FEATURE: SANDWICHES

Out of the Lunchbox

Sandwiches are having a moment — here’s why.

-WORDS Annabelle Cloros

-PHOTOGRAPHY Trent van der Jagt for June’s

SANDWICHES ARE UBIQUITOUS across the globe — think Italian beef in Chicago, paneer tikka in India, or a porchetta-stuffed roll in Rome. Most countries have their own version of a sandwich, with some type of carb used as a vehicle for any and every topping.

Now, sandwiches are finally getting some attention from local chefs who are casting a culinary eye over the deceptively simple staple. Hospitality speaks to Patrick Friesen from June’s Shoppe, Benjamin Terkalas from Kosta’s Takeaway, and Michael Jokovich from Cordeaux Social Club about how they’re levelling up the classics.

Cordeaux Social Club is a neighbourhood brunch spot by day and a wine bar by night. The all-day venue is located in Brisbane’s West End, and has become known for its range of sandwiches inspired by Co-Owner Michael Jokovich’s time in the US with his brother and sister-in-law (who are also part of the business). “There were some really great sandwiches we had overseas that just weren’t accessible here at home,” he says. “We wanted to bring things like a pastrami sandwich back with us and share the experience.”

Around 50 per cent of patrons order a sandwich when they visit Cordeaux Social Club, and it’s not hard to understand why — the menu currently lists mushroom cutlet with hazelnut butter, buffalo mozzarella, and rocket on seeded sourdough along with fried chicken teamed with iceberg lettuce, red cheddar, and house sauce on a parker bun. There’s also a curried egg number with iceberg lettuce on a parker roll and a classic smoked beef with Gruyere, pickles, and gravy on smoked potato bread.

While the tuna melt is currently off the main menu, Jokovich says it’s been one of the most popular options the team has created. “It’s something you see at every diner in the US, but we couldn’t find it here,” he says. “It’s basically a tuna toastie with lots of fresh herbs, Gruyere, capers, and a house-made mayo with a bit of lemon.”

The sandwich options evolve with the seasons which coincides with the team’s approach to working with local producers and bakers such as Providore Princess and Cordelia Sourdough Bakehouse. “There’s not a lot of places to hide with a sandwich and our emphasis is on using the freshest ingredients,” says Jokovich. “We will look at some new additions for summer like a nice BLT with heirloom tomatoes but we can really play around with different flavours and change things with sandwiches being so versatile.”

Locals have responded well to the concept, which aims to veer away from being a traditional café. “Our intention was to go with more of a deli offering,” says Jokovich, “and we’ve been fortunate that word has spread with our sandwiches and that we’re doing something a little bit different in the area.”

June’s Shoppe in Sydney’s CBD has a couple of points of difference to the other sandwich-centric stores around — one, the menu has been put together by Head of Culinary Patrick Friesen, and two, it’s all about fresh sandwiches — it’s a toastie-free zone (except for one melt). “We used to do a few toasted sandwiches, but then we decided to do a refresh,” says Friesen, who once worked with a chef who took sandwiches very, very seriously back home in Canada. “It was a fancy restaurant at night, but at lunchtime, he would do soups and sandwiches. He would bake the bread fresh everyday and if anyone asked for a toasted sandwich, he would tell them to get out — it was fresh bread sandwiches only.”

If you make a sandwich and put double the toppings, bread, and cheese and get close to the $20 mark, people think it’s a bit expensive.

– Patrick Friesen

And fresh they are at June’s, too, which has become known for its sandwiches that are more than generous in size thanks to the bread, which is sourced from a bakery in Turrella. “I searched high and low for bread that was thick but super soft and encapsulated everything when you bite into it without being the main component,” says Friesen. “It’s a hi-top thick-sliced bread that’s like what you get at Baker’s Delight but 50 per cent bigger.”

