The first wrap to be inducted into Sandwich Watch, this rock star of a sanger delivers a satisfying crunch and proves size does matter.
You’ll be greeted by a clang of croutons and the swishing of salad leaves in mixing bowls when you step into this tiny and busy sandwich shop in the backstreets of Darlinghurst. That’s the sound of a rock star sandwich being made fresh to order: Cross Section’s hefty chicken caesar wrap.
There’s no shortage of wraps in Sydney (even Woolies has a chicken caesar wrap), but no one is making one quite like Cross Section. They’re incredibly balanced, and each bite delivers a salty burst of satisfying crunch offset by a creamy yet bright dressing. This is the first wrap inducted into Sandwich Watch, a column dedicated to essential Sydney sandwiches you need to know about.
Tell me more
Cross Section landed in Sydney almost a year ago and is the handiwork of best friends Josh Said and Brent Wasserman. They introduced the wrap as a one-off special late October after a month of recipe experimentation. It was their take on the chicken caesar wrap ubiquitous in New York City, and which went viral a couple of years ago.
“The first day we did the special we had enough to make 40, and we sold out by 12 o’clock,” says Said. “Then for three weeks straight, we were more than doubling our prep, and every day we were selling out by like 11, 12 o’clock.”
The hole-in-the-wall makes between 150 and 200 of these wraps a day, so you’ll probably need to wait. It’s worth it. Get there early to avoid the rush, or you can pre-order via their website.
What makes it worth your attention
Firstly, their croutons are cornerstones of the wrap. They’re made from leftover bread (Cross Section’s bread is custom-made, a combo of ciabatta and Turkish), which is prepared each afternoon for the following day. “We chop [the bread] into small pieces and then mix it with Italian herbs, salt, olive oil, and we air-fry it,” says Said.
The fried hunks are then dispersed throughout the chicken-salad mix to deliver a fun, savoury crunch.
The chicken is poached, shredded and marinated overnight in a house-made lemon-pepper mayo. This locks in the moisture and marries well with the caesar dressing that coats everything (Cross Section is tight-lipped on which dressing brand they use). Also in the mix is iceberg lettuce and parmesan.
If you want more punch to your wrap – which you absolutely should – you can add bacon for $2 and also make it spicy. If so they add Frank’s Buffalo Wings hot sauce to the caesar dressing as a free add-on, giving it a markedly sharp and tangy creaminess. The bacon is diced and pan-fried each morning, giving the wrap bursts of smokiness.
You can also add chopped boiled eggs for $2, or you can sub out the chicken for eggs and make it a vegetarian-friendly wrap.
That’s a wrap
Rather than use a flour tortilla as most wrap-makers do, Cross Section decided on fresh Lebanese bread, delivered daily by their supplier. It makes for a durable wrap that stands firmly when cut in half. Parmesan is grated on top.
Where to get one
Cross Section’s chicken caesar wrap is $18, and you can get it at 84-90 McLachlan Avenue, Darlinghurst. It’s open 8am to 3pm Monday to Friday and 9am-2pm on Saturday. For more details see here.
This is the latest instalment of Sandwich Watch, a column dedicated to the Sydney sandwiches you need to know about.
Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide.
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