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John Montagu

Georgia Waters

Fit for an earl: John Montagu in Woolloomooloo.
Fit for an earl: John Montagu in Woolloomooloo.Sahlan Hayes

Modern Australian$$

John Montagu was a man neither great nor especially good. The 18th-century British statesman spent a life in politics and the military but, according to legend, it was suggested (by his friends, no less) that his epitaph should have read: "Seldom has any man held so many offices and accomplished so little."

Well, what did they know? It is to Montagu - also known as the 4th Earl of Sandwich - to whom we owe lunch as we know it.

You've no doubt heard the story of how the sandwich was supposedly devised: the Earl, an enthusiastic gambler, could not bear to leave his gambling table and would often order a piece of meat between two slices of bread; the ideal repast when you've got only one hand free.

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Salmon with coddled egg.
Salmon with coddled egg. Sahlan Hayes

The sandwiches at John Montagu, in Woolloomooloo, are not of the one-handed variety, as we discover when we arrive on a bright Saturday morning.

The cafe is all matt black walls, polished concrete and white tiles, with a large wooden communal table stacked with copies of the latest Lucky Peach and Monocle, and a tiny open kitchen in one corner. A bench along the  window caters for solo diners, while couples with dogs on leashes sit at tables under striped awnings on the footpath outside.

An all-day menu is centred around sandwiches, such as roasted beetroot, chickpeas, chevre and Moroccan spices; slow-cooked beef cheeks with sauerkraut and cheddar; and house-cured salmon with avocado and dill cream cheese. Almost all of them are served open-faced and designed to be eaten with a knife and fork (what would John think?) The menu advises they are all available on gluten-free bread for an extra $2. Simpler options include a small toastie with Maffra cheddar and sage (ham optional) and a bacon and egg roll. The sole bread-free option is a dish of yoghurt with orange and chia.   

Vitamin B Soda at John Montagu.
Vitamin B Soda at John Montagu. Sahlan Hayes
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The drinks list, meanwhile, is one of the more inventive we've seen lately. We order a Jomomojo Juice, a superfood blend of spirulina, orange juice, yoghurt and chia seeds that arrives looking like pond water but is surprisingly refreshing. One member of the group, recovering from the night before, orders the Vitamin B soda - sparkling water, orange juice, lime, mint and a Berocca - that is proclaimed as tasting like posh Fanta. My 18-hour cold press single origin coffee, served over ice in a whisky glass with a slice of lime, is beautifully clear and rich.

A "sandwich" of mushrooms and polenta arrives, the plate piled with creamed polenta spiked with truffle oil on which a wobbling, slow-cooked egg sits. Four soldiers of heavy, damper-like grain toast arrive with it, to be spread with the eggy-polenta mess, along with sauteed mushrooms with parmesan and a heavy grind of black pepper.

The cured salmon sandwich is presented open-faced, with two slices of light rye toast spread with dill cream cheese and avocado, generously piled with glossy, citrus-cured salmon. It's equal parts creamy and crunchy, and the slow-cooked egg with chives sitting in a tiny ramekin next to it is delicious and perfectly soft. We can't figure out how to include it on the sandwich and end up eating it straight.

Some might say 10am is too early for slow-cooked beef cheeks, but what do they know? It is served here, unususally, as an assembled sandwich. Toasted crunchy white loaf is filled with soft, deeply savoury beef and melted cheddar, plus slivers of Spanish onion and sauerkraut to cut through the fatty goodness. It's well-balanced, although a heavier hand with the pickled cabbage wouldn't go astray.

Yes, gambling gave us a certain Barangaroo development, but we'll take our compensation in beef-cheek sandwiches eaten at all hours, thank you.

THE LOW-DOWN
THE PICKS
Salmon, Mushrooms Part 2, Beef Cheeks
COFFEE
Gabriel Coffee; cold-press on single origin beans
THE LOOK
Minimal-industrial
THE SERVICE
Warm and attentive

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