Ordered at Kerry’s Kitchen in the Shangri-La Kerry Hotel, Beijing China.

I was meeting my friends from the Charitarian for lunch but did not know the dining destination. To me surprise and delight, we decided on the new Kerry’s Kitchen, located just adjacent to the lobby. While this restaurant boasts on incredible buffet, happiness washed over me as I found the club sandwich on their a la carte menu.

Back on the Chinese mainland, far from any island with only limited access to resources, dining in a world-class hotel chain, I had high hopes for this club sandwich. Our waiter, who was from Las Angeles and didn’t seem to know any Chinese, was yet another positive reinforcement that the club sandwich was the way to go.

When the plate fell in front of me, I immediately thought I had made the right decision. Even with the thin, McDonalds like fries dumped in a hurry on top of this quartered, decrusted white bread sandwich, I knew my first bite would be a perfect mix of ingredients… and my eyes did not deceive me. With very little mayonnaise, a moist, ripe tomato touched my tongue immediately, and as I bit down I could feel the crunch of crispy lettuce on the bottom and crunch of crispy bacon on the top. The slightly over-fried but quite tasty egg added a heartiness to this small sandwich, while the high-quality sliced turkey breast nestled in the center is one you would normally find at Thanksgiving covered in gravy; it was a pleasant and delicious surprise and it reminded me how much superior sliced meats can enhance a club sandwich.

Wow was I pleased. This club sandwich was everything I wanted when I saw it on the menu. A home run in my book and something I’d absolutely order again. Although the price was a bit steep for Beijing’s lunchtime, being a Sangri-La I almost expected it to be more damaging on the pocket. While the egg could have been a bit less-cooked, I’d say the only lame thing about this club was the sad salad that arrived with it. A bunch of leaves, one sliced cherry tomato, and lots of vinaigrette… I actually didn’t even touch the salad. A lackluster side dish, it didn’t really fit with this club, but then again, it didn’t take much away.

Ordered at the Blue Lagoon Resort Restaurant in Chuuk, Micronesia.

This island/archipelago has an identity crisis in more ways than one. For starters, Germany occupied them during World War One, naming the location Truk, with a long “u” sound. After America conquered it from the Japanese in World War Two, the original name of Chuuk, again with a long “u” sound, went back in place. Of course, that left names of locations, both in the archipelago and on maps around the world, quite confusing. That’s the place. As for the people, Christianity had swept into the islands leaving a myriad of different churches in its path; the locals liked being Christian, but didn’t understand the different churches or why one would choose Latter Day Saints over Baptist. It created a lot of questions. That’s their faith. As for the food, while one might think fish and seafood were abundant in Chuuk, due to the importation of pork, chicken, barbeque sauce, and anything you could imagine that could be canned, fish and seafood took back seats to everything that was imported… in our minds, it was a shame. You couldn’t even find fresh vegetables on the island, but then again it was hard to find people who wanted them; I guess when you’ve lived off of fish and basic produce your whole life and canned corned beef comes along one day, your desires change.

We were staying at the Blue Lagoon Resort on Truk Lagoon in Chuuk, pretty much the only hotel within a 2 hour plane flight. Although you probably haven’t heard of the place, it was actually a coveted destination during World War 2. The Japanese occupied it and one day, America unleashed a wrath of fury faaaaar more devastating than Pearl Harbor sinking tons of ships, planes, tanks, etc right into the waters. It’s by far some of the best wreck diving in the world, and people literally come from everywhere to experience this underwater museum.

Of course, being in such a remote place I was not expecting a club sandwich when we arrived in Micronesia, let alone Chuuk, but on the last day we tried the resort restaurant for lunch (we had been having picnics or barbeques on remote islands each day) and low-and-behold, a club sandwich was looking right back at me on the menu.

