I have been abstaining from eating bread for almost two years now. After gaining immense and unfathomable weight during the ascetic era of lockdown, I was forced to give up some of my favorite things, in order to reduce some of the inflation and accumulation I had accumulated around my body.
The one object of my affection that I gave up during my penance was white bread. Now, after two long, fairly abstinent years, and having taken off some of the weight I had with somewhat strict abstinence and some hard work, I was just longing for some bread. Soft white bread, warm freshly baked bread, a little butter and something nice in between. And that evening, I decided to have something in the form of a sandwich.
I was sitting with the family on the terrace of The Chambers at The Taj Palace Hotel Mumbai, the exclusive complex with the Gateway of India in the background. When hors-d’oeuvres, potages, poissons and fromages were being discussed, I requested the chef to serve me a simple sandwich, a hard-boiled egg sliced, a dollop of mustard and mayonnaise, finely chopped coriander and Serve mixed with green chilies. Two large slices of fresh white bread and butter.
The sandwich came with sweet potato mash, and either it was the best sandwich on earth or it was just bread I’d eaten after so long that it tasted like it came straight from dreamy carbohydrate heaven.
By now, you may have figured out that bread is my kryptonite, my obsession, often my weak spot. I just love bread, which makes sandwiches one of my all-time favorite foods. I have often written about my favorite sandwiches in Mumbai, and I don’t want to gobble them all up again. But the truth is that sandwich making is being revived.
And I got to know it when the Bombay Canteen boys announced their pastrami sandwich in mid April 2021 during the lockdown. It was the picture on Facebook with a pile of thinly sliced meat between two breads that inspired me to order it immediately. In his own words, and I paraphrase: “The sandwich is made with a brisket brine and crusted with an Anglo-Indian inspired seasoning of black pepper, fennel and coriander seeds. Then 12 hours at a controlled temperature Slow-cooked for 10 minutes so that the meat is fully cooked, soft and juicy. The meat is then smoked over coconut husks to give it an earthy smoky finish. Sliced thinly and then served with soft brioche layered with a dollop in between kasundi Served with mustard and pickles and the jus, brisket is slow-cooked. Now that’s what I call a sandwich!
At the same time, Rohan Mangalorekar’s Pack-a-Pav also started making a splash. The goodness of bread filled with wonderful comfort foods. Like the Herb Chicken Seekh Pav Sandwich, or Mirza Aunty’s Mutton Pav Sandwich, both served with Hung Curd Basil Dip, or Mushroom Keema or Salsa Dip, depending on what you’re ordering.
Coming back to the Bombay Canteen boys, when their pastrami sandwich was making waves, they restarted their O Pedro kitchen in lockdown to create The Sandwich Shack and from there began to innovate on things between breads. Like all Louisiana soft shell subs. Soft-shell crab with warm hot-tartare, pickled cabbage and salad on an onion seed roll. Hot and fiery, and my favorite Italian cold cuts gone wild. Herbed focaccia filled with mortadella, salami, ham, mozzarella and caper relish.
Their bread craze has now reached new heights with the opening of Veronica’s. A small old bakery in Bandra brought alive again into one of the hottest joints in Bandra. I went there by accident, not knowing better, only to see the trio of Sameer, Yash and Hussain, serving the crowd going crazy. That’s when I realized it was their new sandwich venture. For me, of course, it was love at first sight.
There is good coffee and great tea. There are a bunch of great bakes, like Orange Custard Coin-Aman, a sweet Breton multi-layered cake, made with crumbly bread dough. The fattiest pastry in the world. Choriz babka is a delicious yet brave combination because babka is a Jewish bread. And a pork sausage roll that’s as good as the one I get at London’s Borough Market.
Then there are the sumptuous open toasts, now only a legacy of old British clubs, revived by the genius of the Veronicas. On a bagel, croissant bun or buckwheat loaf, you can have Tofu Akuri with Spicy Onion Tomato Masala and Alfalfa Sprouts. or a Spicy Egg Sriracha Egg Salad with Honey Mustard. It’s pretty funny. Sure, there’s avocado with cream cheese and sour cream on toast, or just a BLT or smoked salmon with cream cheese, capers, cucumber but the sandwich is where the magic begins. “Oh Shrimp! Po’ Boy – Gochujang Flaming Sauce, Avocado, Chopped Lettuce on Dutch Crunch.
Veronica’s Smash Burger, my favorite, double short rib and marrow patty, browned onions, cheddar, and bacon and dirty fried egg on a milk bun. His tribute to Chef Floyd, Nashville-style hot fried chicken, tamarind ranch, pickles again on a milk bun and finally Mumbai chili cheese with cheddar, jalapeños and Naga hot honey. This takes my love of bread to the level of obsessive love disorder.
Kunal Vijaykar is a food writer based in Mumbai. He tweets @kunalvijayakar and can be followed on Instagram @kunalvijayakar. The name of his YouTube channel is Khaane Mein Kya Hai. The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not represent the stand of this publication.
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