Joji’s Sandwich Parlour

It seems like the folks at Joji’s Diner are back at it again — whilst the brand has had shuttered a few locations of Joji’s Diner such as the one at Stanley Street some time back, they seems to be ready to introduce an all-new F&B concept this time round. Newly-launched by the same folks behind Joji’s Diner would be Joji’s Sandwich Parlour — Joji’s Sandwich Parlour is of conveniently located within the shophouse located at 536 Upper Serangoon Road that is just right beside where Joji’s Diner is. Whilst the two dining establishments are located beside each other, both of Joji’s Sandwich Parlour and Joji’s Diner are decked differently with an interior layout that also differs from one another. Joji’s Sandwich Parlour is definitely more spacious than Joji’s Diner, with Joji’s Sandwich Parlour adopting a design scheme that is more of an old-school, Wild Wild West ranch-style decor that features mosaic tile flooring as well as cork-esque walls with metallic panelling matched against outdoor dining furniture of wooden accents to complete that look. Spread across the dining establishment are also some quirky decorations such as the huge, fake spider plushie on one of the walls, as well as bandanas that is wrapped around the pillar that further enhanced the interior decor of the space as well. Being an establishment that can be described as an extension of Joji’s Diner, the menu at Joji’s Sandwich Parlour is split into categories such as Sandwiches, Sharing Plates and Not Sandwiches — the beverages menu is also split into Drinks and Brews with the latter being where one can find the list of espresso-based specialty coffee, drinking chocolate and tea available. Just like Joji’s Diner, Joji’s Sandwich Parlour operates 24 hours daily as well.

Considering how they had identified the establishment as a sandwich parlour, it is needless to say that we had to have one of the offerings from thejr “Sandwiches” section of the menu during our visit to Joji’s Sandwich Parlour. Skimming through the menu, the Joji’s Grilled Cod Sandwich was an item that stood out to us considering how cod isn’t quite something that we would typically find in such a creation. The menu described the Joji’s Grilled Cod Sandwich to come with elements such as Atlantic Cod, romaine lettuce, Julius dressing, and garlic focaccia bread — patrons also do get a serving of two “sidekicks” of their choice with every order of a sandwich being made; “sidekicks” referring to the side dishes that are listed on the Sidekicks section of the menu. Our choice of Sidekicks would be the Fries and Coleslaw. This is a rather simple sandwich that we found to be of a rather decent quality overall — nothing too gastronomic but also not too shabby at the same time; the garlic focaccia bread comes with relative chew whilst still being airy and not too dense, while the romaine lettuce does provide a bit of a refreshing crunch amidst the soft bite and zingy notes of the slices of tomatoes that come in between. The Julius sauce can be described as a something similar to Caesar salad dressing with a slight tang — something that added on to the natural sweetness of the slab of grilled cod fish coming in between; the slab of cod fish providing a slight smokiness having been grilled with somewhat crisp edges though the consistency of the fish was a little bit on the firmer and slightly drier side as well. The shoestring fries were well-fried and well-seasoned with salt; crisp and not particularly greasy, while the coleslaw was sufficiently creamy but not heavily milky and came with small cubes of apples that provided an added sweetness and something to the crunch on.

The dish that gave us a more lasting impression was however the Smoked Brisket. Described in the menu to come with elements such as Black Angus Brisket and smoked with hickory wood, this was saltish and smoky with a slight hint of sweetness and savouriness coming from the barbecue sauce that was lightly drizzled on it — the only qualm about this dish was how the brisket was a wee bit tougher and slightly drier than what we had initially expected. Being a dish where we can opt for two Sidekicks, our choice of Sidekicks would be the Onion Rings and Potato Salad; the former coming all crisp on the exterior with an evident note of the slight sweetness of onions that also came with a soft crunch within, while the latter features both larger chunks of potato and smaller chunks of apple for a soft bite and a bit of a refreshing crunch that gives it a contrast of texture and flavour. The Creamy Baby Spinach that is listed in the Sharing Plates was one that came with wilted spinach, a mix of mushrooms and cream; we liked how it did not feel overall too creamy, whilst the mushrooms provided a bouncy bite along with an earthy note that went well with the soft spinach that was aptly moist but did not carry too much water content within. Going for the Chai Latte to pair with the food items that we had opted for, the Chai Latte really hinted of the various spices that went into the tea — the proportion of milk helping to provide a lot more depth to those notes without having the Chai Latte feeling too milky. Joji’s Sandwich Parlour is pretty much an extension of what Joji’s Diner has to offer — their food being of a fairly consistent quality with Joji’s Diner which promises rather generous portions for its price to say the least, though we do find the execution of the meats here being something of which that they can improve on. Prices of the individually sized mains range from $16 to $28; something that is still within some sort of expectation from an establishment of its type. With the operations being around the clock for all seven (7) days a week, Joji’s Sandwich Parlour does certainly add on as a great supper spot to head to considering how places offering the sort of cuisine that Joji’s Sandwich Parlour during late nights are far and few in-between.