You may have noticed it, but nothing gives me more pleasure than finding a good eating place in my neck of the woods. Last week, I stumbled upon one such place –– and have been smiling goofily ever since.
I was looking at Zomato, the restaurant site, to see what was new on the food front. When I narrowed the search to the area around Mayur Vihar, I suddenly found a restaurant called the Sandwich Factory. I was super-excited. For one, it was in my immediate neighbourhood. And two, it had various kinds of interesting breads, burgers and sandwiches.
I went looking for it one afternoon and found it in the main DDA market in Mayur Vihar Phase 2. Once you enter the locality from the Ghaziabad Delhi highway, you will find a large and unwieldy market place right in front of you. Sandwich Factory is at the left hand corner, at the back of the market.
It’s a neat little place, with a few tables and chairs placed outside. The ingredients are neatly stacked inside, and the sandwiches and burgers are prepared right there and then. I asked for a grilled jumbo panini sandwich (Rs.150) and a creamy burschetta (Rs.120).
The sandwiches, indeed, were very, very good. I loved the crispy bruschetta –– an open faced sandwich with little pieces of veggies, chunks of cheese and chicken salami, spiced up with various kinds of sauces and herbs like oregano. The jumbo panini was a triple-decker club sandwich prepared with olive-oil based panini bread, stuffed with cheese, vegetable, four kinds of sauces and a separate chicken filling in each of the layers.
Their signature bruschetta –– with four layers of cheese and chicken –– is for Rs.120 for four pieces. Also on the menu are shawarmas (Rs.60 for chicken, Rs.40 for vegetarian), Mexican chicken salami pizza (Rs.130), focaccia burgers, with vegetables, four kinds of sauces and cheese (Rs.120 for chicken, Rs.110 for vegetable, and Rs.170 with masala fries and salsa). A thin crust white pizza with chicken, feta cheese and melted mozzarella with no tomato paste is for Rs.150. My only grouse is that there are no pork products there. Still, the chicken isn’t bad at all.
The place is run by a gentleman called Patrick Sarkar, who left the United States to come back home. He said he was always interested in food, and found that there was nothing like a good sandwich place with Italian breads in this part of town. Sarkar, who opened Sandwich Factory some five months ago (it’s got a 4.1 rating on Zomato, which is high praise), is now planning to expand his business by opening a bigger outlet in the East Delhi area.
I have always rued the fact that good eateries for reasons unknown do not survive in Mayur Vihar Phase 2. I think all sandwich lovers in this part of town should take a pledge to make Sandwich Factory a success. Let’s coin a new slogan –– Ab ki baar, Patrick Sarkar.
(The address is G 1, Pocket B, Vardhaman Plaza, Mayur Vihar Phase 2. The phone numbers are: 8882820820 and 8586858590. They do free home delivery.)
The writer is a seasoned street food connoisseur
