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THE
E
C
A
OF
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B
CLU
The quest
for the
perfect
Hotel club
sandwich
B Y D AV I D M A S L I N
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he club sandwich is one of
the staples of hotel restaurants and room service menus
just about everywhere you go.
T
Over the past twenty years
of publishing The Gallivanter’s
Guide, I have been checking out
club sandwiches from all over
the world; from North America
and Europe, to Asia and Australia. For me, that humble sandwich says a lot about the hotel
in question.
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You could be forgiven for believing that one club sandwich is
much the same as any other.
They are considered ‘staples’.
Everybody knows that they
invariably consist of slices of
chicken, bacon or ham, boiled
or fried egg, tomato, lettuce,
and mayonnaise, sandwiched
between three slices of toasted
bread and served with a portion
of french fries or potato chips.
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e name
o who first coined th
ggests
‘Club Sandwich’? It su
s, but in
North American origin
s to know
truth, nobody appear
is popular
for sure whether th
roughout
sandwich, served th
in various
hotels worldwide and
ubs, was,
resorts and country cl
vourite of
as some say, the fa
II and his
England’s Edward VI
Simpson,
American wife, Wallis
ok great
who apparently to
for him.
delight in preparing it
ly derives
The word ‘club’ probab
S
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from the fact that the sandwich
was popularised in various country clubs; the sandwich itself
definitely existing as far back as
the late 19th Century.
One theory has the sandwich
first appearing in 1894 at the
infamous Saratoga Club House,
which was a gentlemen-only
gambling house in upstate New
York’s Saratoga Springs, where
coincidentally, potato chips
were originally conceived (or so
they say).
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If we examine culinary history
books, then Marion H. Neil’s 1916
book, ‘Salads, Sandwiches, and
Chafing Dish Recipes’, tells us
that, like many great inven-
club, where he shared his recipe
amongst friends, and it henceforth became known as the club
sandwich.
originator of the sandwich
was a member of a particular
There appears to be no record
of a recipe for a club sandwich
prior to 1903, when one was
published in the ‘Good Housekeeping Everyday Cook Book’,
by Isabel Gordon Curtis. Then in
1904, at The World’s Fair in St.
Louis, four of the restaurants
featured their various versions
and helped popularise the con-
tions, the club sandwich was
conceived by accident. An unknown man, who arrived home
late and hungry to find that his
family and servants had
retired for the night, threw
together everything he could
find. Neil asserts that the
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cept worldwide.
In 1929, Florence A. Cowles
described the history of the club
sandwich in her cook book
‘Seven Hundred Sandwiches’,
but she gives us no real proof as
to its origins. She does, however, advise us that ‘the sandwich
should be eaten with knife and
fork’. Quite right, too.
tried to make them, advising
that the sandwich should consist
of one to five layers, with a firm
foundation of toast. The filling,
it seems, is optional, so unlike
the early clubs, which consisted
of turkey, bacon, lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise, today’s
clubs can involve just about
Truly, there are no real rules
when it comes to making a club
sandwich, although some have
anything you please, including
lobster.
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Typical
club sandwich
fillings.
Tomato, bacon,
egg, chicken
and lettuce.
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S
o what is the difference between
a good club sandwich and a bad
one? Most chefs use 3 slices of white
bread, toasted both sides to make up
the sandwich.
The
Good,
the Bad
and
the Ugly.
Now this can work fine if, and it’s a
big if, the sandwich is delivered to
the guest immediately. This, I find, is
impossible if it is a room service
order and is unlikely in a restaurant.
If the sandwich sits around even for a
few minutes, that white, toasted
bread is going to be soggy in the mid-
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dle, and the french fries are not
going to be much better.
One of the few hotels that I have
come across that manages to pull
this combination off is Four Seasons
Hotel des Bergues, Geneva.
They pride themselves on their à la
minute club sandwich, and believe
me, it really is of the minute. Take a
look at the picture on the left.
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I
n my opinion, th
e best solution to the sogg
y middle is to
use a different
type of bread.
The options inclu
de wholemeal,
panini, ciabatta
, or even, as
they do at The
Observatory in
Sydney, Turkish
bread! Perhaps
the most sensib
le solution is to
offer the guest
the choice of
several different
types of bread,
as they do at
the revitalised
Four Seasons H
otel London at
Park Lane (see to
p right).
Another unusual,
but excellent
club sandwich, w
as the example
wich with choice of bread.
