Best toasties
You won’t believe what they’re doing with the magical combo of bread and melted cheese
Comté and caramelised onion at Wild Life Bakery, Brunswick $12.50
At this temple of bread the sourdough is the star of the show and for good reason – Wild Life bakes some of Melbourne’s best. It’s properly tangy with a crunchy caramel crust and chewy crumb, and it shines in toasted sandwiches that arrive as thick as a forehead and big as a face, yet achieve the all-important mission of fully melting the abundance of Comté inside. The sweet and nutty cheese surrounds sticky, Worcestershirerich onion, creating a comforter that is simple and unfussy, accompanied only by a single, long pickle. 90 Albert St, Brunswick East 3057. 03 8060 0547. wildlifebakery.com. Tue-sun 7.30am-3pm.
Tarwin Blue, pear, rocket, walnut at Harper & Blohm, Brunswick $12
Harper & Blohm’s snappy list of sandwiches is all about tasteful restraint. Aside from the classic three cheese, each sarnie features just a single variety to highlight the quality of the curds. The Barry’s Blue remixes that most grown-up of salads – blue cheese, pear, rocket, walnut – into an elegant toastie that balances the gentle funk of Tarwin Blue from Gippsland with the sweet touch of wafer-thin pear slices, spicy rocket and the bitterness of walnuts. It’s all layered between square slices of organic sourdough toasted to a deep gold. 365 Sydney Rd, Brunswick 3056. 03 9381 0764. harperandblohm.com. Tue-thu 10am-5pm; Fri 10am-6pm; Sat 9am-5pm.
Tuna melt at Hector’s Deli, Richmond $14
They nail the tuna salad here, adding dill, diced onion and jalapeños for kick, toasting it with melty American cheese and ‘hectic sauce’, a moreish chipotle aioli we’d happily slather on anything in arm’s reach. The bread’s a key player too – light rye generously buttered on the outside and toasted to a shattering crunch. 1/94 Buckingham St, Richmond 3121. hectorsdeli.com.au. Daily 7.30am-3pm.
Fondue special at Maker & Monger, Prahran Market $15
On weekends, the little cart does brisk business from its spot near the back of Prahran Market, beckoning shoppers in with its display of high-stacked sourdough, each surface generously buttered. Options include an all-american cheddar fest and a zippy pimento, but for pure melty goodness you can’t go past the fondue. It’s easily the cheesiest of the lot, producing an Instagram-baiting pull when you separate the sandwich halves. It uses a mix of Swiss gruyère and comté tricked up with shallots, garlic and wine for a belly-warming toastie that’ll take you to a chalet in the Alps. à Stall 25, 163 Commercial Rd, South Yarra 3141. 0413 900 490. makerandmonger.com.au. Tue, Thu, Fri 8am-4pm; Sat 7.30am-4.30pm; Sun 9.30am-3pm.
Wagyu Bolognese and kimchi jaffle at Estelle, Northcote $14
If you measured a millennial life in jaffles, it would begin with $1.20 Kraft Singles-in-tip Top from the school canteen and culminate at the bar of Scott Pickett’s reopened fine diner Estelle. Mince made from Wagyu cuts not required for mains gets cooked into a thick, sticky Bolognese, layered on bread with the spicy tang of julienned kimchi and shredded cheese, then pan-fried and served under a snowfall of airlight parmesan. The result is a pure, fatty, pleasure- receptor bonanza that goes down just as well with a brash shiraz as it does with a frosty can of sour ale. 243-245 High St, Northcote 3070. 03 9489 4609. theestelle.com.au. Mon-thu 6-10pm; Fri-sun noon-4.30pm & 6pm-late.
Reuben toastie at Beneath Driver Lane, CBD $18
Beneath Driver Lane does one of the city’s best toasties, a solid Reuben that piles thick slices of Rustica sourdough with thinly sliced Wagyu pastrami, melty gruyère, sauerkraut and Russian dressing, served with long pickles. They nail the toasting here, getting the bread crisp all over while retaining its chewy crumb and thoroughly heating the generous layers of filling. It’s one hefty sandwich, less bar snack and more full meal. 3 Driver Ln, Melbourne 3000. driverlanebar.com. Sun-thu, Sat 4pm-3am; Fri 1pm-3am.
Vegan cheese and baked bean jaffle at Union Kiosk,
CBD $8
Staff are coy on their cheese sorcery methods, but a base of tapioca flour and coconut oil give it a melty, elastic texture that’s a worthy mimic of the Kraft slices of your childhood, but creamier. For peak nostalgic snacking, we reckon it’s best enjoyed with their housemade baked beans toasted between white sandwich bread. Shop 2, Causeway Ln, Melbourne 3000. 0413 402 331. unionkiosk.com.au. Mon-thu 7.30am-4pm; Fri 7.30am-5pm; Sat 8am-5pm; Sun 9am-4pm.