Having spent years working front of house at Salt Yard followed by a more recent stint as General Manager at one of Hot Dinners favourite casual spots LeCoq in Islington, Max Halley now has his sights set on sandwich stardom. He's opening Max's Sandwich Shop and Bar on Crouch Hill.
Described as a hot sandwich shop, with seats and booze, that’s open really late, Max's new venue and business idea was based on enabling customers to "do my four favourite things: Drinking booze, eating sandwiches, staying up late and not getting ripped off." We caught up with Max to find out more.
What you need to know about Max's Sandwich Shop and Bar
It's all about the sandwich: "The sandwich is my favourite thing to eat and one of the planet’s most diverse dishes. From the Banh Mi, to the Muffaletta, to Florence’s Lampredotto bun and Mumbai’s favourite Vada Pav, I can sell only one thing and simultaneously be unrestricted in what I can offer. It’s a wonderful position to be in."
And those sandwiches have to be made with focaccia: "Why? I like a sandwich that gives in when I go for it, not one that fights back like sourdough does. I want something that holds its shape right to the last bite, but is soft enough to soak up all the goodness when I give it a squeeze."
But you have to think about sandwiches beyond lunchtime fare: "My only worry is the sandwich’s reputation as something only for lunch (and 4am on Brick Lane). To combat that I’m serving booze, playing music, staying open late, making sure the sandwiches are hot, MASSIVE and sans the bread, wouldn’t be out of place as restaurant main courses. Think braised beef short rib, kimchi, gravy mayo with deep fried broccoli or maybe ham hock, parsley, fried duck egg, shoestring fries, piccalilli and mustard mayo. He'll also have guest chefs popping in too, starting with Polpo's former Executive Chef Tom Oldroyd.
Weekends (when we open at 11am) will feature breakfast sandwiches, AllPress Drip-Brew coffee and brunch suitable booze."
Everything will be made on site: "the bread, the butter etc etc. The only thing we won’t be making is ice cream because Gelupo are SO damn good at it. There will one pudding: Two dark chocolate chip cookies sandwiching a load of caramel and black sesame ice cream."
There'll be takeaway available too: "Our whole menu will be available to takeaway and delivery is something I’m very interested in. Having high quality, delicious food delivered to your home is somewhere London really lags behind New York and we fully intend to take part in changing that.
As for drinks, there will be three reds and three whites "all stylistically very different and all at the same price, £4.50 for a 175ml glass and £18 a bottle".
Max says "I wanted to do this because I think all of us, largely, buy wine by price. I wanted to eliminate that option completely from the process of choosing wine - To allow people to make a choice based solely on which one they think they'll actually like more. The wines are from the ever wonderful Les Caves de Pyrenes and a few other lovely suppliers I've been working with for ages.
There will be Beavertown's brilliant Gamma Ray on tap, bottles of Alhambra, a selection of softies, Citron Pressé for Reg Gadney (or for anyone else who wants one) and a few spirits chucked in for good measure!" They'll all be available from 3 December.
Update - the kick off menu includes:
- Ham, Egg n chips (pictures above): Slow cooked ham hock, fried egg, shoestring fries, piccalilli, mast vinegar, mustard mayo (£7)
- The Spaniard: Sweet onion croquetas, sweet herbs, lime picked onions, baby gem, mayo
- What's your beef all about: Braised beed brisket, kimchi, deep fried broccoli and gravy mayo(!)
- Pudding: Choux pastry, black sesame ice cream, caramel and black sesame seeds.
Max's Sandwich Shop and Bar is now open at 19 Crouch Hill, London N4 4AP.
They'll be open Wednesday to Sunday. Initial opening hours are Wednesday to Friday: 5pm til Midnight; Saturday: 11am til Midnight; Sunday: 11am til Ten. They'll also have 50% off sandwiches until Sunday 30 November and it's BYO until Wednesday 3 December.
To keep up with their news follow Max on Twitter @lunchluncheon
