A Mount Maunganui tavern-slash-restaurant has been crowned as the maker of the best toasted sandwich in Aotearoa, taking out the top spot in the annual Great New Zealand Toastie Takeover.
It marks the second consecutive win for the North Island after chef Rich Johns - from Rotorua's Okere Falls Store and Craft Beer Garden - broke the South Island's three-year streak with his 'Get Smoked, Pickled + Toasted' creation in 2022.
This year, young chef Brooke Moore from Mount Maunganui's Freeport with Cleaver & Co snagged the hotly contested title with her 'Surf, Turf & Smoke, Monsieur!' sandwich.
The winning toastie featured house-made smoked lamb pastrami, smoked prawns, mozzarella, smoked cheddar sauce and McClure's Sweet & Spicy Pickles, sandwiched between locally made BreadHead miso tahini sourdough and served with smoked aioli and pickle juice gel.
Freeport with Cleaver & Co and owners Aaron Hodson and Tim McLaren have been serving up hearty, flavourful fare from their Bayfair base for four years now, with a menu spanning a smoked brisket Reuben sandwich, St Louis barbecue ribs, southern fried chicken and chips, charred pork belly, burgers and pizza.
Moore, 20, joined the team seven months ago as senior chef de partie, running the barbecue section. Hailing from Taupō, she has worked in hospitality from the age of 14 and progressed to the kitchen straight out of school.
Commenting on her win, Moore said she tried to make her toastie as "relevant as possible" to the local area, with everything made in-house aside from the sourdough, which was sourced from Tauranga bakery BreadHead.
"The concept of surf and turf is meant to signify the Tauranga region - the beautiful coast and the amazing seafood right here on our doorstep, juxtaposed with the sheep grazing on Mount Maunganui," she added.
The lamb pastrami was a standout for the judges, which Moore pickled in leftover pickle juice for 10 days in the chiller.
Judge Joe McClure, from the Detroit-based McClure's Pickles, applauded Moore and said her "exceptional toastie left me wanting more".
"The brilliance of Moore's toastie lies in its great use of ingredients and the innovative concept of surf and turf within a region that truly exemplifies both. Each bite was a harmonious blend of flavours, with the succulent surf and turf elements perfectly complementing each other. It was a delightful culinary journey," he said in a statement.
"One unique aspect - besides the house-smoked lamb pastrami and smoked prawns - was the side of pickle juice gel, allowing the diner to personalise their experience by dosing it at their discretion. This added a delightful tangy twist to each bite, further enhancing the overall taste profile. Attention to detail, overall presentation, taste and innovation all came together to set this toastie apart."
The win sees the North Island retain bragging rights to the best toasted sandwich in the country for the second year running. Prior to 2022, South Island eateries had reigned supreme with Joseph Walker from the Hokitika Sandwich Company taking the inaugural title in 2019, Romeo Dowling Mitchell from Dunedin's Hungry Hobos in 2020, and Steve MacDougall from Mollies Bar & Eatery in Blenheim in 2021.
Along with Freeport with Cleaver & Co's winning entry, McClure said the organisers would also like to give special mention to BEERS in Christchurch - who created a toastie with lamb pastrami cured in pickle brine - and Shining Peak Brewing in New Plymouth, who used smoked eel and pickle caviar.
"It is clear that around the motu, entrants are taking this comp very seriously and that plenty of thought has gone into the delivery of top flight toasties," head judge Kerry Tyack said.
"Seasoning levels were much more consistent, the choice of cheese more considered and the importance of monitoring fat content has been noted. Where we feel there is still opportunity for fine-tuning is in bread type and thickness. Some toasties were too bread heavy and so lost points."
The sixth annual competition saw 185 eateries battle it out for the title of this year's top toasted sandwich, with a whopping 150,000 toasties consumed by the event's end.
Criteria required sandwiches to be toasted between two slices of bread and able to be eaten by hand. The toasties also needed to contain cheese (or a vegan substitute) and McClure's pickles, with all other ingredients up to the entrant's imagination.
Freeport with Cleaver & Co's winning toastie will remain on the menu from 11:30am to close, seven days a week until early August.
