With my unmistakable sense on culinary experiences and discoveries, I have decided to go on a quest. A quest that takes me around the world, in many places, in many hotels. Hotels are culinary sanctuaries (well quite a few of them) for someone like me. I usually satisfy myself with a cheeseburger, some soda and shake. If you see me in the street and you know what I eat on a daily basis you’d surely wonder how I’m so thin. How on earth I keep such a lean body when I raid McDonalds or any other fast food chain. I eat JUNK, I drink Pop, I have the most unhealthy diet ever and still manage to keep the scale within reason. I’ve been like that since the dawn of age and haven’t yet experienced any problems with it. It might just kick in at a later stage of my life…
So with this into perspective, I have had the idea to rate, describe and share my culinary knowledge (we’ll be done in 2 or 3 minutes, I can guarantee you). I love Club Sandwiches. For me, this [cheap-ish] hotel room service classic is like heaven on earth when I get off the aircraft after a long-haul. Usually paired with a big bold coke bottle, I have a winning duo before my eyes. And sure I do get stuck in there as soon as I can. Over the previous months I have sampled a fair amount of Club Sandwiches. From Houston to Jakarta, via Sao Paulo and Paris, from Manilla to Sydney and Christchurch, I have had them all.
The perfect Club for me would include some shredded lettuce (iceberg preferrably), some tomatoes, sliced not wedged, a few cucumber slices, some sliced freshly boiled eggs, a pound or two of mayonnaise to stick the veggies together. Then a slice of toasted brown bread in the middle followed by some red hot crispy bacon (with the juice being sponged by the mid-layer of bread), all of this carefully positioned over a char-grilled chicken filet. NO CHEESE WHAT SO EVER (it kills it instantly). and another layer of mayo to round things off. Off course bread encapsulates all these ingredients. The bread MUST be hot/toasted or you’ll have Airboy send it back. No stingy pan-fried soggy bread….please ! I almost forgot. If the chef is wise enough to add some ground pepper in there he will have me dribbling even more.
So, now you know how I like my club. I will tell you that so far none of the sandwiches I had so far hit the spot like I would of liked. But I can safely say I was near faint as I dug into that Sao Paulo one. It had everything except the iceberg lettuce. Instead they had put some batavia. Just a little diversion. But eating a club you need to feel that crisp lettuce break under your tooth, it adds immensely to the pleasure. The plate came complete with perfectly fried french fries, more mayo on the side and that spicy red/orangy sauce. I cannot describe the taste (that’s how far my culinary knowledge goes), but it was spicy. As you may imagine, I – of – course – dipped every quarter in that sauce. Loved it. Another Club highlight was the Houston one. Instead of chicken, they’d replaced it with a huge amount of Turkey. Not bad of a combination… I must say. The amount of food on the plate was just phenomenal. That is when you realise why they have weight problems in the States. Big old fashioned fries, wedges more like.
On the other side. The worst Club Sandwich I had so far would be that awful thing I had in Singapore. It wasn’t a Club as you’d imagine it to be. But more like a cheap looking airport sandwich that had been sitting in the fridge for 3 days. It came with cold fries, and filled with……… TUNA ! Yes TUNAAAAA the fish ! Why on earth did the chef put tuna in there ? Urrrghh, first bite, I had to say no. Sent it back and went to cry in my room. My long-awaited meal was over. Since then we have changed hotel. So I wont be able to know. But definately not a good one.
From now on, I will rate the Club Sandwiches I come across. Sounds like time thrown out of the window ?? Well it is! ahah.
haha so funny. My roomate on the cruiseships (we did 6 contracts together in 2 years) she eats just like you and she manages to stay thin. I have one burger and the scales go up like BOOOM! I guess some people are lucky!
Also, this friend, Alison tries cesar salad everywhere (just like you and your club sandwich). She is a fine connaisseur in Ceasar salads..she has tried them in Chile, in the States, in italy, in Sweden, in Alaska, in Hawaii, in France, in Argentina name it. LOL
If i ever meet you in Dubai I will make you a Quebec Club Sandwich they are very good!
Fun post!
à plus!
I would never have imagined a write up on a Club Sandwhich, to be done to perfection! “Sent it back and went to cry in my room”. HILARIOUS! “From Houston to Jakarta, via Sao Paulo and Paris, from Manilla to Sydney and Christchurch….” ENVIOUS!! A totally different post and very enjoyable. Keep posting…we keep reading!!
Yes I am curious how do you maintain that slim figure being a Fast food junkie? “It might just kick in at a later stage of my life…” Yes you better start curbing on it now, just some advice!
OK, Airboy, you nail this one completely. Your passionate worldwide quest for the perfect club sandwich resonates loudly. And the one place I also had a terrible (the worst actually) club sandwich was also a Singapore hotel, where it was served with a glass of lukewarm soy milk.
Ahah thank you all. Will be sampling a Club here in Beijing and tell you all about it in the next post. unfortunately you’ll have to wait until I get back to Dub-Dub, cause, silly me, forgot the cable for the camera. And a post about Beijing without pictures is just not the same thing ! BTW I had a blast here. Beautiful places…. Heavenly more like.
I’m curious though about one thing….. the “We” you talk about…there isn’t more than one of you is it…LOL
Only one. But I like the we thing when I write.
Really love your site! Hope to someday shake your hand, when you visit Toronto!
Try Subway
Gotta love Grand Hyatt Sao Paulo`s food! I go there for brunch every other weekend and its amazing. Ive been reading your blog for a while now and I really like it, keep up the good work! Hit me up whenever you come to Sao Paulo.
Of all my years of working in hotel kitchens, I’ve never made a Club with boiled eggs! Very interesting I must say, I have to give it a shot! It would’ve been much easier for my mise-en-place!
ahah, hotels, I used to work in them too, posh ones too ! Westin Paris… And believe me, what looks like posh from the outside, isn’t from the inside ! And their club had boiled eggs ! But they didn’t put any lettuce ! Foolish bastards !
As for the mise-en-place, boiled egg is much worse but oooh sooo good. Fried egg leaves a werid aftertaste (semi dried yoke)…
mine is toasted, iceberg lettuce, any cold cuts, sliced tomatoes, lots and lots of mayo, and eggs (fried (over medium preferably) or hard boiled. cheese especially those singles kraft will kill it instantly! i hate cheese on my club.
it has to be perfectly toasted outside and crunchy inside. chips, chips, chip… potato chips or home-made french fries no crinkles please!. and ketchup lots of it on the side..