TASTE TEST: BO-LO'GNE's PORK CUTLET SANDWICH (plus a sweet treat from me)

by Katie Forster

Last week I decided to give Bo-lo’gne a try since everyone has been ranting and raving about their pork cutlet sandwiches. Bo-lo’gne is a small establishment with a bakery section at the front and a simple cafe set up at the back. The menu is relatively simple with most dishes either revolving around their bread, or a breaded pork cutlet.

They are most certainly popular. My lunch date was late so by the time we had finished our meal I had seen most tables turn over at least two sets of diners.

We both ordered the sandwich although I saw a pork cutlet katsu curry fly by which looked rather yummy and I’ll be sure to try at a later date. You need not worry about the food being freshly prepared at Bo-lo’gne as you can see straight over the counter into the kitchen where there is a constant sizzle of hot oil and a large toaster perpetually churning out perfectly golden slices of their famous Danish loaf and.

Our plates arrived - the       cutlet  sandwiched neatly     between  two slices of Danish   loaf  moistened with a dark     sweet  and tangy sauce with     a  generous helping of crispy   iceberg lettuce. Alongside it     we had a couple of sweet,       but  frankly rather pointless, tomatoes and a sprig of parsley. Then there was the curious addition of half a kiwi fruit tucked into a tiny ramekin. Well, at the very least it was a colourful arrangement. The sandwich definitely hit the spot. It wasn’t obnoxiously large and the cutlet was fried to perfection - not hideously oily as one might expect. The bread, however, I found too sweet for a savoury dish, even with the added tanginess from the sauce. Heavily sweetened brea I hear a lot of people complain about in Hong Kong so if you are one of them, this sandwich probably isn’t for you.

Pudding, however, was a real treat. Pudding is what this bread was made for - it is light, fluffy, designed to be served extra thick and the marbled effect makes for a very pretty plate. We tried three puddings (don’t worry
- I walked up some stairs later that day... which totally counts as going to the gym, right?) - banana and caramel; green tea ice cream and cinnamon and apple, all with Danish loaf. The banana caramel was a little dry - a scoop of vanilla ice cream would fix this easily, but otherwise these deserts were delicious.

So then I got thinking about what fun things one could do with this marbly Danish bread at home (they sell it for $53 per half loaf). Here is what I came up with. Perfect for a simple pudding or swap the amaretto for vanilla essence for a treat of a breakfast. Enjoy:

AMARETTO FRENCH TOAST

3/4 cup of milk (full fat works best)
1 large egg
2 teaspoons for ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tablespoons Amaretto
2 thick slices of Bo-lo’gne Danish bread

Combine the milk, egg, cinnamon and amaretto and mix in a bowl. Pour into a shallow dish and soak each side of the bread for approx. 30 seconds each. Heat butter or oil in a frying pan. Fry bread on each side until it is golden brown. Sprinkle with icing sugar or add a scoop of vanilla ice cream to serve.

Bo-lo’gne: shop1,G/F,41-49 Aberdreen Street,Hong Kong (2950-0600)

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