National Geographic Traveller (UK) - Food
On the menu
FROM A FIVE-CHEESE TEXAN SPECIAL TO CORNED BEEF FILIPINO-STYLE, HERE ARE EIGHT OF THE BEST SANDWICHES FROM MENUS AROUND THE WORLD SEAFOOD SANDWICHES Fresh from the Sea, Cornwall
You’d be hard pushed to find a fresher seafood sandwich than the ones made at this Port Isaac institution. In season, crab and lobster are caught daily in the bay. The sandwiches, made to order, are wonderfully simple affairs, the meat packed between slices of wholemeal bread with mayonnaise and a handful of salad leaves. Crab sandwich, £9.75. Lobster sandwich, £12. freshfromthesea.co.uk
CORNED BEEF HASH SANDO Panadera Bakery, London
This sandwich from the Filipino bakery in Kentish Town has fast become a favourite London lunch. A croquette made with homemade corned beef hash, small chunks of potato and bechamel sauce, all covered in breadcrumbs, is wedged between slices of pandesal, a Filipino milk bread, also made in-house. It’s topped with fried shallots, butterhead lettuce, garlic sauce and a ketchup infused with calamansi (a Filipino lime). £7.50 panaderabakery.com
TGC 5 CHEESE CLASSIC Twisted Grilled Cheese, Houston
This Houston favourite operates two food trucks and a restaurant in the city. Most of its cheese sandwiches come with a twist, but the 5 Cheese Classic, with Vermont white cheddar, provolone, mozzarella and yellow and white American cheeses, is one for the purists. Pair it with tomato basil soup. $8.99 (£6.60) twistedgrilledcheese.com
SAUMAGENBRÖTCHEN Metzgerei Hambel, Wachenheim
Saumagen is a speciality of Germany’s Palatinate region. Pork, herbs and vegetables are stuffed into a pig’s stomach before being cooked in a water bath, removed from the casing and fried in thick slices. It’s eaten with sauerkraut and potatoes but can be enjoyed in a crusty roll (brötchen). Try it from the butcher who made it for former German chancellor Helmut Kohl — seasonal variations include asparagus, chestnuts and truffle. From €2.20 (£1.60). metzgerei-hambel.de
SHREDDED BISON DIP Feast Café Bistro, Winnipeg
Christa Bruneau-guenther, from the Peguis First Nation community, creates modern dishes using Indigenous ingredients. Traditional bannock is a type of flat, golden fry bread that’s ubiquitous in the cuisines of North America’s First Nation peoples, with plenty of variation. Christa uses homemade bannock for pizza, burgers and sandwiches: this one, stuffed with shredded bison meat, melted cheese, sautéed vegetables and wild blueberry BBQ sauce, is served with horseradish mayo. $CAD14.95 (£8.75). feastcafebistro.com
FRUIT SANDO Fruits and Season, Tokyo
Japan’s fruit sando was likely invented in the early 1900s at one of the country’s traditional fruit parlors. Seasonal fruits are lodged into chilled whipped cream and held in place by slices of shokupan (milk bread). Japan’s first vegan fruit sando shop, in Tokyo’s Ebisu district, offers versions in which both cream and bread are soy-based. A mixed set of four beautifully symmetrical seasonal sandwiches might contain the likes of strawberry, persimmon and pear. Seasonal set, from ¥5,400 (£34.35). fruitsandseason.com/collections
KAYA AND BUTTER TOAST WITH EGGS AND COFFEE Heap Seng Leong, Singapore
People flock to this kopitiam (traditional coffee shop) for a breakfast of thick slices of white bread toasted on a charcoal grill, spread with kaya (sweet coconut jam) and sandwiched together with slices of chilled butter. As part of the classic kopitiam breakfast trinity, it’s served with glasses of traditionally brewed butter coffee, and two very soft-boiled eggs, the runny white and yolk mixed together in a saucer with white pepper and dark soy sauce. $SGD 3.60 (£1.95).
COOKIE SANDWICH Moo Pie Gelato, Edinburgh
This popular purveyor of sweet treats on St Mary’s Street is known for its creatively flavoured small batch gelato and soft serve. Moo Pie’s cookie sandwich offerings change monthly, with previous versions having included sticky toffee soft serve topped with crushed candied pecans, sandwiched into brown butter, ginger and molasses cookies. Cookie Sandwich, £5.00. facebook.com/moopiegelato