Earl Canteen

500 Bourke Street
Melbourne 3000
(enter via Little Bourke)

Few sandwiches have captured the attention of the foodie community quite like the Otway Pork Belly Sandwich created by the folks at EARL Canteen. Such is the popularity of this item that it has been dubbed the 'sex sandwich' and has developed nothing short of a cult following. The day finally came when, despite being a fair distance away from the office, I had to have it.

Otway Pork Belly Sandwich ($13.50)

Generous proportions of roasted pork belly, shredded apple, fennel and cabbage coleslaw with wilted silverbeet, held together by a crusty fresh baguette. Sure sounds like a winner to me. The pork belly was roasted to absolute perfection. The meat was fall apart, melt in your mouth succulent, and the crackling was flawlessly crunchy, the saltiness providing the perfect flavour kick. I have a confession, I don't usually like pork belly as I can't stand the fatty aftertaste. This was the leanest piece of pork belly I have ever seen. The apple, fennel and cabbage mix was delightfully fresh, crisp and refreshing. The sweetness complimented the pork perfectly. The baguette was fresh and chewy, although if I'm being honest, like any other baguette you would find at a good sandwich bar. One thing to keep in mind is that this sandwich is a mouthful of gigantic proportions, so eat whilst on the go at your peril.

Left, Top to Bottom: Salted Caramel, Black Sesame, Rose, Ginger Macarons ($2.50ea)

It seems that every cafe is offering macarons these days, but I couldn't pass up on these delicate little beauties staring at me through their glass display. And boy, was I rewarded...for the most part. The ginger was too crisp, it's texture soft and cakey. Flavour wise, there's something so wrong about ginger in a macaron - pass. The salted caramel, black sesame and rose, on the other hand, were pure bliss. They were slightly crisp on the surface and chewy on the inside - just how a macaron should be and as good as any I've had in Melbourne. The ganache fillings in all four were sinfully smooth and creamy. Flavour wise, the rose was the stand out. It was subtle and delicate with just the right amount of flavour and sugar so that nothing was overpowering. If I'm being picky, the black sesame could've done with some more, well, black sesame to give it a bit more kick. The salted caramel was inspiring but perhaps a bit too sweet and buttery for some pallets.

EARL canteen is a fantastic lunch time pitstop that sets itself apart from the multitude of other sandwich bars with its quality, fresh ingredients and 'restaurant like' fillings (not to mention those delicious macarons!). It's quietly tucked away as part of an office block but it's bold, flavoursome sandwiches speak loudly. Although not exactly cheap, they're very fairly priced for what you're getting. Remember, this is wagyu meatball, pork belly and confit duck we're talking about, not leftover roast chicken or shaved ham. My only regret is that this little gem isn't open on weekends.

Sandwich Bar/Casual Dining 


Food - 4.5/5
Variety - 4/5
Service - 4/5
Price - 3.5/5 


Total - 16/20