Footscray and the inner west of Melbourne where our office is located is a real hub for lovers of regional and ethnic cuisines. However, when my colleague had a hankering for Italian food, there really was nowhere to go but Lygon Street in Carlton – the heart of Italian Melbourne.
We made the trek out across town in our lunch hour, managing to squeeze in both the round trip and the ordering of takeaway in that time – impressive given the state of Melbourne traffic! In the mood for a good sandwich, I chose to order from Lygon Foodstore, a deli cafe serving a small selection of hot meals, a large selection of gourmet sandwiches and plentiful cheeses and meats for those who prefer to graze throughout the day.
It’s a small store, but with enough interesting imported produce to keep me occupied browsing while I waited for my sandwich to be assembled and toasted. The range of panettone on the day I went was enough to make me wish it was Christmas time and I could indulge in my favourite chocolate panettone!
My toasted ciabatta sandwich was still warm when I got it back to our Footscray office and revealed it in all its (subtle, unassuming) glory. The ciabatta was beautifully crunchy on the outside, but soft on the inside. The speck (cured, smoked meat) was plentiful, giving a hearty taste explosion with every bite. The eggplant was smoky with that perfect chargrilled flavour. All in all, an amazing sandwich which was more than satisfying!
I couldn’t resist the little chocolate mud cake. It’s definitely one for sharing, and my colleagues all tried a bite. Opinions was positive, with surprise that the cake was as light as it was considering how heavy and sweet it looks. It’s definitely not an overwhelming cake – it looks dense, but doesn’t actually sit too heavily in one’s stomach or leave a sticky sweetness in one’s mouth. The berries on top and throughout also gives it an interesting flavour outside of plain old chocolate!
Overall, I rate Lygon Food Store an 8 out of 10 for its takeaway sandwiches. The service is fast and friendly, the menu large, and the prices very reasonable considering what you get. Sometimes, you just can’t go past a plain and simple toasted sandwich!
mmm mud cake with berries! great combination!
That sandwich sounds amazing, and I’ve taken to cooking slices of speck instead of bacon for breakfast. So much tastier!
I’m impressed with what you girls achieved in a lunchbreak. I love Lygon Street, the Ciabatta and the Chocolate Mud Cake look delicious, I’d love to take a bite out of it right now.
I agree, you can’t resist chocolate mud cake!