I do wish Jared the best.  I hope that he’s kept the weight off and is still enjoying his new jeans.  But I’m glad a corner has been turned, and our current foodie culture is embracing real sandwiches with a strong hug.  And by “real,” I mean ones that focus on a few simple ingredients put together with thought and care.  No dyed vegetables, no corn-syrup-masked-as-condiments, no sawdust bread, no Frankenstein meats.  The kind that remind you of turkey sandwiches the day after Thanksgiving — perfect, slow-cooked meat that barely needs any extras.

Enter Meat and Bread.  Vancouver’s new sandwich spot where you will find three variations of the meat and bread marriage along with a grilled cheese for vegetarian good measure.  And that’s it.  What did I just say?  A few simple ingredients put together with thought and care.  More is not needed.

Barely open and tongues all over town are already wagging about their porchetta.   Unfortunately, lunch rush meant they were temporarily out of the pork, so I went with the day’s special:  roasted chicken, caramelized onion jus, apple and cabbage slaw.  All come on warm ciabatta, with house mustard and sambal and all are $8.  The chicken was unbelievably moist, the bread perfectly chewy and the condiments an appreciated touch.  Loved the cutting boards the sandwiches were served on and loved the simple space of high ceilings, lots of brick and great natural light.  My ringless fingers loved that the focus on flesh-filled sandwiches attracts a disproportionately large number of well-dressed Y-chromosomes for my viewing pleasure.

Some early reviews have been a bit hard on the size of the sandwiches given the price, but I had no complaints.  Even bringing up such an issue is tedious these days.  Do we really need to review the difference between quantity and quality?  I appreciated that my large appetite was satiated and that my small hands were not bested by the sandwich.  I’m sure I had room for their daily side soup or salad, but today I was not interested.  Maybe next time.  And next time will be soon given that I saw the fresh porchetta roast come out.

Another Canada Line lunch adventure for the books.

Meat and Bread
370 Cambie Street
Vancouver