11 Comments to 'Kastner and Ovens'
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Kastner and Ovens
Posted By Stephen
Covent Garden isn’t particularly well known for it’s sandwich shops. I spent many a frustrated lunch time pounding the cobbled streets looking for something that wasn’t freezing cold (I’m looking at you, Pret) or covered in mayonnaise (I see you there, Marks and Spencer) until I realised that bringing in my own lunch was the only way to guarantee getting what I wanted. Until I stumbled upon Kastner and Ovens, that is.
Although better known locally for it’s hot food and fabulous cakes, they also carry a small range of sandwiches, bagels and rolls to take away which are freshly made just before the shop opens (there is one table where hungry customers can dine in but I’ve no idea how you bag that prized spot).
I used to subscribe to their daily email alert which would arrive around 10am telling me what was available for lunch that day. It was both a pleasure and a chore to read about their tagine, fish pie and casserole when all I had to look forward to was last night’s leftovers. Lasagne day was always the most challenging whereby I’d spend hours deliberating on whether to throw my planned lunch away and join the queue at 12pm sharp to guarantee my serving of meaty, cheesey goodness. There’s always a queue, even when it’s raining.
So, when Jonathan asked me if I wanted to take part in British Sandwich Week, I jumped at the chance and immediately thought of K&O, even though I don’t work in the area any more.
I’m a big fan of sandwiches but I’m also very fussy about them. The bread needs to be crusty, I like butter not margarine, a little salad is good, mayonnaise is very bad. I don’t like too many things happening in the sandwich and the bread to filling ratio is important.
Making my choice today was difficult, not because I wasn’t keen on the options but because I couldn’t make up my mind. I knew I was looking for a typically British sandwich which quickly ruled out the salami but should I go for beef or salmon? I went with the salmon in the end because the bread looked crunchier and I wasn’t disappointed. The bread was indeed crunchy and there was plenty of sweet, smoked salmon, just enough cream cheese and exactly the right amount of crunchy cucumber. For £3, it seemed like good value and it was definitely very fresh and much more exciting than anything else that was on offer nearby.
May 13th, 2009
Fantastic stuff. This is very exciting. Thank you so much.
Jonathan’s last blog post..Chilli Cool
looks absolutely divine!
cheers,
*heather*
heather’s last blog post..guest post: NYT(CC)CCC
I dream of Pret and M&S – you don’t know how lucky you are!! Where I work, all that is on offer is a grim vending machine selling inedible sandwiches that are probably a week old. But to have a place like this round the corner? How fantastic. Salmon and cream cheese is a real favourite of mine too – lovely. What a shame you no longer work nearby!
Antonia’s last blog post..Flambéed chicken with asparagus
What a great sarnie – and it’s really good value too!
I think it’s quite hard to find a decent and well-priced sandwich, especially when you work somewhere like Oxford Circus. That looks great though, and a great array of salady bits.
Lizzie’s last blog post..Sushi Hiro
I love smoked salmon sandwiches. I hadn’t thought of it as particularly British before but now that I think of it I can’t think what cuisine smoked salmon is most associated with – probably Scottish or Irish I suppose.
Gourmet Chick’s last blog post..Cay Tre
I love fresh, straight-outta-the-oven bread that has that thick crust and soft bread – delicious! That sandwich looks great – I’m not a huge fan of smoked salmon, but I do enjoy cream cheese and cucumber – the different textures work really well together in my opinion.
Katie’s last blog post..WCB: Stealth Mode
No problem, Jonathan, was fun!
Thanks Heather.
I feel your pain, Antonia, I worked somewhere similar just recently and it was very challenging!
Alex – I think it was pretty good value but it’s more expensive than the chain type places which may put people off.
The other food they serve is really good, Lizzie, a great selection too.
I think you’re probably right GC but smoked salmon is always featured at afternoon tea and weddings so it seemed very British!
I loved the addition of cucumber, Katie, I don’t normally add it when I make the same thing at home but I will do from now on.
The Sandwichist post is now live on Londonist.
http://tinyurl.com/p9gwbb
Thanks again for doing such a great review.
Jonathan
Jonathan’s last blog post..Pizza Oven (Cassius) Progress
I have started bringing my own lunch to work too! By doing so, it is the only way I can have control over the portion and variety of what I eat and I totally enjoy doing it!
Good sanwiches are hard to come by. They are often wrong in one way or another, if not all!
Mrs Ergül’s last blog post..Vanilla Bean Lemon Straws
I had the salmon salad…. amazing