One Sandwich short of a Picnic

Brilliant blogger Lorraine Griffin is back with a bang, and in this post, she takes us through the best sambos on offer in the IFSC area! Be prepared, your mouth may water!

Everyone has a favourite sandwich.  Or at least an idea of what combos will work best for them.  My mate cannot stand chicken in a toasted scenario.  Another one thinks it’s perfectly normal to throw some seafood sauce onto ham and squelch the lot into her 80s Breville toaster. It’s entirely a personal thing, and in some cases a very sacred thing.

So let’s see who gets it right in the IFSC.  Would love to say we commissioned a highly trained panel of sandwich testers to infiltrate the breadcrumb laden counters of various joints, pinpointing the perfect specimen.  The truth was a lot less scientific. We just ate a lot of sambos, for a few weeks.  And found out what we liked, and well, what we didn’t.

Pretty low-key really.  But surprisingly effective!!

First up, a place that should know a thing or two about pork, The Pig & Heifer. This name does conjure up images of roasted hogs on a spit (a personal favourite if you recall previous posts) or at the very least a few sizzling rashers. But the name is almost too playful in terms of the serious grub on offer here. There are 2 of them in walking distance from IFSC; one down near Connolly station, and the other across the pedestrian (Sean O’Casey) bridge tucked into the buildings along the road. One has limited seating, the other offers 6 -7 tables.

We won’t be able to give you an individual breakdown of all the combos on offer (as that would be food nerdiness in the extreme) so instead here’s a few highlights:

Caliente Chicken Wrap– diced fillet of chicken, chopped and seasoned tomatoes, a lightly spiced sauce all merged together in a wrap with melted Swiss cheese.  Delicious!

New York Reuben– A NY favourite Dublin-styleee, this one combines pastrami, sauerkraut (don’t be frightened it totally works), Swiss cheese and a tasty spinach salad.  Just the thing for a power surge at lunch.

For non-carb buzz, there’s a salad bar full of goodies like chickpeas, chopped and seasoned tomatoes, caramelised onions, tuna mix, olives and marinated & roasted vegetables to add some colour and depth. 

MYO

A favourite at mylunch.ie, MYO (Make Your Own) is the perfect solution for those that like their sambos a certain way.  You have full control –it’s just like being at home.  All you’re missing is the PJs, remote control and a day off.  You’ll find it overlooking the Luas tracks just off the main square in the IFSCThe process is easy: choose from a range of fresh wraps/bread and make your way around the food counters. The people behind this have done their research as there is literally every potential sandwich ingredient that ever found itself nestled between two slices of bread. We’re talking pesto, mayo, butter or ‘slaw then maybe turkey, chicken (multiple types to choose from, let’s go with Cajun for this example), ham or tuna.  This is where the fun starts. There’s capers, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, peppers, red or white onions, gherkins, pickled options, red cabbage, mixed veg…. the list goes on. Precision planning is called for as you want to make sure you create the perfect mix. All this comes to around a fiver, and they’ll even toast it for you if you like.  Making your own will make your day.

La Corte

This place is Italian. And I don’t mean plastic pasta coated in gloopy red sauce. I mean proper cucina italiano.  It’s part of the Bar Italia group, and it’s located within the main square in the IFSC. There’s a few tables so you can sit in or watch the world go by outside.  They make the best coffees in the IFSC, and have a range of paninis and rolls with cured meats and salamis, fresh cheeses and antipasti fillings to meld them together. They also do a daily Panini special, my favourite of which recently consisted in spicy salami, sun-dried tomatoes and creamy goats’ cheese. To make it extra spicy, I got them to drop some chilli olive oil over the toasted result.  And if you fancy something sweet for later on, pick up some of the Italian pralines at only 50c each. Gustoso! 

Munchies

If you’ve read my earlier post, you know how I feel about these guys.  Now that I’m in the IFSC, the love affair with the Chicken Whoopie continues.  For more see here!

Lunchtime Market

A whole raft of new possibilities present themselves on this day as the Lunchtime Market sets up its stalls down near Spencer Dock.  Could start veering into paella territory here but in the interest of keeping it real I’ll keep the focus on sandwich options.

You can grab a tasty chickpea fest at the falafel stand, nicely spiced and wrapped into fresh pittas, or if you want to continue along the Italian theme, there’s an Italian guy making fresh paninis with a variety of meat and fillings laced with his authentic herbed virgin olive oils. Now and again you’ll see the steak sambo guy –he does char grilled lean steak diced onto crusty bread and served with salad and a choice of dressings.  And lately there’s a Woodfire pizza option. Not strictly a sandwich but it is technically bread-based!  The bases are perfectly thin and the toppings are succulent so definitely worth a lunchtime stroll down this direction.

So there you have it, the tops spots for hungry office crowds down in the IFSC.  If I’ve missed one of your favourites…let me know below!

Ed Note: See our fantastic Lunchtime Market comp, where you can win one of 8 lunch for ten packs this week!