Hubbub Sandwiches

Sandwiches that make you go hubba bubba, indeed...

Food:

Meat and Bread. The Dirty Apron.  Hubbub. Big Lou's. And the list continues.  For the fellow lover of food and all things related, you would have to have been living under a rock if you had not realized that yes, there has indeed been a recent sandwich craze in Vancouver.  Sure, anybody can slap on two slices of bread, fill with desired ingredients, engulf and engorge.  But who would want to go to such great lengths (with the preparation, purchasing process, and all) especially when you're only looking to satisfy that, hopefully, one-time pulled pork sandwich craving?

Everybody loves a sandwich, although everybody loves a gourmet sandwich even more.  On this fine Monday afternoon, my dining companion and I decided to continue our gourmet sandwich quest with a visit to Hubbub (thank you Groupon, once again!)

My beloved Pulled Pork sandwich, Ginger Beer and Coleslaw

 ** I apologize for the absence of shots of the sandwich interior. My hands were really full and the sandwich was really oily. Plus, it didn't look that great on the inside, lol.

At first, we were both quite sound in our selection.  Hands down, we both wanted the Pork.  After a bit of contemplation and what not, we decided on the Pork and the Veggie.  We each also added a "sidekick". I opted for the Clean Slaw, while she chose the Quinoa Salad.  Our orders were ready in a jiffy!  As for the inital thought upon receiving the sandwiches: "Wow, these babies are heavy!"

Veggie sandwich with Quinoa Salad

 Sure, the sandwiches were messy but that doesn't stop me from enjoying every litle (big) bite.  What I loved most were the base ingredients added to every 'wich:  pickled jalapenos, creamy garlic sauce, romaine lettuce, cilantro, and caramelized onions.

Though the baguette lacked a soft interior, it still was very fresh, chewy on the exterior and was served warm and toasty.  The 24 hr-marinated and slow roasted pork was spicy and tender. I really liked the spices inherent in the pulled pork - it really gave the sandwich that zing!  The Veggie sandwich comprised of diced red peppers, eggplant and squash in a chili-lime marinade.  It was good, though not outstanding.  

The side salads were a real standout, especially the Clean Slaw.  It was extremely refreshing with the finely chopped cabbage.  Really enjoyed the coconutty-minty-cilantroey vinaigrette dressing as well.  The Quinoa Salad came with black beans, corn and peppers - tasty and definitely a high protein "superfood"!

Service:

Speedy!

Value:


Prices may seem a bit steep at first but fear not, once you have the actual sandwich in your hand and allow gravity to take hold, one will mostly think: "Hey, 10 bucks for this sandwich isn't so bad after all..."


Ambience:

It sure can get very busy during peak lunch periods.  It was also quite bumpppin' with louder-than-usual music (for a sandwich joint!)

Overall: 8/10

Yay: Definitely a 'sandwich bliss' haven. Good value.  Nice "sidekicks". Nice slaw. They also serve beer here :) Had myself a nice ginger beer.


Nay: Downtown - parking. May be a bit too 'heavy' for some. You will also need to have several napkins handy - it can get realllly messy with those hubba bubbas!

 

Burgoo

Burgoo is burrrrgggGREAT! (in the voice of 'Tony the tiger')

Food:

As famous as Vancouver is for its beautiful scenery, people and attractions, our lovely city is also known for its incessant amount of...yes, you guessed it, rain.  Rain is definitely one of my personal dreads.  I am usually not in the mood for anything and typically just wanna stay at home and do nothing (cue: Bruno Mars - The Lazy Song).  By "nothing", of course I mean, do nothing but snuggle on the couch in my comfiest pair of sweatpants and oversized tee-shirt, while savouring a nice bowl of tomato soup (can of Wolfgang Puck's, preferably) with a side of a homemade grilled cheese sandwich...

Burgoo - the answer to your rainy day woes

 Of course if you can bring yourself to put on a (decent) pair of sweatpants and shirt, one should definitely venture out to one of the 3 (soon, 4!) Burgoo locations.  Burgoo (or should I say, Burgreat!) offers some of the best 'comfort' classics including mac'n'cheese, soups, stews...and yes, even a Kentucky burgoo!