No sliced chicken in this club – solid breast meat filled the sandwich with a thick layer of ham hanging out beneath it. A small yet perfectly fried egg was nestled in below the third slice, with crispy cucumber surrounding it. However, what dominated the taste in this sandwich was the thick onion covering the bottom; I was not expecting such strong onion flavor and wow did that take me by surprise. Quartered and nicely toasted, the bread was slightly larger than the ingredients; it’s almost as if they forgot to decrust it.  The accompanying french fries were your standard: nothing too great but very filling. I had been eating them nearly every day with fish during dinner, so I hadn’t been expecting anything else.

While the sandwich wasn’t anything special, it didn’t reflect the other fantastic food we had been dining on while at the resort, and I feel it’s important to remember the person preparing this club sandwich has probably never eaten one or seen one on a menu themself. They probably never eat sandwiches unless it’s ham and cheese, and probably don’t understand why this one has three slices of bread. With that in mind, they did a decent job putting a description on a menu together in real life with no point of reference. I enjoyed the hearty club sandwich and the smile on my face after showed everyone how nice it felt for me to enjoy such a comforting meal in such a remote destination.

Kudos and thank you to the Blue Lagoon Resort team for adding this to the menu. While I literally ate fish or eggs every other meal (with the exception of delicious pancakes one morning), it was a treat to enjoy yet another club sandwich on and island far from any civilization.

Ordered via room service at the Outrigger Resort, Guam.

I’ve always been a fan of dining with a relaxing, wonderful view in front of me with little noise around to ruin the moment – and many restaurants just don’t offer this. In fact, these dining situations are hard to come by, which made enjoying lunch on our balcony after an afternoon of wakeboarding an easy decision to make.

With panoramic views from the 17^th floor, gorgeous Tumon Bay was the only thing in sight, and nothing waves breaking in the distance filled the air with noise. I waited patiently on our balcony for my club sandwich to arrive. This had better be a filling club, I remember thinking; wakeboarding on the ocean was much more tiring than on a lake and combined with being in the sun all day, I needed an energy boost unlike a typical lunch would offer. And this was America after all – coming from China, I was expecting American sized portions, even if this island wasn’t a united state.

Perfectly toasted and decrusted, this whole wheat club sandwich arrived quickly and my appetite didn’t have to wait long, which was quite the relief; while the waves in the distance were loud, my stomach was beginning to compete by growling itself. The menu had listed guacamole as one of the ingredients to this club, but from first bite you could tell this guacamole – more of a paste really – came from far away. More of a sandwich spread that the dipping type, it made you wonder why they needed to add extra mayonnaise. Of course, the menu also listed a fried egg, of which there was none. A definite disappointment. And with the egg, must have escaped the swiss cheese (listed on the menu) as it was also MIA. The sliced turkey and ham were your typical quality, something you’d find in any supermarket. The lettuce was nothing but leaf, something I learned was common in Guam and Micronesia, and the tomato was ripe but sparse. The only thing that saved this club was the quality bacon – an import from the American mainland I have to imagine. On top of all that (literally) were the not-too-crispy fries that one was forced to fill up on when finished eating this sandwich.

There was clearly thought put into this club, and someone definitely picked guacamole for a reason to go with egg, 3 types of meat, and swiss cheese, but with average ingredients used and the lack of certain others, in-room dining didn’t deliver on what might have been a great club sandwich. For obvious reasons, I was less than satisfied.

I learned over the course of 5 days in Guam that Japanese is the cuisine to stick to on this island. Nearly everything is imported, and the seafood wasn’t too special. Steaks were a bit lame, the most highly coveted crustacean was Maine lobster, and most of the fish offered was fried. With the 1000s of Japanese tourists everywhere, it was obvious heading to a restaurant catering to them was the way to go. We had incredibly delicious sushi and I fell in love with the Okinawan-styled restaurants, always saving room for an American dessert after.

