CLUBHOUSE SANDWICH SHOP (455 Spadina, at College, 647-502-1291, clubhousesandwichshop.com, @CLUBHOUSEswshop) Complete meals for $15 per person, including tax, tip and a soda. Average main $8. Open Monday to Thursday 11 am to 8 pm, Friday 11 am to 9 pm, Saturday noon to 9 pm, Sunday and most holidays noon to 7 pm. No reservations. Unlicensed. Access: bump at door, no washrooms. Rating: NNNNN
The local greasy spoon does them once. Jamie Kennedy and most French chefs famously do theirs twice. But leave it to the Clubhouse Sandwich Shop’s Doan Nguyen to cook his fries three times.
“The first is in salted water, and then they’re dried overnight,” says the owner of the recently launched take-away. “Then they’re fried in peanut oil, dried and fried again.”
The results are spectacular, chunkily cut strips of extra-crispy spuds with the taste and texture of addictively delicious potato chips. One? Bet you won’t be able to eat just 45!
Nguyen offers them à la carte for $4.50 or as $3 sides to a short lineup of equally unconventional sandwich combos. Fancy thinly sliced flank steak on a kaiser dressed with braised red cabbage, garlicky cashew pesto and the unexpected crunch of trail mix ($9.25)?
He breads slices of ripe summer tomato, then serves them with basil and eggplant and chèvre. By itself, his house-smoked chicken brined in pickle juice would warrant raves, but slap it on a bun alongside some deep-fried avocado and crunchy crackling and watch us foam at the mouth (both $7). And who needs pork belly and brisket when there’s panko-crusted oyster po’ boys ($12) and beer-battered fresh halibut ($11)?
There’s a rotating roster of soups as well, our favourite a braised pork and okra gumbo by way of goulash. And yes, those are strawberries and sliced oranges in the ‘House arugula salad (both $4.50/$3 in a combo). The only thing missing from the Clubhouse’s lineup is a clubhouse sandwich.
“I don’t do what everybody else does,” says Nguyen. “But never say never.”
stevend@nowtoronto.com | @stevendaveynow
