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Ho Lee Fook

Before we get stuck into the pork (tonkatsu sando), I have some beef with Ho Lee Fook. In a bid to try this sandwich, I visited this establishment twice; however, on both occasions, they were unable to facilitate my needs. But like they say, “third time’s a charm,” and I was certainly charmed by this sandwich. To the untrained eye, it may appear that this is quite a simple sandwich; however, underneath the façade, there is a whole lot of complexity. The fried pork had been brined and braised before the breading and frying process, which meant it hit this lovely middle ground of a crispy exterior with a flavourful interior that was delicate. The bread initially threw me off, as I expected it to have some warmth, but it was the opposite, almost as if it had just come out of the fridge. I am unsure if keeping your bread in the fridge is a common practice, but that is an entirely different discussion. The soft, white pillow-like bread was exactly what you’d expect from a Japanese sando. I am not a big fan of it for other sandwiches, but it does its job well in this scenario. The Sando also featured cabbage, kewpie mayo, and tonkatsu sauce. I didn’t really notice the involvement of the tonkatsu sauce; I feel like the sauce was comparable to Claude Makéléle; with it, you don’t notice it, but without, it’s quite apparent. The raw cabbage offered a different texture to the plot and was an ideal counterbalance to the rich flavour of the pork. The kewpie mayo acted like a bit of grout between some tiles, just solidifying everything together. The only improvement I can think of would be the addition of some sort of pickled element, such as red onion; it would bring a certain ‘je nai sais quoi’ that I think is missing. That being said, it was still a top sandwich, so I think it deserves a 4.5/5.



Me being really natural!

My POV before destroying the Sando


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