They’re using bespoke hoagies this time and filling them with juicy adobo pork, mustardy roast chicken, amazing Brussels sprouts and crunchy fish fingers.
There are few cafes in Sydney that encourage as much sandwich admiration as Kosta’s Takeaway. Kosta’s was in our recent Essential Sydney Cafes and Bakeries list for best sandwiches, and its legendary schnitty was an early addition to Sandwich Watch, a column dedicated to the Sydney rolls, wraps, subs and jaffles that deserve your attention.
That’s why when the Rockdale-born Kosta’s opened a new outlet in a Martin Place food court, we thought we’d stop by. It was a wise decision, here are four sandwich reasons you should too.
Starting with the fabulous adobo pork hot roll, $18
This is a self-assured sandwich. Kosta’s splits its soft roll and piles it high and wide with pork that’s been made adobo style (braised in a tangy and savoury Filipino sauce). To balance that juicy, smoky meat, they’ve added mayo and topped it with a delightful pineapple salsa – a medley of chipotle (smoked jalapeno), onion, coriander and beautiful sweet fruit. Add fermented chilli, too. If you like tacos al pastor, you’ll love this.
Soft rolls are new for Kosta’s, yeah?
They are. For this new outlet, Kosta’s founder Benjamin Terkalas says they’re using customised hoagies made at Kirrawee’s Thoroughbread Bakery. They’re soft, long and excel at containing the meat juices.
Tell me more about the Martin Place venue
It’s inspired by the LA food truck scene and “strong European flavours” Terkalas says. “By that I mean all the things we love to eat put on bread. So, roast chicken and gravy in bread, and steak with skordalia.” (Skordalia is a Greek dip of mashed potato with garlic). They recruited Brazilian-born Gabriel del Conti (who was previously group head chef at the Love Tilly Group’s Ragazzi and Dear Sainte Eloise), who has brought some cheffing techniques to the sandwiches.
Case in point: the roast chicken hot roll, $17
This is a tasty tribute to the tradie lunch and late-night servo snack. The birds are marinated in a mix of oregano, confit garlic oil and white pepper to give them that seasoned Sunday roast taste. They’re chopped and stuffed into the soft bun then drenched in chicken bone gravy. The sweet mustardy tang comes from the house-cultured mustard butter and a “condiment sauce” spiked with Dijon mustard, mustard seeds and sweet-and-sour pickles. All it needs is a few fat chips, which you can pick up from the food court’s Seafood Shack.
Don’t miss the Brussels sprout sandwich, $16
Controversial? Genius? One thing’s for sure, it’s a conversation starter. It might be a total wildcard sandwich pick, but from the first bite, you’re hit with a punch of sweet, tangy and sourness. Then comes the roasted, creamy Brussels sprouts and cauliflower, which are mellow, earthy and unexpectedly comforting. I didn’t expect it to work, but it really did. While it could benefit from some extra texture and crunch, I think you’ll find it a surprise, like I did.
And then there’s the fish fingers, $20
The name might conjure up memories of the bland fish fingers of your childhood, but the chunky crumbed fingers here are more like giant thumbs, bursting out of the sandwich. Beneath them lies a tangy tartare sauce mingling with melted American cheese. Say “yes” to the addition of chilli to amp up the acidity.
Where to get them
Kosta’s Takeaway is in the level 6 food court of 25 Martin Place. It’s open Monday to Friday, 7am to 3pm.
This is the latest instalment of Sandwich Watch, a column dedicated to the Sydney sandwiches you need to know about.
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