MELBOURNE, Australia — It’s 11:53 a.m. on middle Sunday at the Australian Open and the queue already snakes its way over 80 meters into the heart of Garden Square. The mercury has hit 33 degrees Celsius (91.4 degrees Fahrenheit), but it’s deterred nobody. Instead, tennis programs have become makeshift fans, and water bottles are being emptied on top of sunburnt heads, as hundreds continue to patiently wait their turn.
This queue isn’t for entry to Rod Laver Arena. Nor is it for any other Melbourne Park show court. It’s not for a merchandise stand, not for a refreshing Aperol Spritz, not even for a selfie with 10-time tournament champion Novak Djokovic. Instead, it’s for a sandwich. And a $27.50 (US$17) sandwich at that.
Tennis hasn’t been the only attraction at this year’s tournament Down Under. In fact, those slugging it out on court may have just been forced to play a best supporting role to Melbourne icon Entrecôte and its bustling pop-up restaurant.
The Prahran-based French brasserie-style eatery has made a giant splash in its Australian Open debut by bringing five delectable dishes to the event, but it’s the sandwich that’s generated the most buzz among the tens of thousands of ravenous spectators pouring through the gates each day.
The label “sandwich” might be selling what Entrecôte proudly call a ‘Mitraillette Baguette’ a touch short. What does that actually mean, you ask? Tender Rangers Valley Black Market beef, delicate frites, and a top-secret herb butter sauce, all stuffed into a crispy six-inch by two-and-a-half-inch warm baguette.
From the moment the gates swing open until the last spectators have departed, Entrecôte is pumping these sandwiches out with production line efficiency. Immaculately dressed staff glide around the miniature kitchen quarters like some sort of acrobatic routine, serving up baguette after baguette to the hungry masses. And yet, the queue never seems to shorten.
Take a trip to Melbourne Park this fortnight and it will feel as if you spot more of these loaded baguettes than you will people. It’s become the novelty of the event; did you really attend the Australian Open if you didn’t taste the Entrecôte sandwich?
Spectators can expect to wait approximately 45 minutes for service between the hours of 11am and 3pm, which brings us to the first of two pressing questions: Is it worth the wait? The second question, is it worth the hefty $27.50 price tag?
An ESPN very unofficial poll of 20 patrons who had devoured the baguette showed 80% believed the time braving the harsh Melbourne UV was well spent. Many said they would even queue again. Of those polled, 65% said the value of the sandwich met the cost.
It’s not quite Wimbledon’s strawberries and cream, but beef in bread … well, it’s unquestionably Australian.
