Vic's Meat Market wagyu bar

You are about to read about Sydney's most expensive sandwich. Well, unofficially Sydney's most expensive sandwich. See, it doesn't really exist. I kinda made it up.

As every self-respecting meat-loving Sydneysider knows, smoked brisket with coleslaw on a soft white roll is one of the greatest things you can put in your mouth for around a tenner.

Witness the weekend queues at Vic's Meat Market at the Sydney Fish Market for said sandwiches – they can't slice that juicy, smoky, fatty brisket fast enough.

There's also the joy of shopping next door in the adjoining butchery straight after lunch, and just last week their liquor licence came through. That means two types of Young Henrys on tap at the 'cue bar, and Penfolds Grange at the wagyu bar. Which is where I'm sitting today, thinking about doing something ridiculous.

Only in Sydney could you place a full-service wagyu tasting bar in the same room as a barbecue shack, crank Ariana Grande to 11 and charge $70 for 150 grams of steak. And while personally I'd probably rather be listening to honky tonk so I can pretend I'm in Texas, the fact the experience is completely incongruous is definitely part of the charm.

So, to that $70 piece of meat. Owner and celebrity butcher Anthony Puharich​ calls it the "emperor's cut". It's Rangers Valley wagyu – the lip of the scotch fillet – with a nine-plus marbling score (lipids ahoy!) which they describe as the "caviar of cuts". Pitched your tent firmly in camp Eye Fillet? You'll love this – it's utterly soft and juicy with a faint musk and is totally, ridiculously luxurious.

So, clearly, it should probably go on a bread roll.

You know what? They don't even blink when I ask for one – in fact, they give me several and a mountain of coleslaw, gratis. And oh boy, what a sandwich – soft, sweet white bread and silken beef with just a little coleslaw for bite –  it's the ultimate high-low megamix.

Now, I like my meats with texture, and the closer to the bone the better. I like intercostals, and onglet, brisket and ribs. But I can also say with confidence, if someone offered up another one of those sandwiches, I'd be on it faster than you can say "conspicuous consumption". While adjusting my monocle and lighting a cigar with a hundred dollar bill.  

Don't spare the Grange.

THE TAKEAWAY

Pro tip The Vic's Pick 9+ scotch fillet is half the price of the Emperor's Cut and texturally twice as interesting

Try this Do you sleep on a pile of hundred-dollar bills and have a burning desire to spend some of them? May we can point you in the direction of this $70 sandwich?

Bottom line Emperor cut steak sandwich, $70

Like this? Tartine, home of the Frankenjaffle, also offers an excellent steak sambo; 635 Gardeners Road, Mascot, 02 9700 9847