Tonkatsu and Egg Salad Sandwich Set

Brand: M&T

Cost: 385

Found At: Mini Stop

It is not every day that I get to splurge on the fancy sandwiches at the Mini Stop, but I am so glad that I did. This sandwich set was hands-down incredible. Convenience store sandwiches are already solidly delicious (the tonkatsu – pork cutlet – and egg salad ones in particular) but this was a cut above. If the others are the Hilton, then this is the Ritz.

The pork cutlet itself was firm, but not dry. It was not so moist that the bread became soggy but it was not so dry as to be unpleasant. It was doused with just a splash of tonkatsu sauce (ketchup, oyster sauce, and Worcestershire sauce) to give it some extra flavor and garnished with some shredded cabbage to give it crunch. The bread and cutlet were perfectly proportioned so that there was no leftover bread when the cutlet was finished, but I hardly noticed because I was too busy devouring the whole thing. My only complaint was that the pork cutlet was not freshly fried, so it was not super crispy, but for a pre-packaged sandwich, that’s not what you would call a “reasonable expectation.”

The egg salad was similarly divine. It was so eggy and fluffy and soft, with chunks of egg white to give it texture, and lots (LOTS) of mayonnaise and egg yolk to give it flavor. It was not seasoned with pickles or onions but left to its own eggy goodness for an unadulterated communion with egg. It is everything you could want in an egg salad, and nothing more or less. Once again, the bread was still fluffy and dry despite being filled with egg salad, and the whole experience was that of a fresh sandwich, newly made.

In the end, this was not a snack – it was a perfect meal. Initially, I thought the sandwiches themselves were somewhat too small but after finishing the two of them I realized that it was the perfect amount of food. I was not too full and I was not hungry. Moreover, I would probably have gotten tired of two egg salad sandwiches or two tonkatsu sandwiches, but the fact that there was one of each allowed me to enjoy each one to the fullest. There’s something very Zen about it – I loved each one more because it was finite. And in that, they complimented each other perfectly.

Overall, these sandwiches were fresh, high quality, and well proportioned. I cannot imagine a more perfect lunch. Except if it was garnished with $100.