6 days of Christmas (Sandwiches) - day 6

Pret A Manger has nailed it. This beauty was near perfection. The turkey was so deliciously moist it took me by surprise, especially since after days 1-5 I had began to think all turkey should be dry and (largely) flavourless. The cranberry sauce was great and on par with Tesco's, the stuffing was like the stuffing mum makes (that isn't a 'your mum' joke) and the real kicker here was the crispy fried onions which added, wait for it, texture! Wonderful stuff.

Description: Turkey, pork stuffing, onions, wholemeal bread, cranberry, spinach
Location: Pret A Manger
Accompaniments: Some overpriced juice
Companion: None
Rating: 9/10

Day 46 - The "Kelly Lebrock"

Gourmet burger vans are gaining a serious following in London. And the popularity of some burger vans in particular has forced them indoors in order to cater for a wider audience. That is the case with Lucky Chip, which has taken up residency in the Selbright Arms off the Hackney Road. The burgers are all named after celebrities and (I suppose) are meant to embody their personalities. I, mainly because I fancied the pants off her in Weird Science, got the Kelly Lebrock. It consisted of a medium rare burger, with caramelised red onion, bacon and Philadelphia all encased in a semi-sweet bun. It was excellent. The meat was wonderfully juicy and flavoursome. The bacon added smokiness whilst the onions were crunchy and sweet. Even the cream cheese went really well, acting as a medium for all the other flavours to combine in. My only criticism, and the only reason this does not receive a 10, is that all of the other fairly powerful flavours detracted slightly from the star of the show; the meat.



Description: Medium rare burger, caramalised onions, bacon, Philadelphia,
Location: Lucky Chip, Hackney
Accompaniments: Beer
Companion: Friend
Rating: 9/10

Day 40 - Homemade Tandoori Chicken Sandwich

I think this sandwich is the best sandwich I have ever made for myself. And, as you may have cleverly deduced, I have made a lot of sandwiches in my life. I started off by baking a chicken thigh fillets marinated (for a day) in a yoghurt and spice mix. Once cooked, and slightly charred, I cut a couple of fillets into strips, put them between two slices of buttered (not margarine) seeded wholemeal bread, added some date and lime pickle and finished off with a handful of rocket and cress. The result was wonderfully aromatic, spicy and succulent chicken with hints of sweetness from the pickle and pepperiness from the rocket. The textured bread and leaves added a nice bite to the sandwich as well. If I hadn't made this myself, I would have given it a 10, but for some reason I find it difficult to award my own creation a 10.



Description: Homemade tandoori chicken sandwich with date and lime pickle and rocket and cress
Location: Home
Accompaniments: None
Companion: Friends
Rating: 9/10

Day 33 - Homemade Pav Bhaji

Pav Bhaji is a fast food dish that originated in Indian Marathi cuisine. Pav bhaji consists of bhaji (a thick vegetable and potato based curry) garnished with coriander, chopped onion, hot chilli peppers and bread, which is usually buttered on all sides. This was my first time having the dish. My fiancée's family's friend made it and brought it over on the last day of my visit to the USA. The vegetable curry was loaded on to a buttered and heated slice of bread which I rolled up and ate with gusto. The curry had a texture akin to chilli con carne and the flavour was incredibly rich. It could honestly sit amongst the finest vegetable currys I've eaten. Sweet and salty, sour and spicy, it hit all of the key elements for good Asian cuisine. The depth of flavour was also impressive; like it had been cooking for days, with all of the flavours melding together perfectly. The only criticism of the sandwich was the bread. It's supposed to be served on white rolls. If it had been, it would have received a 10 for sure.



Description: Pav Bhaji garnished with coriander, chopped onion and hot chilli peppers
Location: Future in-law's house, Sugar Land, Texas
Accompaniments: Water (lots and lots)
Companion: Many
Rating: 9/10

Day 27 - Elvis' Last Supper

On a recommendation I went to this bar/diner to eat, what I'd heard to be, delicious burgers. I was not disappointed. I got Elvis' Last Supper which was a burger with bacon and peanut butter on it. I was assured that this did not taste as weird as it sounded. I'm not as in to peanut butter as some people are, but I thoroughly enjoyed this. The peanut butter was slightly sweet and crunchy which sat alongside the salty crispy bacon as the perfect accompaniments for the succulent burger.



Description: Cheese burger with bacon and peanut butter
Location: Bad Apple
Accompaniments: French fries and beer
Companion: Fiancée
Rating: 9/10

Day 23 - Bánh mì

Bánh mì is a Vietnamese sandwich. Technically, I believe the term is the Vietnamese word for bread, but it is commonly used now to describe a type of sandwich which is made using a baguette (introduced to the country by the french during colonial times)and filled with a variety of ingredients such as roasted pork belly, Vietnamese sausage, grilled pork, spreadable pork liver pâté, chicken, sardines, meatballs, head cheese, fried eggs, and tofu.

I had 'The Classic', which is Vietnamese pork, American ham, French country pate, mayonnaise, cucumber, pickled daikon (Asian radish) and carrots, coriander and jalapeño. On the owner's recommendation, I added a mixture of hoisin sauce and their own hot sauce, which is a sweeter version of Sriracha hot sauce. The result was a heady combination of Vietnamese and western flavours which made for a great mouthful of food. My only criticism is that the meat was lunch meat, not fresh grilled pork or chicken, like you get in Vietnam. Still, lip-smackingly delicious.



Description: Vietnamese pork, American ham, French country pate, mayonnaise, cucumber, pickled daikon (Asian radish) and carrots, coriander and jalapeño Bánh mì
Location: Saigon Sister, Chicago
Accompaniments: Water
Companion: Fiancée's cousin
Rating: 9/10

Day 18 - Al's Beef Legendary Italian Beef

Al's Beef is a place I saw on Man versus Food. It's famous for it's 6 inch subs which are made with slow roasted italian seasoned beef, which is then left to stew in a spicy gravy. The beef is then placed in italian bread, garnished with sweet peppers and giardiniera peppers and then dunked in spicy gravy. And that's exactly what I had. Truth be told this was actually the second time I've been to Al's Beef and it was as good this time as the first time. Spicy succulent beef oozing with gravy, sweet and spicy peppers, what's not to like?



Description: Italian Beef 6'' sub
Location: Al's Beef, Chicago
Accompaniments: Diet Pepsi
Companion: None
Rating: 9/10

Day 16 - California Dream

This sandwich is the best I have had so far. I purchased it on recommendation of my fiancé who herself had been recommended it by someone else. The sandwich consisted of grilled chicken breast, avocado, provolone cheese, sprouts, tomato, an amazing sauce and pretzel bread. I have never had bread like that in England, it's so flavoursome (sweet, salty, crispy, soft) that I'd be content just eating that on its own. The chicken was cooked perfectly, still running with juices and still hot from the grill. The other ingredients just danced around the chicken, complimenting it with every mouthful. To top it off, the sauce, which I am assuming was homemade, was spicy, creamy, acidic and fruity and married everything together perfectly. My only (minor) criticism is that I would have preferred iceberg lettuce instead of the sprouts, which I feel added nothing. Lettuce would have added a further texture to the sandwich and propelled it to a 10. Admittedly that is a minor point, and this is still a fabulous sandwich.




Description: Grilled chicken breast, avocado, provolone cheese, sprouts, tomato on pretzel bread
Location: Morgan Street Cafe, Chicago
Accompaniments: Water
Companion: Fiancée
Rating: 9/10