Crunch Sandwiches
Crunchy, crispy, cracking chicken connoisseurs
Opening Ramble:
Going sandwich crazy now! Back-to-back sandwich reviews, practically unheard of, I’m moving like it’s pizza. I think it’s probably emblematic of how sometimes I just get into food moods where I want to try different combos/variations of a similar type of cuisine. After trying the Secret Sandwich’s delicatessen delights, I thought the obvious next move was a Chicken Sandwich. Fuel of teenagers, post-night-out revellers and people who just love some fried chicken with bread. The chicken sandwich can be gussied up to be some spectacular, truffle mayo, golden leafed tower or it can be a humble McChicken-esque sandwich. This range however isn’t particularly indicative of quality; I’ve had amazing £2.50 fillet burgers from Sam’s and absolute dross from overly fancy doing too much hipster joints. As with a lot of food, the quality range can be completely unrelated to the price range. So when I was recommended Crunch as the best sandwiches in London and saw their signature was a Chicken sandwich, I had to go investigate!1
The Vibes
This will be the shortest vibes section because they’re in Old Spitalfields market, in the middle square of different vendors. There’s not really much you can do behind some nice signage, which Crunch has. It’s nice and clean branding with a bit of cartoonish pop to make it stand out. During the lunchtime rush, none of that stuff matters though. There’s vendors yelling, people chatting, chewing, and dogs running around. You want your food, get in and get out. Like when you realize you’re on a terrible date at a nice restaurant, you just want to get your food and go home, no long talk.
The Menu
I love how clear and simple the menu is. Especially during the lunch rush, you just want to see a few options that offer a decent range. I LOVE that you can make the top row of sandwiches spicier. Sadly, because I went on a promo day, it wasn’t available. That’ll need to be the next review I guess, but regardless I respect the spirit.
The Order
Starters
1000 Layer Potato
£5 Rating : 8.5/10
Bloody Mary Ketchup
Rating: 9.5/10
Mains
Michael’s Chicken Sandwich
£5 (special discount) Rating : 8.5/10
Total Bill incl tip: £10
Overall Rating: 8.5/10
The Review
1000 Layer Potatoes
1000 layer potatoes were a craze a couple of years ago. I think it’s faded because people realized to pull it off well, it takes almost too much time for the amount you can charge customers. I’m very grateful Crunch has persisted because their effort is really really good. The exterior is perfectly fried and crunchy, with the appropriate level of seasoning. The garlic and thyme really do come through and combine with the olive oil brilliantly. The interior is well cooked, and the first couple of bites are awesome. I couldn’t finish my 1000 stack though, probably only getting through 700 layers because as you can peep in the video, there is some grease afoot and on your fingers. After a while it gets heavy and real quick, slowing down any progress.
However, in a strange twist of fate, the potatoes were not the star player of this side. The Bloody Mary ketchup that’s lurking underneath that golden deliciousness is. Folks, let’s start with the fact, that I think ketchup is TRASH. It’s the worst condiment by far. It’s greasy, it’s overly sweet and takes over the flavour of delicious things with a terrible sickly sweet. Sometimes it’s got a twang, but it’s unpleasant. There’s no food elevated by ketchup that wouldn’t be improved by BBQ or hot sauce.
I almost asked the server to keep the ketchup but I was intrigued by the Bloody Mary element. Sometimes your intuition saves you from yourself. Lawd, it was a game-changer. I was full, way before I stopped eating because I just wanted to dunk stuff into the dip. It’s everything that people tell me ketchup does for food except this time it’s true. The sweetness and tartness of the sauce cut through the grease and carbs, whether for the potatoes or the sandwich. The spices and seasoning create that mouth-watering effect where you just want to keep going back for a bit more.
Michael’s Sandwich
From jump you can see the crispy, crunchy fry on the chicken breast. A very healthy amount of mayo and lettuce, underrated aspects of any great chicken sandwich. My favourite part of the aesthetic of the sandwich, which I have not shown because once again I’m not photographer, is the perfectly toasted sesame-seeded brioche bread. It is a textural treasure trove; through the brioche, chicken and lettuce, Crunch is present on all layers.
The actual chicken is moist and surprisingly flavourful for a chicken breast, and is the perfect vehicle for what I think is the most powerful flavour, the dill aioli. The dill aioli I think is the potential marmite element of this sandwich. It’s a strong handshake of a sauce and if you’re not a fan of dill, I don’t think this sandwich is for you. I love me some dill flavour, and combining it with some garlicky aioli, I’m all in. The baby pickles offer a slight tangy punch that help refresh your palate from too much oil after the patty and toast. However, because the aioli and pickles are the main sources of true flavour, it can get one note-ish after a few bites. This is where the Bloody Mary came in clutch and gave it an extra punch, but I think the sandwich could use a punch up in flavour itself. Maybe a dusting of paprika or chipotle. Maybe that’s why the spicy exists. Maybe I need to go back for some more…
The Conclusion
It’s such a shame the spicy chicken sandwich was unavailable that day because honestly, that’s the only thing I would critique about Crunch. Everything else from the bread, the mayo, the crispy fried patty, it all banged. Crunch by name, crunch by nature regardless of what they do. I can’t wait to go back! It might even make going back to the office easier.2
Shoutout Arushi as the unlikely source of the recommendation
Okay it’s not that good, but it makes the decision more palatable