Best sandwiches in Sydney? Australia? The World?
If you don’t work in the city, you’re really missing out! I’ve had Big Bite on Pitt on my ‘To eat’ list for ages now, but because I don’t work in the city and BBoP is only open Mon-Fri, I could only long-to-try. But here was our opportunity, the very first time both my wife and I had a week-day off together (due to arriving back from the States this morning), fighting jet lag we headed to Pitt St for a Big Bite sandwich!
We’ve probably walked past this place countless of times and had never noticed the skinny arcade in which BBoP is located within (arcade is called 250 Pitt). And because it was only 11am (we were already hungry as our stomachs were still on West Coast time), there weren’t any lines and in a matter of minutes we had our long awaited sandwiches (or wrap) in hand.
First impression, ‘wow that’s a big sandwich!’ so you’re definitely getting your money’s worth ($11 each, not displayed online). And our suggestion is to take these babies away (Hyde Park if it’s a nice day or back to your office if you’re based in da City) as seating is very limited (only 3 tables for 2).
We ordered Poached Ginger Chicken on brown bread, and the Rare Beef wrap. The sandwich could easily feed 2 (an abnormally large slice of bread, presumably cut from a big round loaf), while the wraps looked on par with a standard sized wrap, although the skin was thicker than usual wraps thus it could also feed 2 if you were planning on having a light lunch.
Poached ginger chicken sandwich – the bread was out of this world! Such soft bread, while the crust was thick and chewy; the greens (methinks spinach leaves) and tomato slices were fresh; mayo/butter spread was just the right amount (applied thickly enough while not being messy); although the poached ginger chicken was on the bland side, I didn’t even get a hint of a ginger flavour.
Rare beef wrap – this was harder to share as it wasn’t pre-cut in half (although I’m sure they will happily oblige if you asked them to slice it); the wrap was nice and thick (similar to Lebanese bread) both chewy and crunchy (we opted to have it toasted); veges (lettuce and antipasto capsicum) were fresh; and the rare beef was what you’d expect from thinly sliced sandwich meat.
Our end verdict, did the sandwiches live up to the hype and our expectations? Yes! And I had expected much from BBoP. Was it a step above your regular café sandwich offerings? Certainly was! The stand-out was the type of bread and wrap they used. Were the flavours and selections out-of-this-world? Hmmmmm, still undecided. I would love to come back to try their other flavours before I can give a definitive answer; while the daily specials which are only available on the given day of the week, seemed very interesting and I’m sure gets regulars coming back day after day. Was it value for money? Yes, Yes and Yes, especially when compared with the price of food we’d been putting up with in the US of A over the past weeks.
So – best sandwiches in Sydney? I’d say it has to come pretty close to it! Best sandwiches in Australia? I think if there was such a tournament, BBoP would be a finalist! But, best in the world? Unfortunately not, still fresh in our culinary minds from breakfast 36 hours ago in San Francisco, we had this awesome sourdough ham and egg sandwich and a sourdough wrap with crispy bacon and egg, so in this head-to-head with BBoP, unfortunately BBoP would come off second best as being the best sandwich we’d had this week.
But if you haven’t tried a Big Bite on Pitt sandwich before, please come on down and try! You won’t regret it! And if you work nearby, come on down just before the lunch rush to beat the crowds. Then take your sandwich back to the office, treat yourself and step away from your work while having it, as it deserves your full attention. Not to mention, it’ll require both hands as you try to hold everything together as you take big bites!
Big Bite on Pitt- Friday 26 October (4 stars)
http://www.bigbiteonpitt.com.a
PH: (02) 9283 4700
250 Pitt Street, Sydney NSW
Mon-Fri 5am – 3pm
Sat-Sun Closed
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