On this gloomy July afternoon, my d.c and I decided to make use of another very value-worthy voucher that we had purchased (thanks, Groupon!).  I definitely knew I wanted the Dos Diablos (a killer grilled cheese sammy BUT with a 'spicy' flair) and decided upon a bowl of their Manhattan Clam Chowder.  My d.c was unsure of what she wanted.  After seeing the arrival of the Jambalaya to our neighbouring table, we both agreed upon that!


 My Dos Diablos - described as 'two grilled angle cut filone sandwiches with melted spicy cheddar, chunks of chorizo sausage and roasted red pepper' - was deeeelicious! Though a tad greasy (but who doesn't love a bit of grease? :)), it was buttery, crispy (love the burnt pieces dangling off the crust) and definitely satisfying to the tastebuds.  I heart a good grilled cheese sandwich, but when it's kicked up a notch with the pairing of melted spicy cheese, sausage and red peppers...it really makes you wonder...how life can be so grand :)

The 'Dos Diablos' - up close and personal :)

The Manhattan Clam Chowder arrived steaming hot, hot, hot! I generally don't really care for things to arrive super hot (of course, I wouldn't like my dishes arriving warm either).  But when it comes to soup, a hot soup is a must.  This concoction was pretty bang-on with a fine amount of vegetables and clams.  I believe this was my first time having a Manhattan Clam Chowder and quite enjoyed it for its striking similarity to a tomato soup.

The Jambalaya certainly did not disappoint, as well.  It bore quite a resemblance to the one that is offered at Cactus Club - taste and appearance-wise.  It, too, arrived steaming hot and with a generous amount of chorizo sausage to boot.  Great choices all around!

Service:

Friendly

Value:


Soup & sandwich combo: $15. Jambalaya: $17.  A tad overpriced but with several groupons, it's not so bad :)

Ambience:

Cozy and comfy with wooden chairs, high tables, stools...and a fireplace in the midst of it all.  The bar by the front entrance adds to the 'coziness' factor ;)

Overall: 7.8/10

Yay:  Perfect lunch spot on a rainy day. Fantastic grilled cheese sandwiches, soups, and stews

Nay: Prices are a littttle high and unreasonable for certain dishes ($17 for a bowl of laksa? No thanks!)

La Grotta del Formaggio

fresh, hearty, and easy on the pockets...what more can you ask for?

Food:

I call this "the J special"

La Grotta del Formaggio is definitely unique in the sense that not only do they offer ginormous sized made-to-order Italian type sandwiches but I particularly love the fact that you can pick your own bread, meats, cheese, veggies, and sauces, as well. My usual go-to sandwich is a concoction of half a Focaccia with edam cheese, hot salami, hot capicollo and loaded with all the veggies.  I generally like an easy amount of regular mayo and regular mustard (though I should switch up the sauces from time to time (basil pesto mayo, anybody?).  I also like how they add in balsamic vinegar and olive oil prior to loading up the veggie, meats, sauce, etc. for it gives your sandwich just that tangy taste that zings things up! Also love the assortment of veggies they offer (including roasted red peppers, marinated artichokes, green olives) Lastly, I prefer it untoasted (though I should really try having it pressed and grilled for once)

Service:

Speedy and friendly

Value:

$6.50 for half a focaccia; $11.50 for a whole - easily the best value of all sandwiches (next to the cost of a Vietnamese sub (banh mi), of course ;) )

Ambience:

A grab and go Italian deli sort of a place, not much ambience nor is it expected

Overall: 8.5/10

Yay:  Come here for cheap, fresh, hearty, made-to-order monstrous sized sandwiches as well as other Italian deli pick-me-ups and other goodies (raincoast crackers, anybody?) Also a great place for those who like to "choose your own adventure" (and by adventure, I mean the sandwich-ingredient-selection process analogous to the kind of adventure one was out to seek in the "Choose Your Own Adventure" books from way back. Anybody remember that? Lol!)

Nay: It can be a bit of a wait come peak lunch hour times. They also lack some sort of a structured ordering system (no number tabs or anything) though I have never had a problem with this for there are a quite a few number of ladies working the deli counter! :)

Meat and Bread

meat and bread - it's all you'll ever need...

