Unlike the Earl of Sandwich who asked for pieces of meat to be placed between two slices of bread, mine was a more humble beginning. As a kid growing up, my idea of a sandwich was a simple Jam Sandwich…preferably with a lot of butter.

Later, as my family discovered the not so unforgivable sin of eating eggs, omelettes and fired eggs made for more adventurous fillings. And the salami, ham, bacon strips etc. made their presence felt much much later in my life.

But a sandwich has always been my favourite snack or even meal. And I have experimented many a time with some very innovative, sometimes bizarre fillings. The one I have yet to try is a Pimento Sandwich which I talk about extensively as Felix in The Odd Couple, a play DCH put up many years ago.

I have had the good fortune though of also trying out sandwiches around the world and as I love saying “From Mountain Bakery Sandwiches to Mecca Masjid Shahwarma Loaves” I’ve had them all and love them all.

I even have friends in the US and Canada who own Sandwich franchises. The Sydney Sandwich place on Pitt Street though is my all time favourite…both for the variety of sandwiches it stocks and for the pace at which they are consumed. My estimate at one time was about 5000 sandwiches per lunch hour.

Anyway, I have always wondered how the sandwich, which is but a creative rendition of bread and a few ingredients can differ from place to place and whether there was a tangible difference between a home made sandwich and a hotel made one, especially a fancy hotel made one.

As luck would have it, I landed up a few days back at Taj Falaknuma…undoubtedly the fanciest of hotels in this quarter of the world…and a Taj property to boot. And my foodie side got the better of me and I asked Girish Sehgal, the affable GM of the grand hotel whether he could ask his chef to rustle up something special for me.

Very graciously he agreed, and after a few minor clarifications, his chef asked me for a few minutes and then served up a whopper of a club sandwich. Given that he hardly had any time to plan, or even think about it, I was amazed at the layering that he managed, but then I suppose you don’t get to be a Taj Chef for nothing.

I casually asked him what exactly the ingredients of the sandwich were and he rattled off a few words…I stopped him and asked him to get it written down for posterity and for my reference. And so, here goes…

1. Lettuce Lolo Rosso

2. Roma Tomatoes

3. Oak Wood Smoked Streaky Bacon

4. Olive Oil and Garlic marinated Chicken

5. Pepper Chicken Force Meat Slices

6. Fried Egg

7. Salt & Pepper

8. Dijon Mustard Dressing

9. Cream Cheese Dressing

10.Balsamic Dressing

Served with a House Salad and French Fries

My Verdict:-

A sandwich, especially one that aspires to the title of a “Club” Sandwich has to be made with love, with passion and with a creative streak that can almost foresee the mingling of tastes and textures. The fillings can be as exotic and as varied but if that something special is missing, a sandwich very easily is reduced to being two or three slices of bread with some stuff thrown in between. Else, like at the Falaknuma…a sandwich can become a delicious piece of art…

And now I have decided that I shall embark on a Sandwich Tour of Hyderabad to start with…let me see where the people have fallen in love with the creation as much as I have…so if you have any suggestions, do let me know. But for now, the King…stays in the Palace