Smoked beef

My Saturday routine’s changed a little lately—I’ve got more time around lunch now, which means I can finally travel a bit further to explore different sandwich spots (yay!).

Today’s pick was Kneed Bread Cafe in Forest Lodge. I’ve been eyeing this place ever since I came across their sandwiches on Instagram, and their menu is pretty stacked. I went with the Smoked Beef. While the menu mentioned sourdough, I asked to swap it for ciabatta—though to be honest, I’m not entirely sure if it was ciabatta or focaccia. Either way, it looked great online and tasted even better in real life.

The sandwich was spot on—super hefty, with a generous stack of smoked beef layered inside. Loved the combo of mustard pickles and sandwich stacker pickles. You get that tangy crunch plus the sweeter zing from the mustard pickles, which I’ve really been into lately. Gotta admit, my usual Woolies go-to is the classic ham and mustard pickles combo, so this one hit the spot.

The house sauce reminded me a bit of a creamy mayo—smooth and slightly sweet, bringing everything together. The slice of American cheese added a bold kick that worked really well with the beef. And the bread was solid—crisp crust with a soft, chewy centre.

There are a few sandwich spots doing the smoked beef and pickles combo, but I can’t think of any that use mustard pickles—and it makes such a difference.

Overall, a really, really good eat. Would 100% come back to try more.