We love Sandwiches.
But who doesn’t?
The origins of Rogue Sarnies does require a little context…
The two founders Zac Whittle & Freddie Sheen met at the classic Galvin brothers’ establishment on Spital Square Galvin La Chapelle. After working alongside one another for a year, the chefs began hosting pop-ups on the side and quickly decided it was the direction they wanted to head in.
In December 2019, Rogues was born as a pop-up restaurant concept but after three months of pop-ups that were quickly gaining momentum… the pandemic struck. The duo were left with no grants, furlough, or government aid of any kind. They instantly pivoted and turned their website, which was being used to sell tickets to pop-ups at the time, into an online supermarket filling its shelves with the amazing produce still being imported by their long-time suppliers.
As the lockdowns eased, the pop-ups restarted. They hosted sell-out nights across London in Mayfair, Kensal Rise, Spitalfields and Hackney. This led them into the path of Hackney Coffee Co. who, seeing their success in the area, offered them a long-term spot.
This was brought to a premature end in December 2020 as another national lockdown stopped trade once more. The duo pivoted yet again and turned the newfound restaurant kitchen into a gourmet sandwich shop. Banging out seriously tasty sandwiches such as the ‘Sausage & black pudding crumpet sandwich’ and the ‘Slow poached egg & smoked cheddar bun’. This Is where the idea for Rogue Sarnies started to form… However the duo had other more pressing matters at the time, such as paying rent, so the sandwich shop dream was shelved until such a time where they could indulge this pursuit of the ultimate sarnie spot.
Once lockdown finally eased in spring 2021 and outdoor dining became the forefront of London’s restaurant scene Rogues once again burst into life, opening their terrace BBQ pop-up at Hackney Coffee Co. This lasted all the way through the summer with the duo then moving back inside for the winter months serving a more refined small plates concept in the beautiful indoor space.
Rogues moved into their new permanent space on Hackney Road in March 2022 and have struck a chord with local diners, offering seasonal sharing style plates alongside an ever changing selections of natural wines and cocktails.
While expanding their current site in January 2023 they took the opportunity to turn a seldom used conservatory, which ironically used to be the entrance to the formative restaurant site, into a fully functioning wood fire sandwich shop.
Rogue Sarnies was born.
Let’s see how this goes…
Our Sandwiches.
The Bread…
Any great sandwich starts with great bread.
We bake all of our bread in house, every day using our wood fire oven. We only use British flour, and certified MSC mix British Wood including ash, oak and birch.
The bread is cold proved overnight with a nice high hydration which gives it an amazing chewy airy texture with a delicate crisp charred crust which will soak up the messy fillings without it disintegrating mid meal…
Baking bread in a wood fire oven is something so primitive, its in our blood as humans which is what we think makes this sarnies seriously special.
The Fillings.
A sandwich is defined as two or more slices of bread with a filling.
So with that in mind we decided why put ourselves in a box and state that we’re doing any specific style of cuisine.
The only thing that will dictate what gets nestled in between the warm slices of haven on a daily basis will be the seasons.
Much like the restaurant next door the produce is hand picked from New Covent Garden Market on a weekly basis with the menu being written based and what looks at its best on the day. As you’d expect this keeps us very honest with what we put on the plate (or in a bap).
You may well see fish finger sarnies on one week, mortadella and pickled peppers the next, with a Roast beef french dip following.
We simply cook food we want to eat.
And with a wood fire oven slow roasting all of the meat and veg in house we’re all in for a treat.