Ordered by the pool at Henann Resort, Alona Beach, Bohol, Philippines

Nothing but leisurely activities were listed on the agenda for our 6 day trip over New Year’s in Bohol, Philippines, and I knew enjoying a club sandwich in a relaxing environment wouldn’t be a difficult task to check off.  To my surprise, however, a decent club was a hard meal to find; while everywhere served western food, the club sandwiches were less than lackluster. I ordered two from different establishments over our first 3 days and immediately as they arrived, I knew they were nothing I could post here… a white bread sandwich with chicken and a toothpick in it simply cannot qualify as a club sandwich that represents a destination. I needed more. I needed something that truly said Alona Beach knew what sandwiches were and how to represent the club. But most of all, I needed my craving satisfied.

With no luck 5 days in, my friend Malcolm, after dining and proposing to his now fiancé at a higher-end hotel restaurant, encountered a club sandwich that sounded too good to be true. After being told the big news, I could not stop thinking about this sandwich (and congratulating them, of course). He had mentioned thick cut angus, overflowing bacon, large fried egg, and a gorgeous setting, so I knew where we would be lunching on our last day: the newly rebranded Henann Alona Beach Resort.

“Two clubs!” we happily told the waiter as we sat poolside for a mid-afternoon lunch. Malcolm was spot on and the menu provided a detailed list of ingredients to this club that would make any sandwich lover excited for what was to come.  And oh yes, they delivered.

While the bread was hardly toasted and quite thick, it did match this juicy club and held together the ingredients nicely. The Angus beef bacon was well cooked and delicious, the egg perfectly fried and not overdone, and the thick slice of ham was well grilled and far from any pre-sliced sandwich ham you find elsewhere. Cheese was delicately melted over the egg and barely noticeable.  The chicken, while present on the menu, was hardly present in this sandwich, although this was probably for the better.  While lacking tomato, sliced cucumber was a nice moist touch along with the small piece of lettuce. The club could have used a bit more French fries, as the current portion didn’t really add much, but by the time I finished this sandwich, I simply didn’t care. And one of the best parts about this club was the excellent cutting job; while not quartered, it was (as seen above) halved to perfection.

The hotel really did offer a perfect scene to enjoy each bite and with no one else around, it was incredibly serene. Add a fresh squeezed mango juice to this meal and it’s easy to label it club sandwich in paradise.

Ordered at the Bamboo Lobby Lounge of the Sheraton Miyako Hotel, Tokyo, Japan.

Before leaving on my 3 day trip to Tokyo, I knew in the back of my mind a club sandwich was not going to be a priority; sushi, sushi, burgers, and more sushi were all I cared about… and of course I dined on this nearly every meal, except for one.

Before heading on the 1.5 hour trip to Narita Airport (where I knew a fantastic sushi restaurant would be waiting for us after security) I decided to take the plunge and fill up on the Bamboo Lobby Lounge’s club sandwich before the trek, complimented by my favorite brand of ginger ale, with a cigar to close.

Tokyo is a city full of perfectionists. Service industry workers strive to perform the best they can at their job and when you have a city populated with citizens like this, everything you experience plays out flawlessly.

The Bamboo Lobby Lounge is a fantastic lobby lounge and I was excited for this meal. The setting is nearly everything I look for when staying at a 5 star hotel: ample tables a perfect distance apart, great drink and food menus, cigar menu, live piano, and a gorgeous backdrop.

Unfortunately the only disappointing part of the early afternoon lunch break was the club sandwich. The bread was nicely toasted – I was glad for that and you can see the proof in the photo. The remainder, well, just plain unsatisfactory. The thinnest piece of chicken you could imagine hugged the top slice of bread, while the tomato, covered in mayo and barely noticeably, was mushed together with some lettuce. The limited amount of bacon didn’t help the situation, and neither did the extremely small plate of heavily fried potato chips. This was not a fine example of Japanese craftsmanship by any means.

Maybe I had high expectations, but the Bamboo Lobby Lounge’s club sandwich just wasn’t anything special and I won’t be ordering it again… I’ll go for the sashimi platter or kobe beef sliders .

