Meat and Bread Review: Sandwiches Done Right

Vegetarians, you could bypass this review but you’re included. Carnivores, listen carefully. A sandwich joint in Gastown, appropriately titled, Meat & Bread serves some freshly roasted meat on bread.

The premise of this eatery is simple: get some bread–add meat to it. Their menu is limited to six sandwiches plus a daily special. This maintains high standards for quality and consistency, plus freshness of ingredients. Available sides include Beef Barley soup and Chickpea salad. Dessert, which I will try next time includes a Bacon Maple Ice Cream Sandwich (going out on a limb, and just assuming that's awesome).

On entering Meat & Bread for the first time, we were immediately greeted by their staff that directed us on how to order a sandwich. Everyone was so friendly and helpful. There’s communal bench seating down the centre of the room. Also, with the open kitchen everything was very clean and spotless.

These simply sensational sandwiches are built to order, quickly but perfectly, without too much embellishment (no lettuce or tasteless tomatoes). A fresh ciabatta bun, custom-made by Swiss Bakery, is the only type of bread available. They’re served on paper-lined wooden cutting boards with dabs of spicy sambal and French mustard on the side; the overzealous slapping on of condiments is where so many pre-made sandwiches go wrong.

Porchetta ($8) is the main attraction. “The king of all pork dishes,” as anointed by Saveur magazine, is a boneless roast roll, layered with various cuts of meat, fat, skin and herbs. Meat & Bread uses local free-range, grain-fed pork from Two Rivers Specialty Meats. It’s packed tight, slow-roasted daily and hand-carved to order.

Served with a dollop of salsa verde that cuts the fat with a touch of herbaceousness, this porchetta sandwich is moist, juicy, full of sweet flavour and not overly salted. Best of all, it has lots of crunchy texture from golden bits of crackling.

It’s no wonder there’s always a long (yet orderly and quickly moving) lineup between the carving station and the communal table. It doesn’t hurt that the “mantique” décor – an old leather punching bag hangs in the back, against peeling white-brick walls – is so metrosexually handsome.

The operation at Meat & Bread is very professional and efficient. They were quick to make sandwiches and to move customers politely down the line. Although some may find the prices steep for the size of the sandwich, just remember you’re getting fresh made, quality ingredients. If you want cheap, go to Subway. However, if you’re a sandwich lover (and carnivore), make sure you add Meat & Bread to your bucket list. Quality and delicious ingredients for a fair price–you can’t beat that.

Meat & Bread is located on 370 Cambie Street and West Hastings, across from Victory Square.

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