Simon Food Favourites: Sandwiches

Showing posts with label Sandwiches. Show all posts

15 October 2013

The Wedge Espresso: Coffee and Cafe, Glebe (10 Aug 2013)

53/55 Glebe Point Road, Glebe NSW 2037

A wedge of Glebe

A lazy weekend brings me to swing by The Wedge Expresso while checking out the local Glebe markets. Fueling baby on board with a Babyccino ($0.50) of about half milk and half froth goes down well although most parents will probably agree a full froth version is your safest bet for a path of least potential mess. My Cappuccino ($3.50) is enjoyable with good roasty flavour, non bitter and done well. I wish I could have sat down to enjoy it although space and seating was just too cosy and difficult with present company. The Smashed Egg and Ham Roll with tomato chutney, mayo and rocket ($7) took a while to prepare so take away coffee and babyccino were finished by the time I received. Flavours were tasty and came in a nice toasted bread. The egg was cooked well and still slightly runny. Tempts me to try more of their sandwiches. The window spot is a great way to check out the passing crowd.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Service quite friendly and relaxed with hints of too cool for school, Reasonably priced menu, Nice coffee

CONS: Limited seating and table space, Menus looking a bit worn and grotty, Limited menu, Parking can be hard to find

MUST TRY: Revisiting to try other sandwiches

VERDICT: Definitely seems to be a popular place for locals to get their caffeine hit. Count yourself luck if you get a spot to sit.

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They're not kidding when they call it a wedge

Menu has seen better days

Babyccino ($0.50) — some froth, some milk, Cappuccino ($3.50) — good roasty flavour and non bitter, done well

Smashed Egg and Ham Roll with tomato chutney, mayo and rocket ($7) — good flavours, nice toasted bread, egg cooked well and still slightly runny
SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

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10 September 2013

Boom Banana: Home of the Best Chicken Schnitzel on Oxford Street, Surry Hills (12 July 2013)

27 Oxford Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010

https://www.facebook.com/boombananasydney

Freshly made chicken schnitzel

Thanks to Les Szancer for inviting me to revisit Banana Boom after originally visiting 3 years ago. Since that time it has been taken over by Les from the original owners who had successfully run the shop for many years. Banana Boom is well-known to the locals for its excellent chicken schnitzel and I'm glad to see it continues to be a signature item on the menu. The No. 2 Chicken Schnitzel sandwich with lettuce and mayo ($6) is generously filled, reasonably priced, and the chicken is moist and tasty. The classic simplicity of this sandwich works a treat, especially just on your basic white sliced bread. Les says the key to a good schnitzel is being freshly made each day. If stocks run low they just make more as needed. The schnitzel is cooked in batches too so it's not sitting for too long in the bain-marie which avoids it drying out. A new item on the menu is the Hot chips ($3.50). They're good but sadly it's only a small cup and could be more generously filled up in the bag. Les has promised to relook at this to make it better value after my feedback on the day. The Boom Burger ($6.90) comes with a homemade beef patty, caramelized onion, lettuce, tomato and dijon aioli. It has potential but I find the ratio of bun to meat patty not quite right and there needs to be more meat to taste like a burger to me. Alternatively if served on a softer white bun or perhaps even white sliced bread would probably work well and I'd suggest adding some BBQ or tomato sauce for extra flavour.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Very reasonably priced menu, Chicken schnitzel made fresh each day, Efficient and friendly staff, A very popular juice bar

CONS: Narrow shop so it can get a little cosy when crowded, So many menus around the place can get a bit overwhelming for a newbie customer, No seating so only suited for takeaways

MUST TRY: No. 2 Chicken Schnitzel sandwich

VERDICT: If this shop was closer to my work I'd definitely be visiting it more often for my chicken schnitzel fix and fresh juice

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No. 2 Chicken Schnitzel sandwich with lettuce and mayo ($6) with avocado ($1) — reasonably priced, chicken moist and tasty, schnitzel made fresh daily

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Hot chips ($3.50) — good with a nice crisp although served in a very small cup and bag could be more generously filled, Les says he's going to relook at this after my feedback

Boom Burger: Homemade beef patty, caramelized onion, lettuce, tomato, dijon aioli ($6.90) — flavour OK but I found the ratio of the bun too much compared to the meat patty

Chicken schnitzel made on site and cooked throughout the day

Owner Les Szancer and his trusty service team

Alternative chicken sandwich options

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08 August 2012

Palomino Espresso: Café with homemade baked goods, CBD Sydney (31 May, 1 June 2012)

Shop 1, 61 York Street, Sydney NSW 2000

http://www.facebook.com/PalominoEspresso

Mum's baked goods in the mix

A promising response tweet from Palomino Espresso in my search for a good savoury muffin that can match Tramezzini Espresso brings me in to this friendly down-to-earth café. The Spinach, Ricotta & Pumpkin Muffin ($4) had good flavour and was really nice when cut in half and toasted back at the office. The Plum and Apple Muffin ($4) had lots of chunks of fruit and flavour although made it quite soft and moist to pick up easily. If served warm on a plate with a sccop of ice cream would make a fine dessert. The owner provided a complimentary Strawberry Cupcake ($?) that also tempted me through the counter display. It had good flavour although the icing was a bit runny and it probably didn’t need the generous serving on top. The Lemon Meringue Pie ($4.50) had quite good flavour although watch out for the high set meringue touching your nose when eating. The Chocolate and nuts flourless cake ($7.50) had a nice depth of flavour with a surprisingly lighter than expected texture making it easier to eat more. On my second visit the next day the Reuben Sandwich with NY Rye ($8.50) was nicely made and perhaps just needed a good dollop of aioli or mayo with the lettuce to add more moisture and a pickle on side. I would have liked the meat to perhaps be sliced thinner as well — perhaps two thin slices rather than a thicker slice. My Cappuccino ($3.50) was quite good, fairly smooth with roasty flavour and minimal bitterness served in a small cup. The Chocolate brownie ($4.50 large slice) has cherries on bottom which make the taste less focused on chocolate. I’d love to see a version with macadamias like I've enjoyed at Bacco.

A third visit brings me back in search of an afternoon treat. The review by SMH Good Living has certainly helped to pick up trade and subsequently demand for their cakes which has left me slim pickings after lunch. The enticing Apple & Berry Crumble ($6.50) sitting on the counter looked too messy for take away but having it eat in was the best option to enjoy with some whipped cream. The ‘mum-sized’ slice was particularly generous and full of fruit with nice flavours. It probably didn’t really need the crumble base as it had just the right amount of crumble on top. My Hot Chocolate ($3.50) had good flavour throughout and certainly hit the spot for a sugar hit. Looks like it's best to visit early to have the best chance of the selection of homemade baked goods.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Friendly and efficient service, Nice cakes and baked goods, Decent coffee, Reasonably priced menu

CONS: Very small tables so limited table space to share, A bit of a mystery box what will be baked on the day

MUST TRY: Spinach, Ricotta & Pumpkin Muffin (toasted with butter), Apple & Berry Crumble, Coffee
VERDICT: For a quick bite to eat or decent coffee this small café has homemade baked treats to get you through an afternoon sugar low

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