Five of a kind: Sandwiches with a twist

The Merchant's Guild

Along with pho, it is the banh mi that has done the most to raise the profile of Vietnamese food in Melbourne. The Merchants Guild in Bentleigh has produced a riff on the original. Slow-roasted duck legs are marinated in Chinese five spice, fresh herbs, spices, and soy sauce, then pulled off the bone and crammed in a traditional long bun sourced from a Vietnamese bakery in Carnegie, along with housemade chicken liver pate, pickled veg and fresh chilli and coriander. It is a nod to the South-east Asian culinary love affair of owners Mario Minichilli and Vincent Conti, who travelled through Vietnam for two months before opening their locally adored cafe earlier this year.
680 Centre Road, Bentleigh East; 9579 0734; Mon-Sun 7am-4.30pm; themerchantsguild.com.

A Spot For Joe

"Slap in the face" flavour is the prerequisite determining sandwich combos at Geelong's A Spot For Joe. Owner Jared Cooper has delivered with the chicken saltimbocca, a play on the classic Italian dish known for its meaty, salty zing. Chicken smoked by a local butcher takes centre stage in a Le Madre panini with Istra prosciutto, slow-roasted roma tomatoes, fontina cheese and a delicious sage butter that sees fresh, chopped sage mashed in to Lescure butter. Alternatives might include a veg-friendly roast pumpkin panini married with taleggio cheese, toasted almonds and a raisin jam flavoured with the king of Spanish sherries, Pedro Ximenez.
33 Little Ryrie Street, Geelong; 0415 419 855; Mon-Fri 7.30am-4pm, Sat 8am-2pm.

Hero

The dude food trend has transcended bar bites to land in the world of the sandwich with the establishment of Hero, a sub-centric joint in the student-heart of the city focused on recreating the big flavours of the sangas historically known to New Yorkers. Enter the Brooklyn, a sub that takes the great Aussie lamb and beetroot combo and transforms it: the pulled meat is 10 hours in the cooking and the beetroot shredded and pickled. Throw in a bed of baby spinach and some whipped fetta and the result is an Australian classic with an American twang. And the chocolate hot ball doughnuts? They're just the butter on the bun.
Tenancy 1, Level 1 Swanston Street, Melbourne; 9995 4655; Mon-Fri 8am-8pm, Sat 10am-4pm; herosubs.com.au.

Gardiner and Field

It's near impossible to drive by this lovely recent Armadale addition without stopping in for a little something. Its menu offerings live up to the visual promise: like the current take on the classic chicken and mayo sanger. G&F's version announces a south-east Asian twist: chicken is poached in coconut milk to a rich tenderness before filling Wood Frog Bakery sourdough alongside housemade lime mayonnaise, teamed with snowpea sprouts and cucumber. It's a soft and textural mouthful with citrus enough to provide a little yang to the yin of coconut; the side of house pickled and shredded veg is the ideal palate cleanser.
43 Unions Street, Armadale; 9078 1125; Mon-Fri 7am-4pm, Sat-Sun 8am-4pm; gardinerandfield.com.

Pomona Cafe

Forget any notions of sacrifice when it comes to eating vegetarian at this Preston favourite, where local herbivores can enjoy all the flavours that are available to carnivores. Take the veg patty sandwich, not so much a meat alternative but a standalone favourite. Beetroot, carrot and onions are ground with buckwheat flour, eggs, lentils and mung beans to form delectably soft patties free of fillers and dredged in fresh lemon thyme and coriander. Housemade mayo and tomato relish join peppery rocket and creamy scamorza cheese to top off a stellar version of the vegie burgers of yore. Served between slices of sourdough, it could almost be enough to spark a conversion.
474 Murray Road, Preston; 9478 0026; Mon-Fri 7am-4pm, Sat-Sun 8am-4pm; pomonacafe.com.au.