I don’t trust a lot of people in my sandwiches. As per usual, there’s a story behind this.

Back when I was a kid, my mother would always pack my lunch. Small packet of chips, juice box and a Nutella sandwich bursting at the crusts with hazelnut spread. It was (and still is) my favourite sandwich spread. It’s the food of the slightly chubby ten year old Asian Gods.

One day, I took out my sandwich and took a massive bite. It was a long day (probably learning division) and I immediately noticed something had gone wrong. It wasn’t Nutella housed between my two slices of white bread, it was a spread that looked like Nutella, but it tasted like the time I had tried to bake a cake using cement.

I found out later in the day that my mother had collected a lot of free samples of Vegemite and thought it was the same thing.

It is not the same thing. And I’ve had trust issues ever since.

You know who I do trust with my sandwich though? Scout’s Honour in Redfern.

I’ve been scouting for a consistent sandwich spot near where I work and this has taken pole position for when I want a break from narnies. Scout’s Honour used to be home to a fruit shop; only recently did it evolve into a cafe offering awesome sandwiches to all the hungry residents of Redfern and beyond.

Sidebar: I got lost trying to find the place. I’m Chinese, our parents don’t make us into boy scouts, ok?

The menu may look a little bare but don’t get it twisted; I much rather have a few quality options than a plethora of bad ones.

I opted for the poached chicken sandwich because I just can’t say no to chicks.

First of all, this may sound corny but I think corn is one of the most underrated ingredients that chefs all around the world have access to. Corn can enhance any meal it’s involved with and I have no idea what it’s not utilised more often. If I was a marriage therapist, I’d just tell the feuding couple to be cornier with each other, everything would work out and I’d become the next Dr Phil only with cooler hair and a knack for seamlessly working random stories into everything.

The corn was the MVP of this sandwich just because it made everything around it better. The poached chicken’s moist texture was juxtaposed against the crunchy cos and the corn gave it a flavour punch. Then you top off that combination with spades of avocado and you’ve got yourself a winner. The bread was also very sturdy and held everything together. I call this the Nicole Scherzinger effect, you take her out and the Pussycat Dolls just disappear off the face of Earth.

My buddy was gracious enough to swap half of his sandwich for half of mine. He went with the Beef Brisket:

Look at those ingredients once again:

“12 Hour Beef brisket with red cabbage, pickles, salsa verde, fresh mint and lemon mayonnaise.”

I finished dinner five minutes ago yet I’m salivating. That’s just a murderer’s row of quality ingredients all under the one roof. It’s like the cast of Love Actually.

The beef brisket was very tender like me when I’m singing R&B at karaoke sessions post-break up. Just kidding, you actually have to date to break up with people. The synergy of all the ingredients was just top notch. What really stood out was the unusual dynamic between chilli and mint, it worked flawlessly and my mouth was so happy that it was able to house this party. Big props to the lemon mayonnaise and dill pickle for adding a sour kick to everything as well.

Oh I should probably explain the Mandarin. Mandarin is the most commonly spoken dialect of Chinese in the world and a language I picked up from this guy nam-

Ok, I’ll stop.

Scout’s Honour acknowledges its history as a fruit shop by providing mandarins to all folks who order sandwiches. I thought this was a really cool touch and also had me thinking what a restaurant that used to be a strip club would do…

***

Here’s the TL; DR for everyone who actually likes Vegemite:

– I wrote a guest blog for Australian Catholic University’s student blog about some of my favourite places to eat in Strathfield. Check it out if you want to know where the boy eats when he’s too lazy to leave the hometown.

– My buddy summed it up best, the chicken sandwich is the ultimate summer sandwich whereas the brisket is perfect for winter. I barely know my seasons so great sandwiches are great sandwiches for me year-round.

***

Scout’s Honour, Redfern

118 George Street, Redfern

Opening Hours:

Monday to Friday: 7:00am to 3:00pm

Saturday: 8:00am to 2:30pm

***

Follow my food adventures on Twitter via http://twitter.com/iFat23

Don’t like my words? Hope you like my pictures at http://instagram.com/ifat23

If you would like me to visit a specific restaurant or have any other questions don’t hesitate to contact me by leaving a comment or clicking the ‘contact me’ tab above this post.

You an also email me at iFat.food.chronicles@gmail.com

You can also follow me on WordPress so you get notified whenever I write something new. Thanks guys!