The bread selection means there’s plenty of room for toppings at June’s, which has a menu of staples including spicy fried chicken with Comeback sauce, cheddar, and gem lettuce; a salad sandwich with vintage cheddar (and optional Gypsy ham, per Friesen’s signature move); curried egg with gem lettuce; and roasted fennel pork with pesto, pickled chilli, provolone, and rapini.

While the fillings all differ, the stacking process remains front of mind for the team. “For me, it’s all about the quality of the ingredients and the layering so different parts of the sandwich hit your mouth at different times,” says Friesen. “For instance, tomatoes always need to be close to mayonnaise. Or if you’re eating a burger — which is a sandwich — I always put the pickles on the bottom and the salad on top so you taste the pickles, the meat, and then you finish on the salad.”

There’s no doubt a sandwich at June’s is a full meal. Options are priced between $18 and $20, which is a decision that has been widely accepted by customers. “So far so good with the price point,” says the chef. “It’s a tricky one because if you took out everything and put it in a bowl, it’s a huge salad. I can charge $22–24 for a chicken burger elsewhere, but I put double the chicken on the fried chicken sandwich because the bread is so big.

Sandwiches are a funny thing perception-wise. I think that people have a socially agreed upon perceived value of things. If you make a sandwich and put double the toppings, bread, and cheese and get close to the $20 mark, people think it’s a bit expensive, but they won’t blink at paying $30 for a pizza which uses half as much flour to make the base and has half the toppings.”

Regardless, the sandwich landscape is on the up — June’s makes between 75 to 100 each day for city-dwellers. “I think the same thing is happening to sandwiches that did with burgers,” says Friesen. “Before, it was half a slice of ham, some unripe tomatoes, and cheese on bread. People are putting more effort into them now and everyone is lapping it up.”

Kosta’s Takeaway is rooted in the art of old-school Greek hospitality. The concept started out in Sydney’s Rockdale, before expanding to the CBD and soon to Rosebery. “Kosta’s is sandwich shop driven and our style of food is affordable,” says Co-Owner Benjamin Terkalas. “I think a lot of people try to sell affordable food that’s not the best quality, but we capture chefs to work with us who bring their culinary skills to make sandwiches.”

A lot of our food is designed from restaurant meals that are refined and put into sandwiches.

– Benjamin Terkalas

The backbone of Kosta’s is its team, which is made up of chefs with fine dining backgrounds from Hubert, Ester, Bisteca, Hello Auntie, and Teddy Picker’s in Canberra. “Covid opened us up to a lot of chefs and they love it,” says Terkalas. “It’s nice having people like that touch all the food. We’ve worked hard developing this style of food and you need to be methodical, which is something we’ve had to learn. It has to be measured — it’s not like plating.”

The culinary skills of Kosta’s workforce are interwoven throughout the sandwiches from the chicken which is butchered in-house and brined to the hand-cut pickles, and fermented chilli.

“There’s a big difference when you have people who care about food,” says Terkalas. “It lays a foundation of, ‘This is how we do things’, and there’s no questions asked. You can’t rip people off these days, and you want them to be excited about a $16 sandwich which isn’t hard to do if you do it properly.”

Excitement is the right word when it comes to a sandwich from Kosta’s — especially the fish sandwich and the schnitzel sandwich, which have become cult bites. But Terkalas thinks another option needs a little more cred. “I’d say the tuna melt is underrated,” he says. “A lot of work has gone into it and there’s a lot of hidden ingredients in it.” He also mentions the specials, which run for up to two weeks at a time. “We’ve just done steak with pepper sauce and house salt and vinegar chips. But that started on pita with steak, chips, and a Bearnaise and then moved into pepper steak with mushroom, eschallots, and garlic. A lot of our food is designed from restaurant meals that are refined and put into sandwiches.”

The team will soon open the doors of its third location in Rosebery, which will be home to a prep kitchen and ensure all members of staff can be retained. “We almost have too many staff now, which is great because we want to keep everyone and now the business is telling us we can open another venue. Rosebery will have a larger takeaway offering like burgers and hot chips. We want to create a good company and grow in a mindful way.”