourists. Ahhhh, how we miss summer in Sydney already.
And yet, with the last rays of sun fading away, there are still a few places you can find a sandwich that captures that same feeling of sand between your toes, without finding that sand inside the bread. Here are five of our favourites right now.
Connecticut style lobster roll –Waterman’s Lobster Co
Oh what a world we live in. Where lobster is no longer the domain of the rich and famous. Where the style of New England is found hidden in a Potts Point back-alley. Welcome to Waterman’s.
The bun in our ’Connecticut style’ lobster roll is outrageously soft and buttery. It requires surgeon-like delicateness to hold the bun and avoid crushing it in our palms. The lobster meat is richly red and cooked to perfection, which leaves us wanting more (consider going for double lobster for an extra $15). The addition of chilli salt adds a nice kick to this otherwise delicate sandwich, which, when paired with a Sierra Nevada IPA is the perfect way to spend a “summertime” lunch.
Salad sandwich - South Dowling Sandwiches
The people behind South Dowling Sandwiches tell it like it is. There’s no bells or whistles. There’s no mystique or trickery. Simply, they make sandwiches and they served them on South Dowling Street. One of which is the “Vegi”, which you may have guessed, is filled with vegetables.
A kaleidoscope of colours peers out from the bread thanks to the lazy 12 varieties of vegetables in the sandwich – each one fresher than the next. Potato salad, caramalised carrot, mushroom, lentils, cucumber, capsicum, green beans, red cabbage, grilled eggplant, grilled zucchini, beetroot, lettuce, rocket and hummus. Oh, and all for the honest price of $7.50. Not kidding.
Trout sandwich – Kai Food Stylin’
Truth be told, Kai’s Green Square Markets stall does not officially include a sandwich on its menu. Instead Kai focuses his energy on smoking trout, which sells like hotcakes. But, get him in the right mood….
The rainbow trout is the obvious hero of the dish. Glimmering pink flesh with smoky undertones is wonderful, as is the generous portion of fish on this open sandwich. Between the trout and the crusty sourdough lays a sauce of horseradish and beetroot cream. The former adds intensity to the sandwich, whilst the latter adds some delicious ‘Australiana’. Topped with watercress, thin slices of radish, and extra virgin olive oil, the glimmer bouncing off this sandwich shows it was made for the summer sun.
“Dog’s Breakfast” – Reuben Hills
The name given to this sandwich raises images that are, well, they are best not imagined. However, it belies the artistry in which this impressive ice cream sandwich is created. Yes, an ice-cream sandwich.
Chocolate slice biscuits, vanilla ice cream, way too much gooey salted caramel – our favourite way to cool down outside of the water.
Pork and Mango Roll - The Rabbit Hole Organic Tea Bar
The sweet aroma of a perfect mango is synonymous with summer. Thanks to clever marketing, we are also more likely to seek out mango in our portable desert bars than in our sandwiches. However, the Rabbit Hole in Redfern is quickly changing that.
A thick ‘paddy’ of moist, shredded pork sits menacingly in the centre of this sandwich, with a healthy dollop of sweet, thick mango chutney. Together these two ingredient thump(er) away at our tastebuds. Spirals of cucumber wrap themselves around the sandwich, like a great Octopus attempting to drown a Pirate ship, sitting above a seabed of red cabbage slaw and the milk bun.
