The Clubhouse Sandwich Shop, recently opened by first-time business owner Doan Nguyen, joins Fancy Franks and The Grilled Cheese to offer the area another option for quick lunches and low-key dinners.

As the name might suggest, The Clubhouse focuses on sandwiches — though ironically, you won’t find the eponymous triple-decker on the menu. Instead, you’ll find familiar but elevated fare like the beer-battered fried fish sandwich ($11) and the marinated grilled pork chop sandwich, which features pork crackling, herb aïoli and caramelized onions ($7).

Nguyen officially opened the doors on June 7, and he says business has been steadily increasing, aided mainly by a steady lunchtime crowd from nearby CAMH. So far, he says, the smoked chicken sandwich with pickled chili mop sauce, chimichurri and fried avocado ($7) has proven to be his most popular sandwich, but he chalks that up to people opting for chicken as the “safe” option on their first visit. The vegetarian option — basil-marinated fried tomato with roasted eggplant and goat cheese ($7) — is a close second as people get a little more adventurous on their return visits.

The Clubhouse Sandwich Shop space Nguyen has chosen for his venture, tucked away just north of the 7-Eleven at College and Spadina, is considerably small; just 10 seats, but that was part of the appeal for Nguyen.

“For my first venture, this was really manageable,” he says. “I can prepare all the food and can watch the cashier. I don’t have to worry about a cook having a bad day or a waitress pissing off a customer who might have 3,000 friends on Facebook. This is more controllable for me.”

A longtime Toronto native and a Humber College grad, Nguyen has a long history in the industry, which he hopes has prepared him for the trials of restaurant ownership.

“I worked in casual and fine dining places, I’ve worked in a lot of small restaurants,” he says, noting that he spent the last five years at the Metropolitan Hotel. “I always wanted to open my own restaurant but never had the capital until now.”

And now that he has, he’s looking to do as much of the food preparation himself as he can. He explains that roughly 90 per cent of what comes out of his kitchen is made in-house, including fresh oysters that he shucks himself and deep fries for his oyster po’ boy sandwich ($12). For now, the Clubhouse Sandwich Shop sandwiches are being served on buns from Ace Bakery, or, as they were on the day we visited, buns from the Portuguese bakery down the street.

“We’re still tweaking a little bit,” he says of finding the right suppliers. “But business is picking up steadily, so we’re going to get there quickly.”

Published on: Jun 24, 2013