Sandwich joints are popping up all over Melbourne’s CBD at a rapid pace, faster than you can say “ham and cheese toastie”. And while competition is rife, some are determined to load the corporate masses with carb-on-carb action.
Greta, one of Melbourne’s newest sanga recruits, is a schmick new European sandwich and wine bar that draws upon its owners, brother and sister duo Adam and Elisa Mariani’s (Mayday Coffee and Food, Maverick) Italian heritage and travels across Europe.
The venue is a daytime affair and is designed to pique the interest of Instagram influencers with its chic, minimalist design by Chris Connell Design. Its olive green and bright yellow colour scheme contrasts against cane chairs and dark timber panelling, and it gives off a retro vibe with its curved arches and letterboard brandished on the wraparound bar that sits in the centre.
The menu is separated into two sections: 'sandwiches' and 'not sandwiches'. If you’re looking for the best thing since sliced bread there’s the mortadella sandwich with melted scamorza cheese and housemade anchovy and olive tapenade, its bread is pan-fried, buttery and crisp. If you’re not feeling like a sandwich there’s the summer pasta – a medley of fresh tomatoes with stracciatella, capsicum and basil, or a petite list of bar snacks including its house pickles and the aforementioned tapenade.
There’s no coffee menu because Mariani believes people know which coffee they want without having to peruse a list, and this affirms his faith in Melbourne’s coffee culture. Six classic cocktails like Gin Martinis showcase Four Pillars Olive Leaf Gin with Dolin Dry while seven wines can be found by the glass. Like the food menu, the wine list is Italian and French leaning with some Australian drops to be found.
While the venue has a way to go before it builds its reputation as a wine bar, it's certainly off to a promising start on the sandwich front.