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2016-10-12
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Steak in KneadRib eye, chilli onion jam, roasted garlic aioli,chimichurri, sliced tomatoes and rocketHK$78For the second (real) entry in The Ultimate Sandwich competition, I went to Knead. Its "about" section on its webpage is short enough to quote in entirety:A new sandwich & salad concept in Hong Kong, sandwiches and salads freshly made for you with the ingredients that you pick! A wide selection of different types of bread, veggies, meat, cheeses and toppings to create your own favourite sand
Rules: I just made up these rules, but I abided by them throughout the contest. Rule #1: Only one sandwich can be crowned The Ultimate Sandwich, and it must be one of the eight entrants. While Crave magazine is giving the award based on sales, my award is completely subjective, based on my own opinion. Rule #2: I must eat the sandwich exactly the way the restaurant serves it, with no additions or subtractions (unless they’re explicitly offered as a choice point): no sauces from the table, no salt, no pepper, nothing. Rule #3: Only The Ultimate Sandwich deserves a smiley-face review. If a restaurant pretends it has The Ultimate Sandwich, but then just has a regular old sandwich, then that restaurant is ipso facto only OK at best, and perhaps frowny-face at worst.]
Steak in Knead
Rib eye, chilli onion jam, roasted garlic aioli,
chimichurri, sliced tomatoes and rocket
HK$78
For the second (real) entry in The Ultimate Sandwich competition, I went to Knead. Its "about" section on its webpage is short enough to quote in entirety:
A new sandwich & salad concept in Hong Kong, sandwiches and salads freshly made for you with the ingredients that you pick! A wide selection of different types of bread, veggies, meat, cheeses and toppings to create your own favourite sandwich or salad, or pick one of our favourite suggestions from the menu.”
That’s a pretty accurate description of the place. They do in fact have a wide selection of the things named, and it’s easy to make your own with the fill-it-out yourself order form. I have only been here once before and I have yet to make my own sandwich here, but this review is about the entrant in the USC: the Steak in Knead (Knead has far too many ‘knead’/ ‘need’ puns, in my opinion).
The sandwich was placed at special #1 on the specials menu, and prominently labeled with #BestSandwichHK. Thus far this was the first hint I’d seen at any restaurant that they were actually knowingly participating in a competition. The menu description differed slightly from the one on Crave’s website: “Sizzling rib eye, chilli onion jam, aioli, chimichurri, tomatoes & rocket on toasted ciabatta.”
Let’s start with the steak. The steak was not sizzling when it arrived, though I’ll admit that I did not expect it to be. It consisted of a piece of steak that extended the length of the ciabatta and was cut into strips after being cooked for convenience. It was seared just on the outside and still very pink in the middle. It had a nice steak-y mouthfeel while not being chewy and since being relatively thin and not cooked through, it got a little cold quickly. The steak was pretty good, but I think it needed a little salt and pepper.
Chimichurri is a meat sauce made of parsley, oregano, roasted garlic, oil, and vinegar. It did not seem to have been applied directly to the meat, though some rubbed off (see picture). Instead, there seemed to be three sorts of “sauces” applied to the bottom of the ciabatta: mayo (aioli), chimichurri, and the “chilli onion jam.” The jam had the strongest flavor, a caramelized onion sweetness, which was reasonably mellow. The jam was nicely balanced by the chimichurri, which was noticeably vinegary. However, when there was too much jam or too little chimichurri on some part of the sandwich, the flavors were a little one-note. The aioli seemed to be a spinning wheel.The ciabatta was a good choice. It was crisp and the air-holes were yielding to the sauces, while yet not getting soaked through. It didn’t bring much flavor of its own, but let the other flavors stand out. It was thin enough to not dominate with overwhelming breadiness.
Two things I really like on sandwiches and burgers are veggies, like crispy lettuce and juicy tomatoes, and something pickly, like pickles or vinegar. I liked the choice of rocket for this sandwich, a nice spiciness to stand up to the steak, and I thought there could be a little bit more tomato. The chimichurri was good, but I could have used more of it, both for the taste of garlic and vinegar. I tend to lean away from sweet things, and I don’t even like people to put ketchup on my burgers, because it’s always too much. The onion jam (which lacked a hint of chilli) was respectably mellow, but still a bit more sweet and more heavily applied than I ideally would like. Nevertheless, this sandwich scores lots of points. The whole thing was very thoughtfully constructed. The idea of using chimichurri for tartness was clever. Relying on a good piece of steak, cooked correctly, and then sliced afterward, rather than sauce and cheese, was the sort of confidence a candidate for The Ultimate Sandwich kneads… Oh, God, now I’m doing it… and, as I say, the ciabatta was a nice choice. It pains me to do this, but not everyone can be a winner, and Knead comes in at #2 in the competition.
1. ***WINNER*** Bulgogi Roast Beef Sandwich – Jinjuu
2. Steak in Knead – Knead
3. Ultimate Smoked Pastrami & Cheese – Morty’s Delicatessen
4. Beef Bourguignon Banh Mi - Mrs. Pound
5. The Gentleman’s Sandwich – Beef & Liberty
6. Shanghai Dip – Second Draft
7. [Did not show] – Posto Pubblico
8. HA HA Piss Off! – Bread & Beast
张贴
