Move over burgers, there's a new dish in town

Food & Travel

Published: 12 Apr. 2022, 12:42 Updated: 12 Apr. 2022, 12:44

Move over burgers, there's a new dish in town

In the ever-evolving world of food, the Korean sandwich market has been relatively slow to progress, especially compared to its close cousin, the burger.

According to market research company Euromonitor, the local hamburger market recorded 2.8 trillion won ($2.27 million) in 2018 while the local sandwich market was around 550 billion won in the same year.

The fastest-growing type of sandwich in the market is convenience store sandwiches, with a 19.4 percent market share. Other common sandwich-selling venues are franchises like Subway and Starbucks which tend to price their options at less than 8,000 won.

Some local delis are striving to upgrade the public perception of the dish through premium “American-style” sandwiches with in-house touches and fresh ingredients.

The Korea JoongAng Daily visited three sandwich eateries that claim to sell premium New York-style sandwiches in Seoul.

Lenwich

Lenwich Sandwich at Lenwich in Yeouido, western Seoul [LEE JIAN]

With 20 stores in the United States, Lenwich opened its first branch overseas in Korea last week.

Its restaurant in Yeouido, western Seoul, has the same offerings as its branches in the United States.

According to the founder and chairman of Lenwich Group, Lenny Chu, the restaurant takes great pride in its fresh ingredients and on-the-spot cooking process.

The ingredients for hot sandwiches are cooked upon order on a flattop grill in the restaurant’s open kitchen.

The signature Lenwich sandwich (13,500 won) contains thin pieces of pastrami, corned beef, melted Swiss cheese and sauerkraut between pieces of brown ciabatta.

Its in-house chimichurri sauce and Cuban mojo sauce help spice things up mid-way to munching through quite the hefty sub.

Though the restaurant initially advertised its brand as a “customizable” sandwich shop, the unexpectedly long queues from day one seem to have made it difficult to carry through with the plan. However, customers can request to take out particular ingredients such as coriander upon ordering.

Wheat & Meat

Pastrami Queens sandwich at Wheat and Meat in Gangnam District, southern Seoul [LEE JIAN]

“Feel the real America,” reads the caption on Wheat & Meat’s Instagram posts.

Also pushing the image of an authentic American sandwich, Wheat & Meat opened in late January this year in Gangnam District, southern Seoul.

With loaves of bread and desserts lined along the counter for sale, the eatery looks like a real deli.

Next to the counter is an open kitchen where sandwiches are prepared to order.

Its signature menu, the Pastrami Queens sandwich, is priced at a whopping 14,000 won. Yet even on a Monday before noon, the storefront was already lined with people waiting to dine in while deliverymen ran in and out of the store shuffling packaged sandwich orders on their motorcycles. Inside, on nearly all tabletops of the eatery was a heavily packed sub with glistening red pastrami.

The crowd may be the result of the lingering opening frenzy, but the deli strives to acquire a permanent spot among the locals through handcrafted menus that are all “made from scratch.”

According to Wheat & Meat, the deli smokes and brines its pastrami for some 100 hours.

It also bakes its fresh sourdough bread and baguettes for its sandwiches at the store every morning.

Goatt Deli

Old-school Pastrami Sandwich at Goatt Deli in Gangnam District, southern Seoul [LEE JIAN]

Already with two locations in Seoul, Goatt Deli is a popular brunch cafe among locals. The shop’s second location in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, is less crowded with a more relaxed atmosphere than its first shop in Jongno District, central Seoul, where queues during mealtimes are often unavoidable.

The deli uses in-house ham and pastrami for its signature sandwiches Jambon-Buerre (9,000 won) and Old-school Pastrami Sandwich (9,000 won). It also makes its own bread and pickles.

Goatt Deli’s pastrami sandwich uses thicker slices of smoked pastrami compared to other delis’ sandwiches. The meat is layered between two pieces of lightly toasted bread. The saltiness of the meat is balanced out with tangy mustard seed sauce, dill pickle, mayonnaise and dill.

But what was underwhelming about this sub was its build. It became quite messy after just a few bites as pieces of heavy pastrami fell out of the sub and sauces squirted out from the large holes in the bread.

Though a slightly chaotic experience, the sub still managed to be finger-licking good at a more affordable price point than other premium sandwich eateries.

BY LEE JIAN [lee.jian@joongang.co.kr]