Ordered at the restaurant On The Corner – Le Resto du Coin, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

My trip to Cambodia had a specific purpose that involved little sightseeing: because I am on a tourist visa, every 3 months I must leave China, so this time I chose Phnom Penh as my visa getaway. Why would this trip involve little sightseeing? Because all I wanted was 3 days of relaxation in a destination that offered nothing but relaxation. I had read a bit about Cambodia, and having already been to Laos, Vietnam, and Thailand, I thought this 3^rd world country would be a perfect place to spend 3 days catching up on emails, reading some books, drinking cheap beers, and absorbing as much culture as possible.  I didn’t want late nights, I didn’t want early mornings, and I sure didn’t want crowds of tourists… except when it came time to try Phnom Penh’s best club sandwich.

I spent my second day in the outskirts of Phnom Penh ATV’ing (4 wheel drive off-road vehicles) with a guide and an American named Robert.  Robert and I struck up a conversation about the club sandwich, and, after he confessed to not having one in many years, we decided the next day to meet up for lunch. Since I was only there for 3 days, I dedicated my second day to trying some of Cambodia’s more “high risk” foods, and with that behind me, I thought a solid club sandwich on my 3^rd and final day would allow an easier 11 hour commute back to Beijing in the morning.

There are numerous cafes and restaurants catering to foreigners in Phnom Penh. Loads. Plenty of options to fit any backpacker’s budget. So where would the best club sandwich be? Probably at the busiest establishment of them all: “On The corner – Le Resto du Coin.” We got the last table – literally (see photo below) – and Robert and I both ordered the club sandwich.  After the first bite, I immediately realized this was not the traditional club, and Robert summed it up well: “You know when you take a sip of something you think is water and it turns out to be something else and you’re caught by surprise? That’s what I’m getting from this club.” He was spot on. This didn’t taste anything like your normal club; the sweet pepper (capsicum) and onions, plus the use of a Russian dressing styled sauce, gave this club an immediate distinct flavor far from the traditional taste one expects from a club. It’s especially surprising due to the fact the menu lists none of these ingredients. Beyond that, a noticeable 4^th layer of bread was lodged into the sandwich buffering the somewhat dry chicken from the scrambled, thin fried egg and poorly cooked bacon. I didn’t know what to make of this club and while we both enjoyed it, it was far from satisfying, and the leftover scraps of bread just showed how poor of a ratio of bread to ingredients there was… I’m still not sure why they chose to insulate an already dry piece of chicken. The tomato was typical Cambodia style: green and pale red; however cut so thin it was hardly noticeable, as was the 1 leaf of lettuce.  The crinkle fries weren’t bad, and both Robert and I had to fill up on them.  For such a popular establishment, we were both disappointed with this club. When done correctly, capsicum and onions can definitely add great flavor to a club, but this just wasn’t done in the correct manner to compliment the other ingredients. I just hoped Robert didn’t completely write off the club sandwich after trying this one…

Ordered via room service at the JW Marriott Shanghai in Tomorrow Square.

“It would be a shame, if after 3 years of living in China, you never visited Shanghai,” I confessed to my girlfriend. “So let’s go for my birthday,” was her response. Done. We flew to Shanghai for a quick weekend getaway in celebration of her birthday… which meant at least one late night. And thanks to the JW Marriott Shanghai’s 24 hour room service menu, I knew coming home hungry wouldn’t be a bad thing. And sure enough, the moment arrived around 2am on Saturday night when we were not only spent, but quite hungry. After taxiing back to the hotel, I didn’t even look at the menu. “One club sandwich” I proclaimed to the hotel operator as I picked up the phone, and within minutes it had arrived.  I was immediately disappointed by the presentation; a simple white plate on a tray with a poorly positioned silk napkin. Greasy fries had been dumped on top of the sandwich, presumably to make it more appealing, and this was a stark contrast to the JW Marriott Beijing’s French fry delivery (which if you remember, came in a separate warming tray adjacent to the sandwich). However, beyond this pile of French fries laid a small yet delicious club sandwich, packed with great ingredients. The first thing you notice is the thick, ripe tomato layered on both sides of the center piece of bread. It’s the delicious moisture you’re looking for arriving home after a night of drinking. It was also wonderful to taste moist, hearty turkey that didn’t overpower the sandwich. And the bacon, once again everything I expected out of a Marriott hotel: crunchy and delicious. The lettuce wasn’t of the best quality, but it’s the last thing you care about when biting into this club. And the bread was nicely toasted, and de-crusted; it didn’t add too much to the taste, but it didn’t take away anything. Furthermore, I was quite glad the overnight in-room dining shift didn’t lacquer this club up with mayonnaise; that would have been unfortunate.  And going back to my original unhappiness about the fries: they ended up being crispy and delicious, a perfect end to the meal… although my girlfriend ended up stealing far too many of them…