Four Seasons London’s Club sand
served by Taj Exotica Resort &
Spa, Maldives. We featured this
in our book, The Ultimate Hotel
Guide, as a really creative presentation (see below).
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Classic
versus
Innovative.
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I
recently tested out the club sandwich offered by The Peninsula
Bangkok, at the River Café &
Terrace, and whilst awaiting its
arrival, the hotel’s then Executive
Chef, Philip Sedgwick, stopped by to
say hello.
When he learned why I had ordered
the club sandwich, he revealed that
he had experimented with two other
versions before management had
decreed on the classic that was on its
way to me.
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Recognising my interest, he called
the kitchen and asked them to prepare both experimental versions as
well, so that I could try them. Version
A is the classic; 3 slices of white toasted bread with french
fries. Version B is
Philip’s healthy club
sandwich, using 2 slices
of wholemeal bread and
served with a green
salad, and version C
employs crispy panini and
is also served with fries.
C
B
A
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As I feared, the Peninsula classic club
sandwich was soggy inside, whilst the
healthy version, whilst avoiding this
fate, did not really impress. For me,
the best option was C, the panini bread
club sandwich.
This was crisp and if it had been presented in its finished form, as
opposed to a prototype, I suspect it
would have walked all over the other
two versions. Oh well, that’s management for you!
You eat
with your
eyes before
you eat
with your
mouth.
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P
resentation play
s an important role in d
etermining a
good club sandw
ich. If the food
on the plate loo
ks tempting the
n
you will enjoy it
even more.
It never ceases to
amaze me that
chefs will take
a lot of trouble
over the prese
ntation of their
food at lunch an
d dinner, choosing just the rig
ht plate or dish
and arranging th
e food meticulously, but when
it comes to the
‘staples’, like a
club sandwich,
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ear.
their standards disapp
ing way to
Choosing an interest
or french
display the sandwich
dinary into
fries can turn the or
l.
something truly specia
ges you will
Over the next few pa
sandwiches
see examples of club
om the yuk
that range, visually, fr
to the yummy.
See if you agree.
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H
ere and on the next page, we
show three club sandwiches of
varying construction, but all making
my point about presentation.
The first, E, is the offering from a
resort in Australia; an interesting use
of ciabatta, but a boring white plate,
and presentation that looks a complete mess.
E
My score? It’s a Yuk!
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D is the Lobster club
sandwich on the menu of
a resort in Berkshire,
England. This is totally
unlike the usual club sandwich, and
D
consists of a single slice of toasted
wholemeal bread, smothered in mayonnaise.
F, meanwhile, is a classic club, from a
resort in Laos; quite tasty, but just
thrown together on another boring
F
white plate.
Sorry, but two more yuks!
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G
Here we have two
more club sandwiches. G, from
Amanusa in Bali, is an
unusual one in that it uses a bun
instead of the traditional white toast.
The fries were served separately from
the sandwich. In contrast, H, from
Chewton Glen in Hampshire, is a classic club, beautifully presented on a
striking square platter with the
french fries an integral part of the
plate. Simple yet yummy!
H
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Trisara Phuket’s offering, J, is
another classic club, this time utilising white toasted bread on the outside and wholemeal for the
K
middle slice, which
is a clever idea as it
helps prevent a soggy
middle. Served with a
nice basket of french
fries, it looked and
tasted great.
Four Seasons Bangkok,
meanwhile, serves up a classic club
on a silver edged plate with a trio of
J
sauces, K. Great presentation again.
Another yummy for both!
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L is a more recent offering, from
Taj Exotica Resort & Spa in the
Maldives.
It brings together all the elements; crisp panini bread, super
french fries and salad, in a presentation that cries out, EAT
ME!!!
Together with the classic club
sandwich from Four Seasons
L
Hotel des Bergues on page 8,
they are two
favourites.
of
my
current
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F
ollowing a recent trip to China, I present the club sandwich
offerings from six different hotels in Hong Kong, Hangzhou
and Shanghai. P is the club sandwich served in Café Causette
at Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong. I particularly like the use of
the faux Times newspaper holding the french fries: altogether
a first rate club sandwich.
Q
P
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Q is the club sandwich I had at The Peninsula Hong Kong: two
slices of whole grain toast, cut four ways. Once again, good use
of a cone of paper to hold the french fries, together with a little coleslaw; a nice touch. The whole dish was beautifully presented on a glass platter. R and S are both from Four Seasons
Hong Kong. On the left, the panini version. On the right, whole
grain. Neither is presented with any flair, and although they
tasted OK, they lacked inspiration.
