White Taro’s Viet Skewer Chicken Sandwich is one to escape the hot office for in Surry Hills!
Drip. Drip. Drip.That single bead of sweat gently rolling down the curve of your lower back, pooling at the waistband of your pants. That damp shirt clinging to your torso with a vacuum seal so ferocious that even Dyson’s cleaners would be envious. Welcome to summertime in a suit – the businessman’s water torture. It can be difficult to comprehend how to escape for lunch in summer. Trapped inside the office by impenetrable walls of heat and humidity, plans to manoeuvre between office and cafe ‘El Capo style’ come and go. In their place, a mental trade-off occurs between swimming inside your clothes or filling your belly. It’s your own Sophie’s choice. But when that belly filler is from White Taro, well, start swimming!
The first thing you notice about White Taro’s Viet skewer chicken sandwich, despite its unusual appearance, is the aromas. It’s impossible to miss the sweet, sticky goodness of the homemade marinade that you can taste with your nose before your mouth even gets the chance.
The blackened brioche is a little disconcerting at first inspection. Not because of its colour, but because of trepidation about the already naturally sweet brioche, becoming even sweeter to create this black colouring. Fortunately though, looks can be deceiving (just ask the gentlemen who attempted to court Miriam in the infamous reality program of 2003) as this brioche is more subtle than its traditionally white counterpart.
Plump chicken is skewered through the middle of the bun, in an attempt to prevent any spilling out the sides. The crispy charcoaled edges of the chicken, where the delicious marinade has been grilled, add a crunch and an intensity to the juicy meat.
Green mango, papaya and herbs all combine to soothe the palate, and inject freshness into this sandwich, balancing out the sweetness of bun and marinade. Then, to wonderfully undermine all that goodness, a wickedly tasty aioli is spread across the entire ingredients list.
New sweats emerge as we ravenously hoe in to this sandwich. This time, the meat sweats. Luckily however, glorious air conditioning – arguably man’s greatest invention – circulates in the café, and helps prolong the cooling effects of the double shot iced latte we suggest ordering at White Taro.
So by the end, whilst we are all hot and bothered about this sandwich, we’re cool as a cucumber leaving the cafe.
White Taro
67 Albion St, Surry Hills, 2010, Open Tues-Sat 7am-4pm, closed Monday.
Written by A Man and His Sandwich
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