You ever wonder how things manage to fit into place almost by magic? This was me when I quite literally stumbled across a new sandwich shop in Leeds.
I was walking back home and no word of a lie, thinking about how much I wanted a 'Sando' and a sign advertising a place that sells them appeared almost like a holy calling. For those who are unaware, a sando is a Japanese sandwich.
Sandos form part of a unique food group known as yōshoku or Western-inspired Japanese food. These include a range of dishes such as spaghetti made with tomato ketchup, spam sandwiches, jiggly cheesecakes and Japanese curry.
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They are essential Japanese takes on beloved western foods, and there is a place in Leeds that sells them, much to my shock. A sando is made using a special type of milk bread known as shokupan, it's very soft white bread, slightly sweetened that is oh so light.
They are then filled with various items, usually chicken katsu, pork katsu, celeriac or spam and breakfast items on a morning. This type of bread makes some unbelievable toast as well.
So, the restaurant, it's named Shokupan, which I think is perfect for what it sells. They have a range of sandos on the menu, as well as katsu curries and breakfast items.
It's located on Wellington Street, tucked away down a little side road. Thankfully, they had a sign out that for once, actually worked to get me into the cafe.
It's a small menu but that means you get the food pretty quickly and you don't have to worry about cuisine fatigue like at some places. If a place has lots of items on the menu, it can alter the quality of each individual dish.
I opted for the pork katsu sando, sadly it is so popular they had none so instead, I chose the chicken. After a few minutes, my sandwich was brought out in a little box, neatly packed away with some decorative paper.
Who cares? What did it taste like? It was delicious, the bread was toasted nicely on the inside but delicately soft outside and the chicken was warm, soaking up the kewpie (Japanese brand of mayo). Inside was also a katsu sauce and some crunchy cabbage.
My only minor criticism is that the bread was a bit crumpled in the box and after a short walk it got a little soggy. However, this could likely be solved by eating in - at a small additional cost.
It's the perfect little lunch and for the price, it really does fill you up. My sandwich to take out cost £6.85 which I think is worth it when it has real substance.
If you are in the city and fancy a sandwich that is a little different take a wander, I highly recommend it. I will be going back to try their breakfast, specifically the okonomiyaki hash or Spam sando.
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