S
R
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My final two Chinese examples:
The Peninsula Shanghai
had no bread that did not
contain milk, so as I am
dairy-free, they opted for
T and compounded their
sins by omitting the egg
and garnishing with potato
crisps!
Four Seasons Shanghai
V
T
fared better with V: three slices of
toasted white bread with fried egg,
thickly cut chicken, and salad
dressed with too much mayonnaise;
served on a black platter with the
french fries in a Kilner Jar, accompanied by a small dish of raw vegetables and ketchup. All in all,
not a bad effort.
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o how do you make the Ace
of Club sandwiches?
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be used, not butter.
Firstly, choose the right type of
bread. If you must use traditional white toasted, then ensure
that it arrives crisp, not soggy.
Preferably, opt for wholemeal
bread, or a combination of the
two. Either way, cut off the
crusts. Personally, I prefer cia-
Next, the filling: the chicken or
turkey should be freshly cooked,
not processed (which, unbelievably, is what they served me at
The Peninsula New York!). The
chicken should be sliced, not
too thick or thin, and the bacon
should be crisp.
batta or panini, as both of these
ensure a crisp outer covering.
Freshly made mayonnaise should
The lettuce should be fresh (it
often isn’t) and the egg should
be fried or boiled. The french
fries (not potato crisps!) should
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be freshly cooked, cut thick or
thin according to preference,
but always crisp!
by Mandarin Oriental’s clever
use of a silver flute lined with a
miniature copy of the Times
newspaper to hold the french
fries. Contrast these versions
with the club sandwiches shown
on pages 14 and 15, and you will
see the difference.
Because you eat with your eyes
before you eat with your mouth,
make some effort to showcase
your club sandwich. Source an
interesting dish or platter to
give the dish a ‘Wow’ factor!
Lastly, I quite like the addition
of a small salad as a counterpoint to the sandwich and fries,
but again, this needs to be part
of the whole dish and should not
look like an afterthought.
Endeavour to make the french
fries an integral part of the
dish, either by using a cone of
paper or some other device.
In Hong Kong, I was impressed
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Happy
clubbing!
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A FE W
MO RE
BI TES
from the
USA, INDIA,
ISTANBUL,
AMSTERDAM,
MARRAKECH,
MAURITIUS
MILAN & PARIS
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S
ince we published this treatise on club sandwiches in August
2011, we have encountered yet more club sandwiches
around the world. Over the next few pages we bring you a
selection to savour.
Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills
Original presentation, if a little messy
Beverly Hills Hotel.
Classic & tasty
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Four Seasons Santa Barbara
Just dumped onto the plate, with the crusts still on
Taj Falaknuma Palace, India
The Oberoi Mumbai, India
Insipid classic club. Nice presentation though.
Stylish club, well presented.
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Four Seasons Istanbul at Sultanahmet
Simple but well executed classic, nicely presented.
Canal House, Amsterdam
Everything I hate about a club sandwich
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InterContinental Amstel, Amsterdam
Contrived and nasty
The Dylan, Amsterdam
The Conservatorium, Amsterdam
Stylish presentation of sandwich, less so the french fries
Potato crisps in a cone allied to a boring sandwich.
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Four Seasons Marrakech
Oh dear! Potato crisps.
La Mamounia, Marrakech
Dreadful!
Royal Mansour, Marrakech
Another classic, boring plates.
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Villa des Orangers, Marrakech
Ugh! Soggy & inedible.
La Sultana, Marrakech
Could it look worse?
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20°SUD, MAURITIUS
Simple classic, but done well and nicely presented
CONSTANCE LE PRINCE MAURICE,
MAURITIUS
Slightly overcooked, but very acceptable
SHANTI MAURICE, MAURITIUS
FOUR SEASONS MAURITIUS
What can you say? Quite nicely done,
but try harder with the fries
Innovative and great presentation. Well done, Guys!
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Four Seasons Milan
Tasty classic apart from the potato crisps.
Hotel Le Bristol, Paris
Four Seasons George V Paris
Again too much bread & boring presentation of fries
Good presentation, but too much bread
and no french fries.
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Le Meurice, Paris
I loved the crisp french roll. Excellent effort!
Hotel Plaza Athenee, Paris
A club sandwich, but not as we know it, Jim.
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Mandarin Oriental, Paris
Truly revolutionary. And it tastes as good as it looks!
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