Sandwich 3x nothing

We are currently trying out all kinds of sandwiches. Big advantage of testing is that you discover all sorts of things that taste heavenly. The downside? As soon as you deviate from familiar addresses and follow a TikTok recommendation, some things fall through mercilessly and you have to consider your expenditure a waste of money. Tapping out a lunch at €16.50 for a relatively simple sandwich is no longer an exception anyway, but it hurts the wallet extra when it wasn't (free) to eat. That can make me genuinely cranky. We go through all kinds of things when we go on a taste journey. Our taste buds are tested to the limit. Our mood too...

Examples? Well, here goes. In Amsterdam Oost, an Italian joint was tapped for air. Their creations with chicken were said to be unsurpassed. We couldn't wait. With our eyes closed, snug on a bench in the sunshine, we took the first bite. Ai! Quickly opening our eyes again to see what had gone wrong here. The sandwich was soaked with fat from the chicken. Coarse pieces of chicken, fried for far too long floated between soaked pathetic leaves of lettuce. The sauce dripped off. The fat was up to my ears. After three bites, we dumped our sandwiches (at €13.00 each!) in the bin without hesitation. I still don't understand why we didn't storm in furiously. The next disappointment we had to swallow was a 'signature' sandwich grilled vegetables with humus. It seemed a bit sparse so I ordered the barbecue chicken as a supplement. My daughter took a sizzling Caesar salad, also with a supplement. Together €32.00. Hello, may be I'm still stuck in the era when I thought €9.50 for a sandwich was already on the pricey side. But this current pricing is apparently quite normal. But then I expect something. That's allowed, right? Alas, the humus came straight from a big bin from some wholesaler. The chicken had flown over the barbecue and then taken off, because apart from some flieberties, invisible. At least I couldn't find it. And then those vegetables: carrots from a jar and a stray slice of courgette, cooked through to snot. The whole thing was generously sprinkled with pink peppercorns - why tell me why? I will leave out the description of the salad here. It seems better, because I can feel the annoyance rising again.

This time we did share our comments. Soothing words, a humble apology? Nope. The lady in question reacted aggressively and turned her back on us. Then on the list of misses: brown edges on salad leaves, apple pie - steaming hot on the outside, frozen on the inside, cold cuts so cold your teeth tingle, a piece of metal from a hand blender in a bowl of pesto. What the F*ck?

Our conclusion? Prices have risen to unprecedented levels. Service has fallen to a questionable level. A sandwich in a lunchroom costs an average of €13.00 to €15.00. Don't be swayed by hype and a TikTok row only guarantees a long wait. We have now visited about 10 lunchrooms recently, most of which served very mediocre sandwiches and the attention to the guests was far from there.

Tastes differ. So do prices. But customer friendliness should be standard everywhere.

Marianne Kuiper
Founder Efficient Hotel Partner & Music Meeting Lounge
Intermediary in finding and booking the perfect location