Best sandwich shops in KL

Toasties are the name of the game here. Well, other than bears (which they seem to love as an animal – not food).  Served on country farm bread (which gets toasted long enough to achieve a nice, crispy exterior), favourites here include chicken avocado grilled cheese, classic Reuben and the lemongrass chicken bánh mì (like the Vietnamese sandwich, only with chicken) – all priced at RM15 each. If you have time to spare, eat in; Grizzly provides a cosy retreat from the The Intermark’s business-like interior. It’s kind of like a bear hug.

The neighbourhood sandwich shop serves up pressed sandwiches and paninis of all sorts for under RM20. We particularly enjoy the rotkraut pastrami panini, a fresh and hearty wholemeal bread upgrade that is hot-pressed to perfection. The star here is the rotkraut, an Austrian delicacy of red cabbage cooked in vinegar and apples that adds a tantalising sweetness and tang to the piquant Russian dressing-slathered beef pastrami. An accompanying side of chunky hand-cut potato wedges, triple-cooked to a golden crisp, tops it all off.

Nine-to-five job getting you down? You’ll get a kick out of the sandwiches by B’wiched at Plan b. Roasters (which were probably made for jaded executives accustomed to sad, lonely lunches at their desk). Why settle for a nameless chicken sandwich when it can be called Cluck Norris (RM14)? Or Baa-bara Streisand if it’s lamb (RM16)? Shia La Beef (RM16)? Cheese Witherspoon (RM13)? You get the picture.

If you have to choose between any of the pun-tastic sandwiches, go for the Banh Mi Lovato – the generous amount of chicken combined with the large baguette will have you feeling full in no time. 

These pun-tastic sandwiches make a substantial meal (they’re not stingy with the filling) and you can even get them warmed up. Grab a coffee and your lonely desk lunch is now less sad.

London has Pret a Manger and Eat, and we have... London Sandwich Co. (LSC). What started off as a single sandwich shop in Suria KLCC near the LRT station exit, LSC has now branched out into NU Sentral and Jalan Desa, where it continues to provide ready-to-eat sandwiches, salads, pastries, juices and coffee at this gourmet grab-and-go shop.

We like the brie and tomato melt (Danish brie, tomatoes and basil in toasted multigrain bread, RM13.90), but for something meaty, go for The Londoner (Australian mature cheddar cheese, turkey ham, English Branston pickles, romaine and lolla rossa lettuce in wholegrain bread, RM14.90). Other sandwich options include smoked salmon, prawn cocktail and egg and cress. If a whole sandwich is too much, half sandwiches are also available. If you prefer wraps, grab the sweet potato Cajun chicken wrap with sweet potatoes and a drizzle of English mustard mayonnaise.  Oh, and don’t leave without their coffee.

Whoever said that Malaysians don’t consider sandwiches as a proper meal need only visit O’Briens at lunchtime on a weekday to be proven wrong. The sandwiches here are highly customisable, but we always come for the chicken slice and cheddar Shambo (cheddar cheese and chicken slice with tomatoes, red onions and honey mustard mayonnaise in a shamrock-shaped focaccia, RM19.20). It’s a simple combination that proves that less is more with sandwiches – although the Shambo is pretty big in size for a sandwich. Save the other half for your next meal.