There’s something in the air in East London. Semolina, perhaps? How else to explain the absolute explosion of amazing sandwich and sub places over the past two years? Here’s one more sub place you have to check out on your next lunch break or midday stroll – if you can bear to tear yourself away from one of your seven other favourite places.
Nestled into the arches under the overground, and just steps away from London Fields (the station and the… well… fields…) is Mat & Jack’s Fat Subs. They first raised their shutters in October of 2021, and even though they’re surrounded by amazing food venues, they’re carving out their own sub-shaped space.
Serving up their concoctions on house-made semolina sandwich, sub, hoagie rolls, regardless of if you’re a meat-eater or not, there’s plenty to drool over when it comes to the fully-packed subs from Mat & Jack’s.
Okay, but what to order at Mat & Jack’s?
Those in the know will go straight for the absolutely insane E8 Cheesesteak (see above for fit pic), filled to bursting with thinly-sliced beef, onion, mushroom, and peppers, fried in beef fat and slathered in USA cheese and truffled butter. And, of course, you’re definitely adding mustard, right? Right.
There’s also the Drunken Chicken Parm – chicken escalopes topped with “boozy tomato and tabasco sauce,” mozzarella and parmesan (duh), pickled celery, rocket, and a Worcestershire mayo.
Those who don’t eat meat, fear not, as there is still plenty on offer for the vegans and veggies. The Shroom With a View combines fried oyster mushrooms with vegan ranch, lettuce, and house pickles, while the We Gochu Some Tofu has soy fried tofu and mushroom with spicy Szechuan pepper fries, pickled carrot, lovely bits of green (spinach and spring onion), and a gochujang mayo.
Upon receipt of the precious cargo it’s up to you to get to the nearest perch (the verdant London Fields is not even a minutes walk away) and do your best to hold it all together, cramming the last few bites of sandwich in as haphazardly as is necessary to get it all in.
Available on Deliveroo, to order ahead, or for anyone to stroll on by and pick one up, be ready to return the very next day, though I definitely didn’t do that. Definitely not.