Food:

As the current spot on Urban Spoon's "Talk of the Town" list, combined with an incessant number of reviews from various media outlets and food bloggers, Meat and Bread has sure garnered a lot of attention given its relatively new birth! Alas, I was finally able to pay it a visit to see what the hype was all about!

The "bread and butter" sandwich of Meat and Bread (haha) is undoubtedly the Porchetta sandwich (which is btw, pronounced as "Porketta" for I was corrected :S).  From the information that I have gathered, it is pork loin that is slow-roasted (daily), rubbed with garlic and various fresh herbs and wrapped in pork belly (kinda like the Chinese roasted pork minus all the herbs and seasonings) My dining companion opted for that while I went for the daily special: Braised Beef, Hoisin Glaze, Sesame Sui Choy salad.

Porchetta sandwich

My porchetta was carved and diced upon order.  I loved the see-through open display for it allows you to immediately visualize the sensations that would ensue (lol!).  The meat was tender, juicy, moist and delicious with the absolute best part being the uber crispy pork cracklings (rind) that were placed atop the meat.  Add a splatter of their salsa verde (which though, was quite mild in taste, it complemented well), and you've got yourself a heck of a good sandwich!

The braised beef was deliciously tender, juicy and oozing of the sweet hoisin sauce flavour.  We were also served two, rather cute, dollops of a house-made mustard sauce and hot sauce.  Who doesn't love extra sauce?  I also had a side of their potato side with huge chunks of white potato, dressed in an adequate amount of mayonnaise, and seasoned and flavoured with pepper, onions and celery.  It was good.



Braised Beef sandwich with a side of potato salad



They also serve a Maple Bacon Ice Cream Bar which unfortunately I was too full to have.  Have heard great things about it and will definitely be sampling it on my next visit!

Service:

Though one might be intimidated when you first walk into the doors only to catch a sea of people in the lineup and what not, their assembly-line format of first requesting your sandwich to paying the cashier is actually quite efficient, I must say!

Value:

Ok - $8 for sandwich, $4 for salad or soup

Ambience:

Limited decor (though not much is needed), long wooden communal tables for seating, animal heads mounted on walls (is there a special name for this? lol)

Overall: 8/10

Yay:  Porchetta sandwich!

Nay:  Looooong lineups during lunch rush, communal tables (perhaps a nay?), limited menu for those wanting more variety, not the ideal grub spot for the vegetarian.....

Red Wagon

comfort food at a reasonable price...

Food:

Three words: Pulled Pork Sandwich. Deeeelicious!  Think: an oozing and generous amount of saucy, tangy, spicy, stringy and tender pieces of pulled pork with a creamy and crunchy coleslaw sandwiched between two halves of a fresh Portugese bun.  It is very messy to eat, so be prepared to have piles of napkins ready (in addition to making sure that what you're wearing is pulled-pork-proof! lol!)  This p.p sandwich stood out from many others that I've tried because of many reasons, one being the the fact that it was served on a nice, toasty, portugese bun and two, I loved that the sauce was a bit spicy.  The sandwich also came with an order of fries which I liked.  They were crispy, tasted like pomme frites (my favourite), and very similar to the fries from NY Fries!

Since my d.c and I had dinner plans later in the evening, we made a very wise and conscious decision to share the p.p sandwich with an order of Perogies, made in-house.  They were good, though nothing extremely out of the ordinary.  Nicely panfried, generous amount (about 6-8 pieces), stuffed to the pocket with pototoes, served with bacon, caramelized onions and sour cream - the perogies were very satisfying.

p.s check out the plating (above) used for the Perogies - nostalgic much!?

Service:

Friendly

Value:

Very good - both the p.p sandwich & the perogies were under $10, making the total bill a little under $20. 

Ambience:

It is a diner, afterall so don't expect a pretty sight here.  The floors could use a mop.  A renovation could definitely be in order, but I don't think people come here for the ambience!

Overall: 7.8/10

Yay:  Great value, excellent pulled pork sandwiches, weekend brunch available

Nay:  Minimal to no decor