]]> http://clubsandwichreviews.com/2011/12/03/jw-marriott-hotel-shanghai-china/feed/ 0 http://clubsandwichreviews.com/2011/11/10/jw-marriott-hotel-beijing-china/ http://clubsandwichreviews.com/2011/11/10/jw-marriott-hotel-beijing-china/#comments Thu, 10 Nov 2011 09:13:32 +0000 Evan Saunders http://clubsandwichreviews.com/?p=10

Ordered via room service at the JW Marriott Beijing in Dawanglu.

Very meaty bacon; it’s the first thing you notice when biting into this club. And as hard as it is to get decent bacon in China, JW does a good job… something I’ve learned to expect from the Marriott brand. Unfortunately, the  sliced turkey was extremely poor quality of  - almost tasted like ham – and dominated the sandwich.  The bread was nicely toasted and the center slice well positioned. Tomato was ripe but nearly nonexistent. For $30 (including 20% service) I was expecting a hefty sandwich full of fillings but they seem to think just a lot of turkey and bacon is enough. There was really nothing special to this besides the fact the bacon seemed cooked just right. The accompanying salad was extremely small, however the fries were great and were kept in a warmer until I opened my door.  As you can see, the sandwich was presented quite nicely and initially I was excited upon seeing the tray.

]]> http://clubsandwichreviews.com/2011/11/10/jw-marriott-hotel-beijing-china/feed/ 0 http://clubsandwichreviews.com/2011/10/15/the-place-cafe-beijing-china/ http://clubsandwichreviews.com/2011/10/15/the-place-cafe-beijing-china/#comments Sat, 15 Oct 2011 04:41:10 +0000 Evan Saunders http://clubsandwichreviews.com/?p=130

Ordered during lunch at The Place Café in Central Park, Beijing.

The Place Café is a great local lunch spot in the central business district of Beijing.  And with their solid sandwich menu, the club is a definite standout.  They know what their doing here, even if it’s not the most traditional version of the sandwich; perfectly large ripe tomato, freshly fried egg, hearty piece of turkey breast, and extremely light on the mayo.  And there’s a reason why this club doesn’t come with a 3rd slice of bread: the use of delicious, freshly baked ciabatta. It really enhances this club and with such a juicy sandwich, it soaks up the moisture without getting soggy.  This is a great goto club in the area at a great price. The accompanying salad is quite nice too and a healthy addition, although it does make me miss French fries…

 Ordered via room service at the Ramada Hotel in Yichang, Hubei Province, China.

We arrived in Yichang, Hubei earlier than expected and I knew what the weekend held for us in regards to food: the best of Hubei’s spiciest culinary creations.  Knowing this in advance, I thought it would be a good idea to fill my stomach with something solid and calming, so as usual, I reached for the room service menu immediately after check-in.  Off the bat, the pickles were a surprise to me, and not a pleasant one… I’m used to seeing them resting next to the sandwich, not in it. The excess use of mayonnaise wasn’t the best too, although it didn’t surprise me.  The bacon was more like fried ham and the turkey almost didn’t exist (can you even see it in the photo?) the egg and tomato were both lovely and made up for this club’s other drawbacks. The bread was nicely toasted and you could tell they did their best with the ingredients they had while assuming the extra pickles and mayonnaise were something the guest wanted, which I imagine would be the case for most of the time. The fries were perfect though, and the whole plate did help me deal with the extremely spicy food to come