Pork Belly Kimchi Sando

Was feeling super flat in the arvo and really couldn’t be bothered cooking, so I decided to stop by Issho Café in Haymarket — a Japanese-inspired café I’ve had my eye on for a while. They’re open till late and have a few sandos I’ve been meaning to try. The place is run by the same team behind Mango Coco (which does amazing desserts), so my expectations were pretty high.

The shokupan was great — bouncy with that signature light sweetness, and sturdy enough that it didn’t fall apart (big plus). The pork belly was the star: super tender, nicely marinated, not too fatty, and honestly? It tasted a bit like Thai moo ping (grilled pork), which totally tracks since the café’s run by a Thai crew.

The kimchi added a nice tang, and the fried egg didn’t stand out too much on its own but tied everything together nicely. The chilli dipping sauce that came with the cabbage slaw was amazing — so good that I ended up using it on the sandwich too. Savoury, umami, slightly spicy… exactly what I needed.

Overall, a super satisfying sandwich — bold, umami-rich flavours with that refreshing slaw on the side to balance it all out. Keen to come back and try some of their other sandos next time.