Joey Tribbiani from the sitcom Friends would. In fact, he tried to save “the best sandwich in the world” from a bullet in the episode “The One with the Ride Along.”
In “The Best Burger in New York” on How I Met Your Mother, the gang, upon the instigation and faulty memory of Marshall, goes in search of a restaurant where he once ate the best hamburger he ever had. “This is no mere sandwich of grilled meat and toasted bread, Robin,” Marshall says. “This is God, speaking to us in food.”
30 Rock even had an episode called “Sandwich Day,” where Liz Lemon, whose sandwich was eaten by her writers, threatens, “I don’t know how, but you’re gonna get me another sandwich. Or I’m gonna cut your face up so bad you’ll have a chin!”
Yes, we love our rice — as comedian Mikey Bustos says, “Pinoys without rice is like Bruno without Mars” — but some are as passionate about their sandwiches.
Pages Deli owner Jojo Paje is one of those people who would literally go the distance to have a good sandwich — and a good read.
“My entire family loves to read and we love to eat,” says Jojo. “Anywhere we go we search for good food. And we love sandwiches. At home, we can survive on a sandwich with soup or salad for lunch or dinner. In the mornings, we have sandwiches with our coffee instead of rice.”
A sandwich for a meal just seems so … American. You know, that image of office people eating a sandwich in the park on their lunch break. The Italians have their pasta and pizza, the French have their four-or five-course lunch, the Chinese have their noodles. And we have our rice.
Are Pinoys really ready to consider sandwich a “real” meal? Jojo says, yes, some now prefer to have a sandwich for lunch or dinner. “People think a sandwich is not very filling, but it is, especially since our servings are meant for sharing or sometimes for the other half to be taken out. Sure, we always go back to rice, but it’s nice to have variety and choices.”
Finding a good sandwich place in Manila proved to be very frustrating for Jojo. After all, she would eat in some of the best places in California every time she would visit her sister who’s living there. “In California we would always go to Schlotzky’s, Claim Jumper, Panera Bread and Corner Bakery. When my husband was in Harvard, we tried McDonald’s in Massachusetts, which served a lobster sandwich. That was heaven.”
When a space at the promenade of Shangri-La Plaza Mall opened up, the mall operators thought Jojo wanted to transfer her franchise of Cerealicious to a bigger space. But Jojo had other ideas.
“I’ve always dreamt of putting up a good sandwich restaurant. So we looked at the space and thought it was perfect for a sandwich bar.”
And then there was the family’s love of books — particularly daughter Maita, a European Literature major from Ateneo — and they wanted to combine these two passions. Thus was born Pages Deli, whose space was furnished with leather seats and an atmosphere that’s so cozy people hold meetings there or read their books while waiting. Architect James Razo worked with Maita and Jojo, who chose quotes to put on the walls and windows.
The sandwiches, named after the family’s favorite books, are served with quotes from novels. Pages’ most popular sandwiches are Journey to the Center of the Earth (Hungarian sausage, P250) and Cinderella Man (Angus beef burger stuffed with cheddar cheese, P380).
Other must-try sandwiches are The New York Times Bestseller, which is a triple-decker of smoked turkey, salami, and cheeses on sourdough bread. At P400, it’s worth it because the sandwich is huge! There’s also Of Mice & Men, P200, which is a three-cheese sandwich (cheddar, mozzarella, and Gruyere) on French sourdough bread. And my favorite kind — pastrami (and I make a very good pastrami sandwich at home) — The Red Badge of Courage, P200, which comes with Emmental cheese and sauerkraut on rye bread.
For vegetarians, The Secret Garden, P200, is a real treat with zucchinis, bell peppers, and more veggies. Gulliver’s Travels, P250, is a shrimp sandwich, while The Little Mermaid, P380, is smoked salmon in a buttery croissant.
Chicken lovers will enjoy To Kill a Mockingbird, P250, which is a grilled chicken sandwich. Those who prefer turkey have two choices — Canterbury Tales, P280, which is turkey ham with Pages’ special cranberry chutney, and Animal Farm, P280, which is a turkey and bacon sandwich. Then, there’s the good old ham sandwich Charlotte’s Web, P200.
You can also request the kind of bread for the sandwich, choices being whole wheat, sourdough, croissant and rye.
What you won’t find here is a tuna sandwich because, according to Jojo, all restaurants — even those not specializing in sandwiches — have it already. Besides, how easy is it to make that at home?
What makes for a good sandwich? “The basic components: good bread, fresh greens, and quality meat filling and cheeses. We get our greens and breads fresh daily because there’s nothing worse than lettuce with dark edges peeking out of the sandwich. The add-on there is a good dressing. Most people don’t’ associate jams or chutney with sandwiches, but they can actually enhance the taste of your sandwich like our turkey ham with cranberry chutney.”
Pages offers a selection of wines (white is best with the sandwiches with the exception of the burger, which pairs well with red).
Pages also sells its cold cuts, sausages and cheeses by the hundred grams.
Jojo realized just how much of a rice culture we are when Pages opened in September last year because despite the big sign that says “deli,” a few people walked in and asked if they served sisig, or if they had rice meals.
“That means they’re not your market,” she says with a laugh.
Still no sisig, but, yes, a couple of hot meals called Meals by the Bard: Much Ado About Nothing is classic roast chicken (P280), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (P320) is grilled dory with tomato-vanilla sauce, and Measure for Measure (P450) or baked salmon fillet.
“Our market is mostly people from St. Francis Tower right next to the mall, and employees working in the Ortigas area. We have bankers, sales people, pharma people holding meetings here, or at the end of the day just enjoying a bottle of wine with their pasta.”
Pages has 10 pasta selections, ranging from aglio y olio to carbonara, and four pizza flavors. For those who mosey over for a nightcap, they can choose from the platters — cheese with Gruyére, cheddar, Emmental, brie, Asiago; the deli platter; schublig sauté; British-Indian chicken strips; and gambero Italiano.
“We wanted a place where people can relax while having a meal. We want people to feel that every time they come here, they discover something new. And with the menu, you don’t nourish just your body but also your mind.”
And like any good book, you can have your fill of sweet endings at Pages — apple crumble, cheesecake, sans rival, and chocolate cake — that even the Bard would be proud of.
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Pages Deli is located at the Streetscape of Shangri-La Plaza Mall. Call 477-4718.