Is anyone else tired of seeing cafe cabinets with paninis, rolls and wraps that are simply enormous and way too big for many appetites?
So often I crave a well made club sandwich. Fresh bread, ham, egg, lettuce, maybe tomato or something similar but it seems that everything now is so big?
I bought a filled roll a few weeks ago from a reputable cafe, it was so huge and the filling so dry that after a few mouthfuls I gave up.

Your thoughts?

Agreed. All the rolls are so much bread and not near enough filling - and if there was enough filling to match the bread, it would be enough for 2 people. And they're so incredibly expensive for what they are, but then again I think that about most cafe food.

I also agree. There is one café in town that does have some club and single sandwiches but none that I am aware of with a wide selection.
I remember going into one well known café chain in Australia (we have them here, too) that had the usual array of paninis, rolls and wraps and I asked if it was possible for me to have just a ham sandwich. No problem, it was freshly made for me. I think they are franchised and it would depend on that willingness to go that extra mile.

I couldn't agree more. Everything seems to be getting bigger and bigger too. A club sandwich is just the perfect size and always delicious. We have a cafe not too far from us that we go to for their club sandwiches, It is an old fashioned style tea rooms that has normal size sandwiches, cakes etc....a rare find these days.

I totally agree - we don't all want 'big food' during the day when we go to a cafe but think of it this way - there must be enough people who do otherwise these cafes would not survive. It's all about trends and target marketing and too bad if you don't fit the profile.

I have become increasingly disillusioned over time so seldom eat cabinet food these days.

Regards,

Barbara Anne

And here in Adelaide we have a thing called a double cut roll. The one and only time I've had one was when I had only recently arrived and went to a deli to get my lunch. When they asked if I'd like it double cut, I said yes, not realising it was a large round roll, cut through the middle twice, and piled high with fillings in both places. It was enough to feed a family of 5 lol!
Can't recall when I've last seen a club sandwich but it must have been in NZ as I've never seen them here.

I love a nice club sandwich, I usually make a batch of egg mashed with mayo and chives once a week, and then can quickly put together a club for lunch. ( I probably only have them once a week, but hubby and boychild like egg and ham sandwiches for lunch). I really like the ham, lettuce, egg and tomato combo.

We are in Noosa at the moment enjoying the heat in the mornings & evenings the days are too hot for us. Anyway I degrees have had a lovely curriied egg sandwich here , tasty & moist & have seen more in other cafes. Toasted Fruit bread is very popular here as is toasted banana bread/loaf. Not many scones at all & a few muffins. Again huge filled rolls you can’t get your mouth around have avoided these but had many a lovely salad for lunch.

I totally agree too a good club sandwich is divine BUT so hard to find. I had one the other day at a cafe in Ngatea, very average sandwich to be honest.

My school hosted a funeral a few months ago and we all chipped in helping with the food. I was on sandwiches and was very surprised how many people helping me had no idea.

We started off with clumsy and chunky sandwiches with crusts on, cut badly and with mediocre filling to neat, buttered and filled club sandwiches that were eaten up so fast.

Bring back the club
Vanessa

I recently prepared food for a family 90th. I decided that club sammies and asparagus rolls were a must.

Used all the traditional ingredients for the sammies. So many older people told me it had been many years since they'd enjoyed a club sandwich and it really made their day and the day for the birthday boy with all his friends so happy with their lunch.

Just did the traditional white sandwich bread, crusts off, ham/tomato/lettuce/egg/grated cheese.

The younger ones loved them too. I actually started making club sandwiches several years ago for my sons' and hubby's lunchbox as they were all traditional eaters. Although a lot of work they were all eaten and very much enjoyed.

Agree with Helen; hard to take older people (or even hubby) to a café to lunch and for them to find something they see appealing to eat (or that they understand what on earth it is or what the ingredients are). And when you do convince them to try something they are relatively comfortable with the café staff then go and throw them in an oven so they come out oily and horrible.

Garden Centres, which is where a lot of older folk like to have lunch are the worst !! (Example: a nice fresh looking ham and cheese croissant. Wonder why it's taking so long to come to the table then presented with something they've heated up (without being told they were going to do it), oily, chewy and half the size and not at all resembling what was chosen from the cabinet).



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/04/2017 06:42AM by judym.

Judym - yes! and more often than not these rolls etc are heated in a microwave which turns something that might have been passable into something oftentimes inedible.

Yes! Yes YES!

I would love to see a crusty french roll with some good cheese and a bit of pickle. That would suit me. Simple, but good quality.
I often think counter food is either too big, too heavy or too sweet. Muffins and Scones are the worst - always too massive.

Yes! I came across club sandwiches in a café for the first time in years recently. Bliss.

And the cakes are also far too large as well. In fact, they keep getting larger - a lot of cafes serve cakes baked in rectangular moulds which could easily serve two, for example. I've occasionally thought of starting a business making really small cakes for cafes - I can't be the only one who wants just a small treat on occasion.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/05/2017 01:06PM by CarolynC.

One of my local cafes sells tiny pieces of brownie or ginger crunch. It's just a mouthful and just a sweet taste to have with coffee after lunch. From memory it's $2.00 which I find a bit on the expensive side seeing it's literally just one bite. However I do enjoy it and just don't need more following a lunch.

Just as an aside - I couldn't help posting this link to a "club sandwich on steroids"!
[nourishmagazine.co.nz]
Regards,
Dawn.
PS - I LOVE club sandwiches too, but perhaps not the Scandinavian cake type!

Club sandwiches, asparagus rolls, and stuffed eggs apparently all old fashioned, but watch them disappear is you make them as part of a larger offering. They’re always first to go. Why dio cafes not get it? There must be an awful lot of people who like big and tasteless.