Chris Henley heads out for lunch at this sandwich shop and cafe on St Stephen’s Street. To read more reviews from Chris, click here.
We almost have too much choice when it comes to places to eat in Bristol. How many of those, however, can you walk to, order from, eat at and get back to your office from on time and within the hour? This is the issue I have on a daily basis, and was pleased to have found The Wicked Lunch Co., which is run and managed by the lovely Ant Kendall.
The Wicked Lunch Co. is situated at 5 St. Stephen’s Street and has an attractive aqua green façade. Hanging baskets and a few tables and chairs outside made the place even more welcoming. Inside, the welcoming vibe continues and it’s a warm and on this particular day a bustling place with an enticing smell of fresh coffee.
Fresh homemade cakes were upon the counter and I was pleased to see that these were covered with domes: I’m amazed at the number of establishments that have food exposed on open counters within public areas, making it easily contaminated. The price of these generous slices of cake was £1.95 and next time I’ll definitely be trying a slice or two.
Tasty-sounding shakes (banana, vanilla & mango) are charged at £2.95 each, while freshly made smoothies cost £3.95.
The cooked breakfasts with Herbert’s bread (£6.95) and mushrooms on toast with Taleggio (£3.95) were two dishes that took my interest. The two fresh soups on the day were Thai green curry & lentil and honey roasted parsnips and smoked Cheddar. The mixed salad boxes started at £3.95, with an extra pound charged for additional satay chicken, halloumi or grilled pork. There were also some appetising-sounding baguettes on offer, but due to the cold weather I opted for a grilled pastrami & Taleggio club sandwich with tomato and pickles on wholemeal bread (£4.95).
This toasted sandwich was made freshly in front of me and only took around 5 minutes to make. This gave me a little while to nose around the Tardis-like premises which was a hive of activity and certainly seemed very popular with a wide range of people. There were inevitably a lot of professionals eating when I was there but also quite a few students and local construction workers.
My toasted sandwich was boxed nicely, much better than a bag as it sweats quite a lot, and included more than enough napkins. From ordering to having my sandwich in my hands took no longer than 8 minutes and I arrived there at the peak time of 1:45pm!
As you can see from the photo, the cheese had melted perfectly and there was a generous amount of both pastrami and Taleggio. I had a 10 minute walk back to the office and the sandwich was still hot and the cheese runny when I arrived. The gherkins added a lovely tang, and due to the bread being toasted perfectly, the whole sandwich held together nicely. Three slices of bread were used within this sandwich and this coupled with a drink was more than sufficient for lunch and also ensured I didn’t fall asleep at my desk due to too much food!
The Wicked Lunch Co. has a nice wide range of items for lunch, is independent, quick in service, clean and smart looking – and as a result, I can happily say that I’ll definitely be popping back soon on my work lunch breaks.