‘Like faceplanting a pillow’: The supersized fish-finger sanga you need to eat

It’s 1.30pm and I’m cutting it fine, hotfooting it across town to try the February sandwich special at Moonee Ponds cafe Lennox St Deli. The fish-finger sanga has been selling out daily, co-owner Mark Racovalis later tells me, just after he’s sold me the very last one for the day.

“It’s a bit hardcore how much demand there’s been for it,” says Racovalis.

I’ve seen the sandwich being constructed andconsumed online, but now I’ve made it in the nick of time to secure one, how does Instagram compare to reality?

Spoiler alter: this is no catfish.

Across the road from a primary school on a tucked-away residential street, Lennox St Deli might present like your average neighbourhood cafe. But here’s why its summer special has earned a spot inSandwich Watch, a Good Food column dedicated to the Melbourne sangas you need to know about.

It’s like faceplanting a pillow

The first thing you need to know? This sandwich is so supersized you could easily share it between two for lunch, as we do. But even more notable is that the shokupan, or Japanese milk bread, holding it all together is so thickly cut that trying to get your gob around it often involves your cheeks being tenderly embraced by the pillow-soft slices.

The fish fingers are better than Birds Eye

Sandwiches are made to order at the 18-month-old Lennox St Deli, which Racovalis runs with his partner Ross Surace. It’s part of what’s made its leafy backstreet a go-to for hungry locals – and part of why word is slowly starting to spread beyond the north-west, with queues a regular occurrence on the weekends. Many sanga fillings are house-made, too, including these fish fingers. Soldiers of flaky, white fish are treated to a panko crumb that’s spiced with Old Bay Seasoning and smoked paprika for “a Southern, Louisiana feel”, then deep-fried – to order, of course – until crispy and golden.

The rest of the sanga is all about crunch and creaminess

Is a fish sanga even a fish sanga without tartare? No. Racovalis thinks his is “kick-arse” and he’s not wrong. It’s fully loaded with herbs, brined up with capers but mellowed out with sweet pickles, and applied so copiously that it becomes a dipping sauce, the run-off pooling onto the stainless-steel tray it’s served on. Also layered on the sandwich is a square of American cheese, some tangy pickled red onions and a fistful of finely shaved iceberg.

How do I get one?

The fish-finger sandwich ($18) is available at Lennox St Deli, 130 Eglinton Street, Moonee Ponds, Tuesday to Sunday until sold out, until the end of February.

And what if it’s not available?

You’ve got a plethora of other options if Lennox St Deli is devoid of fish fingers when you visit. Love a Waldorf salad? It comes in (Sandwich Watch-approved) handheld form with the addition of poached chicken, alongside the usual agents of texture: apple, celery and walnuts. Meatier alternatives include a spicy Reuben and a muffuletta cascading with cold cuts.

This is the latest instalment of Sandwich Watch, a column dedicated to the Melbourne sandwiches you need to know about.