Karl Tessendorf visits…

What would you consider mankind’s greatest invention? Tools? The wheel? Friction that lead to fire? If you were reading an article in any other magazine right now, one of those options would be a fair guess. But lucky for me you’re not, and I’m here to tell you with all the authority of an expert in this field, that mankind’s greatest invention is the humble sandwich.

They say the invention happened roughly mid 1700s, and the exact details are as murky as the flagon of ale that more than likely washed it down. John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich and avid gambler, is credited for this culinary leap. According to one story, he instructed his servants to bring him some meat nestled between two pieces of bread. This allowed ol’ Johnny boy to continue playing cards without stopping to eat.

We’ve come a long way since that first (dry sounding) effort, and these days you can get just about anything between two slices of bread. The sarmie in question today has just about everything on it, and if you’re going to attempt it, make sure you have a light breakfast. It’s called The Big Boy and it’s a three-slice toasted mothership filled with chicken mayo, bacon, mozzarella, gouda, salad greens, tomato, cucumber, rocket and caramelised onion marmalade, and it comes with fries.

The creators of this gourmet gargantuan are the fine folks at Bread & Butter – a quaint cafe and bakery in Cape Town’s Sunningdale area. Styled with the French countryside in mind, Bread & Butter’s charming and well put together atmosphere makes you forget you’re at a strip mall in the ‘burbs. Unfortunately they don’t serve beer, but my recommendation for washing down The Big Boy is a Frankie’s Cream Soda.

When your sarmie arrives you’ll notice the oversized bread, which is toasted to perfection. They make this bread in-house and the effort is well appreciated when you sink your gnashers in for that first bite. The bread has a lightness to it and in every bite, you get layers of flavours ranging from the creaminess of the chicken mayo and the cheeses, to the saltiness of the bacon, to the crunch of the rabbit food, and the sweetness of the caramelised onion marmalade.

Yup, The Big Boy will sate the most savage of sarmie fiends, but if that’s not enough, Bread & Butter also has a killer selection of cakes. In fact, when you place your order, tell the waitress you’d like a cronut to take home… you’ll be thanking me later.

a quaint cafe & bakery