Smokehouse Sandwich Co.

The only reason I am here is to try the beef brisket sandwich! Walking in, the strong aroma of smoked meat was very satisfying; an aroma that has never been present at many barbecue joints I have been to. Smokehouse Sandwich is located in Richmond (fortunately away from the busier streets in the city) and beats any of the sandwich joints in Downtown Vancouver. The restaurant's interior is quite nice and simple; brick walls, wooden tables, white chairs and a chalkboard menu.

The sandwich shop has a self serve station for soup, cutlery, straws, sauces and spices. Since the soup is self serve, all the meat and vegetables were scooped up with nothing left but liquid. The cashier was friendly and offered to grab some soup from the kitchen, after asking if there was any meat left in the pot. The spices available are smoked sea salt and ground pepper. I did not get a chance to try the smoked sea salt but would next time. As for the condiments, red and green hot sauce is available but I prefer my sandwiches as is. When I did get a chance to try the sauces however, neither tasted memorable or spicy, but of course would probably taste better with the sandwiches rather than chips.

SOUP OF THE DAY, BEEF WITH VEGETABLES ($2.99).

The soup has a light, smokey and beefy flavour, but does not have a thick broth. As for the ingredients, the meats taste tender along with the carrot and celery.

HONEY, GINGER AND LEMON SERVED HOT ($2.99)

The drink has a strong and pleasant but not unbearable ginger flavour, and is sweetened with honey along with a hint of lemon.

SAMSON, COFFEE CRUSTED STRAWBERRY GLAZED BEEF BRISKET WITH BUTTER LEAF LETTUCE, RED BELL PEPPERS AND AIOLI ($7.99).

The bun has a perfect slightly crispy exterior and a soft pillowy crumb, which soaks up the aioli and juice from the brisket. As for the star of the show, the brisket tastes fatty, smokey, amazingly tender and melts in the mouth. Although the flavours of the strawberry glaze and coffee crust are not apparent, it does not matter since the brisket tastes great.

Furthermore, the aioli adds to the mouth watering brisket and compliments the taste of the meat rather than overwhelm. As for the vegetables, the butter lettuce and slice of red pepper is nice to have but I will probably ask if I can pay extra for more brisket next time.

WILBUR, CUMIN SPICED PULLED PORK WITH COLESLAW ($7.99) AND CHIPS, THIN CUT POTATOES FRIED IN OLIVE OIL ($2.00).

The pulled pork tastes tender, but a touch dry. However, the meat balances well with the bread. The pork could have tasted more flavourful and it is the choice of bread that makes the sandwich taste good (although I am probably spoiled from the beef brisket since it tastes 10x better than the pulled pork). As for the side, the chips are deep fried to order, not overly greasy and tastes crisp. Despite that the chips were served cold due to the thinness, they taste enjoyable and comparable to what one makes at home. I am surprised with the choice of oil used though.

POSITIVES
- The star is the beef brisket sandwich
- Brisket tastes better than restaurants that specialize in barbecue meat!
- Perfect choice of bread

NEGATIVES
- Soup is eh...

LITTLE THINGS
- Soup 2.5/5
- Pulled pork sandwich 3/5
- Beef brisket sandwich 3.5/5
- I rather line up here than at Hubbub Sandwiches or Meat & Bread

Food: 3/5
Service: N/A