Sanger (CIMB Plaza)

($10 combo for breakfast) I think they used to be limit two sandwich only but they open out towards a variety of breakfast menu for breakfast combo. But then it's quite complex taste tbh especially using hp sauce with bacon and fried egg. But I felt that it's ok taste especially the sourdough bread was quite hard to chew. The latte is nt that bitter taste aftertaste tbh.

CIMB Plaza has most definitely seen quite a revamp to their F&B tenants of the late — apart from the addition of establishments such as Salt x Hebrews as well as Ameising Memories; both of which that we had written about, there are also new tenants which had opened their doors at the outdoor area that leads up to Collyer Quay as well. We do not recall this space ever being used as a shop space previously, but Sanger had occupied a takeaway kiosk-style unit that is located right across the outlet of Tanamera Coffee that is situated at the same building. With them occupying such a stall unit, it comes with no surprise that Sanger is an establishment that caters to purely takeaway orders — there are no dine-in seating for those whom wish to have their sandwiches on-the-spot, though patrons can utilise the communal seating areas at the basement of CIMB Plaza if they wish to do so. Offering the office folks of the Central Business District with yet another option when it comes to sandwiches and coffee, the menu at Sanger is segregated into sections dedicated to Breakfast, Ready-Made and Made-To-Order Toasted Sourdough and Sourdough Sandwiches. Beverages available at Sanger includes espresso-based specialty coffee, Chai and some special concoctions of Latte such as the Tiramisu Latte. Specialty coffee is brewed using beans that are sourced and roasted by Pablo & Rusty’s; a cafe and small roastery that originated from Sydney, Australia.

It is needless to say that we had a preferences of giving their Made-To-Order menu a try as opposed to the Ready-Made; the latter being sandwiches that are being stocked up in the display cabinet located at the counter while the former comprises of made-to-order sandwiches which goes on the panini grill before being wrapped up in aluminium foil and placed in a paper bag for takeaway. Given how we had visited Sanger during their initial phase of opening, we note that they were only serving up a limited variety of their offerings when we made our visit on a weekday lunch service. Skimming through the menu, we decided to settle for the Sanger’s Reuben since Reuben sandwiches are quite a rare find locally. Classified as an item in the Sourdough section of the Made-To-Order category of the menu, the Sanger’s Reuben is being described to come with elements such as in-house pastrami, sauerkraut, cheese, gherkin and Dijon mustard; that being said, we did observe a lack of pastrami for the Reuben sandwich that we have had — instead, it came with what seemed to be salt beef slices, and also came with pickles that was not included as part of the sandwich here. Sinking our teeth into the sandwich, we found that the sourdough bread did not really carry that distinctive tang that one would usually observe from sourdough bread; instead, it does come with a slightly wheat-y note or grains more akin to that of the or wholemeal bread — the bread being soft and fluffy with crust around that does take some effort to chew through, though does feel a little clumpy and difficult to down if left alone for a while.

We recalled the sandwich to be mostly salty for a start; and perhaps even a little overly so — the first few bites come across as flavourful, but the pickles, salted beef and the mysterious addition of Sichuan peppercorns added a saltishness to it that was a little over-the-top; the Sichuan peppercorns even adding a hint of numbness that comes along with it which no doubt adds to the flavour contrast, though we really could do without it anyway considering saltiness going on here. The salt beef slices were thickly-sliced; not bad when considers about the generosity on the portion size, though the salt beef slices were also a little bit on the dry side making things a little difficult to swallow towards the end. The cheese does at another dimension of savouriness here, while the sauerkraut really adds that soft crunch that really helps to balance out the textures going with the entire sandwich; the Dijon Mustard on the other hand felt a little overwhelmed by the Sichuan peppers, considering how it was supposed to give the sandwich a mildly earthy, yet slightly numbing note that was almost similar to that of the Sichuan peppers though in a way that is supposed to be albeit toned down. Also tried the Flat White (Hot — Regular) here which is brewed using the Porter Street blend roasted by Pablo & Rusty’s — thought the Flat White came with a somewhat medium body and an earthy and roasty note that was quite easy to have. Overall, Sanger isn’t quite the spot for those whom are looking for an affordable sandwich in the Central Business Distrjct — the prices of the sandwiches start from $11.50 with the most expensive item on the menu being priced at $17.50, being the Sanger’s Reuben that we had. We also did notice that some of its Ready-Made do look really familiar as though sourced from a common supplier. With the food scene in the Central Business District becoming increasingly competitive, it would be interesting to see how things would go for Sanger in the long run.