TabFood: Durham’s Best Sandwich!

Chapters Tearooms

‘At Chapters we don’t serve fast food, we serve good food as fast as we can’ – our first stop was Chapters, one of Durham’s most popular lunchtime retreats.

The first sandwich we tried, the Chicken Tikka, rose to the top of our taste table. The quality of the filling went some way to justifying the price and the ciabatta roll gave a rustic edge to what was a pleasing first meal. The chief concern with this option is that it gets a bit messy, and subsequently, isn’t ideal for when macking on the ladies.

With the Chicken Tikka swiftly polished off, we embarked on Chapters’ premium veggie option, the Buffalo Mozzarella sandwich.

Unfortunately, as with all vegetarian alternatives, the Buffalo Mozzarella didn’t quite live up to expectations, failing to fulfil our hungry tums. On the bright side, it may still be worth trying if only for the caramelised onion marmalade, which was top notch.

Chapters is certainly a strong contender. The surroundings are quiet and comfortable with a friendly atmosphere and excellent service, despite a constant turnover of customers. Our only real beef was with having to provide a table number before ordering, as it proves to be quite a hassle leaving a coat or laptop to mark one’s territory.

Perfect For: Catching up with a friend (but just a friend) over lunch.

Taste: 3/5

Choice & Variety: 4/5

Value for money: 4/5

Atmosphere & service: 4/5

Location: 4/5

Friendliness to The Tab: 5/5

Overall: 4/5

Picnic Basket

Our next stop was Picnic Basket, where we took on two of Tracy’s specials, another Club sandwich, and the ‘Bang Bang Chicken’. James’ selective hearing failed to pick up the inclusion of peanuts (could’ve killed him) in the Bang Bang chicken sandwich, so he happily tucked into his favourite, the club.

Whilst Picnic Basket isn’t as trendy as Chapters or Flat White, it isn’t trying to be. Picnic Basket serves an important purpose in that it provides the most choice and convenience out of anywhere in Durham, for the most affordable prices.

The Club and Bang Bang were tasty and of course great value (£3.50 and £3 respectively). The unusual mix of fillings in the Bang Bang worked well whilst the Club could have done without the mustard. You may not be blown off your feet by the food here but for sheer quantity and a few quid you can’t go far wrong – especially if you’re on the move.

Picnic Basket’s greatest attribute is its choice. If you’re stuck in Elvet Riverside without a pack lunch then there is nowhere cheaper or closer that will throw together any filling you want for less than a fiver. Also, the handy loyalty card ensures an incentive to make Picnic Basket a regular pit stop.

Perfect for: when you’ve forgotten to make your own pack lunch

Taste: 3/5

Choice & Variety: 5/5

Value for money: 4/5

Atmosphere & service: 3/5

Location: 5/5

Friendliness to The Tab: 5/5

Overall:  3/5

Lloyds

Our final stop took us to Lloyds. Having only previously ventured there as an alternative to the Loveshack queue, we weren’t quite sure what to expect. Nevertheless, undeterred by the prospect of reliving another Lloyds Wednesday, we pushed through and made our orders; a Gourmet Pulled Pork Roll and, you guessed it, another Club Sandwich.

At £6.89, the pulled pork sandwich was nothing to write home about. While the filling itself was reasonably tasty, the roll was a cheap supermarket number worth next to nothing; certainly not what you’d expect to house the juicy pulled pork. The sides were of a good quality, but overall it was a disappointing meal.

The Club sandwich stands as another unsatisfactory meal and incredibly, was left unfinished. Extremely dry and icily cold, this toasted sandwich offered little to compete in comparison to Durham’s other cafes, and resides, deservingly, at the bottom of our taste table.

Lloyds is, no doubt, a great addition to Durham’s bar scene. However, it should remain as such, and certainly isn’t the place to go if you’re looking to eat your way out of a Thursday hangover – it is far more likely to induce vomiting than to prevent it.

Perfect for: a tinder date with a local

Taste: 1/5

Choice & Variety: 3/5

Value for money: 2/5

Atmosphere & service: 2/5

Location: 1/5

Friendliness to The Tab: 4/5

Overall: 2/5

Flat White

Finally to our winner, Durham’s trendiest hang out, Flat White.

Whilst Flat White didn’t greet us with nearly as much TabLove as we’d have liked, its reputation and quirky hipster vibes were enough to keep us interested. And so, with high expectations, we both tucked in to what many consider the flagship sarnie, the Club.

With perfectly toasted wholemeal bread, comes great responsibility – and Flat White’s Club did not fail to impress. The BLT layer complimented the chicken mayo perfectly. It was refreshing, filling and satisfying. At £6.25 it is expensive, however paying that little extra makes all the difference.

The nice thing about Flat White is that the more time you spend there, the more relaxed you become, and the more you sink into a sepia filtered world where no one’s trousers are quite long enough, and every t shirts has perfectly rolled sleeves. It’s really quite nice.

On to the Bacon, Brie & Cranberry, a sandwich that knocks 3 of your 5-a-day (dairy, meat and fruit) out in one go. Whilst the traditional Club may be a firm favourite with many, Flat White’s ‘BBC’ blows its competition out the water, both for taste and eccentricity.

When it comes to quality, Flat White serves up the very best, and everyone knows it. Subsequently, the place runs at perpetual capacity, and it is not uncommon to find yourself turning around and heading straight into Chapters after failing to find a seat. Despite this, if you can nail down a table, you’ll be treated to some exquisite food and a brilliant atmosphere.

Perfect for: A first date with someone who doesn’t quite deserve a dinner

Taste: 5/5

Choice & Variety: 4/5

Value for money: 4/5

Atmosphere & service: 5/5

Location: 5/5

Friendliness to The Tab: 1/5

Overall: 5/5