Monday, October 15, 2012

The Search for Tel-Aviv's Perfect Sandwich: 100 Chicos

100 Chicos is a new conceptual sandwich place that opened a month ago instead of  Mikoni, another concept restaurant. While Mikoni claimed to fuse Brazilian and Japanese cuisines and place every type of dish into a sushi like roll or a plain roll or a bowl - 100 Chicos simply offer one hundred sandwiches.
Now think it over a bit, some places offer one great sandwich, other offer several good or mediocre ones, some places just serve horrible food. A hundred sandwiches are a lot to live up to.


short rib, chicken satay, roast beef
Top to bottom: short rib, chicken satay, roast beef



Located at the corner of Ibn Gabirol and Kaplan makes the place's potential clientele pretty obvious, during the day the area is a hot spot for hundreds of soldiers looking for a lunch, people from nearby offices and stores and the people walking the busy street.
During the night the area is filled with party goers, drunk clubbers and again - people roaming the area.
I've visited the place quite a few times and it's never empty.



beef & chicken sandwiches
Three types of beef and one type of chicken



The menu holds what the name suggests, 100 sandwiches. All served in an almost bite size but (white or whole wheat) with meats (cold cuts, grilled dishes, meat curries, meatballs hot dogs), fish, dairy, egg dishes, vegetables and even dessert sandwiches. It's pretty safe to say there's something for everyone, even vegan options. There are also salads and fries, and all in a reasonable price. One can easily get a complete meal with drinks and side dishes for under 50nis (sandwiches cost between 7-13nis). I don't know how you eat your food, but a 100 Chicos sandwich is about 2-6 bites, the bun being usually around 13 centimeters (about 5.2  inches). 



asado beef short rib sandwiches
Beef short rib asado sandwiches



I'm far from trying the whole menu, but my personal favorites so far were the asado short rib sandwich, the chicken satay, eggplant and smoked cheese, roast beef,  salami, spicy eggplants and several schnitzel variations. I have to point out that there wasn't one bad sandwich, there were good ones and several great ones. The ultimate favorites would be the satay with it's amazing peanut sauce and grilled chicken  and the beef short rib with it's juicy meat, glazed with wonderful gravy, finger licking good.




grilled eggplant and smoked cheese
Grilled eggplant, smoked cheese, fresh basil leaves



The service is quick and the employees seem genuinely happy. There are two taps - one with beer and one with *hold for it* lambrusco! The design is modern, simplistic and clean. You'd be a fool not going in to sample those cheap delicious sandwiches. Just look at the roasted eggplant and peppers sandwich below!



grilled peppers and eggplants with a side of fries
Drilled peppers and eggplants sandwich with a side of fries


The only bad thing I can think of was the fact that several sandwiches varied from time to time. An order should taste and look the same each time, that's a basic. Having said that, I do realize that the staff was just learning to make each dish, the place is brand new and they haven't completely reached the formation and the formulas they seek for. I'll give them some time, but the current product is still great.


grilled rib meat sandwich
Rib meat on the left and I can't recall what on the right


So as I've said, cheap delicious mini sandwiches? Hell yes! You might even find your perfect sandwich right here, hiding in the vast menu. Don't forget to try the lambrusco, it goes great with everything.


5 comments:

  1. I'd hit them chicos.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hell yeah that looks good.
    Your blogs makes we wanna move to Israel just for the food.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There's plenty of food all over, I'm pretty sure you could find some awesomeness wherever you go.

      Delete
  3. Too bad they closed, the sandwiches weren't bad.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They switched owners and became a Mexican themed pub, still keeping the sandwich concept but reducing the menu. But they did close it now, it's up for rent, including the equipment and all - if someone's into opening a location.

      Delete

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