Article from the Nichigo Press Internship Program
About a 15-minute walk from Central Station, located on Oxford Street, is “Sandoitchi Café,” a Japanese-style sandwich shop. The following article will explore the details that are involved in the carefully crafted sandwiches, their most popular menu items, and some customer feedback.
(Text and photos by Airisa Rahman Fatima and i Yui Suzuk, Translated from Japanese by Sachi Kobayashi Pirola)
The cafe’s signature dish is the strawberry sandwich. The whipped cream is flavoured with yuzu, which adds a bright acidity, and the use of a small amount of sugar makes for a sandwich that is not overly sweet. Additionally, fruit sandwiches made with seasonal fruits are available in store. These ideas were inspired by Japanese sweets, further developed to appeal to the tastes of Australians, and then incorporated into the menu. Incidentally, the best-selling items at this café are the buttermilk fried chicken sandwich and the prawn cutlet sandwich, and the pork cutlet sandwich, which has been available since the cafe first opened, is one of the café’s most familiar and popular menu items.
Try the popular menu items
This time we had the special, seasonal, kiwi and strawberry fruit sandwich, as well as the popular prawn cutlet sandwich and pork cutlet sandwich. The fruit sandwich is served cut into four pieces, so that the exposed cross-section looks beautiful from both the side and from above. This is a thoughtful innovation, designed in a manner so that it is easier to share. The combination of the slightly sour yuzu cream with strawberries and kiwi isn’t overly heavy, and was very delicious. By all means, this is a delicacy that you should try at least once.
The prawn cutlet sandwich is one of the shop’s most popular menu items. The combination of the light finish and the softness of the prawn cutlet when you bite into it, and the moderate sweetness of the corn, is exquisite and addictive. The pork sandwich, which has been available since the restaurant first opened, is about 2.5cm thick, and has an incredibly satisfying bite to it. The pork cutlet is topped with cabbage, carrots, cheese, seaweed, and cucumber, and the combination of rich ingredients is guaranteed to provide high levels of satisfaction.
Customer reviews
Joshua, who has been to the restaurant about twenty times, came with his friend Mark today. “When I visited Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture, I had a fantastic katsu sandwich. When I was looking for a sandwich shop in Australia, I found this place, and I think it’s the best. I’m really excited because I heard they’re opening a second shop in Chatswood,” he shared.
Sandoitchi Café, where you can enjoy sandwiches that make you want to come back for more, is scheduled to open its second store in Chatswood on March 11. Why not visit and taste the delicious sandwiches for yourself?
After the interview
At Sandoitchi Café, I was able to enjoy sandwiches that were so delicious I wanted to come back again and again, in fact I thought that next time I would like to come back privately! Thank you very much for your cooperation with this interview!
（Yui Suzuki）
In the warm and cosy atmosphere of the shop, we were able to enjoy slightly tart fruit sandwiches and the popular prawn katsu sandwich. It was so delicious that we would like to come back and try them again. Thank you very much for your cooperation with this interview!
（Airisa Rahman Fatima）
* This article was written by six students from Tokyo Keizai University who participated in Nichigo Press’ internship program over a two-week period. Starting from February 12th, they visited cafes and restaurants in Sydney and conducted interviews. Other articles can be found below.
