Dank St Depot
1/2 Danks Street (Cnr Young St)
Waterloo NSW 2017

Mondays - Wednesdays 7:30am - 4:00pm
Thursdays - Saturdays 7:30am - 10.00pm
Sunday 9.00am - 3.00pm

I suspect that someone had a good time in Waterloo. Such a good time in fact, that they left a perfectly good pair of shoes behind. 

The location and angle of placement are puzzling. Perhaps it is an installation piece?

I had a good time too, though in a more sedate fashion, by having lunch at Dank St Depot.

I had gone to Dank St Depot on a Mission. A Reuben Mission, to be exact. Unfortunately, my raving on about the Reuben meant that my lunch companion also decided to have it. How photographically unexciting, I thought to myself. There was no way I was giving up my Reuben, and there appeared to be no way that he was going to give in either.

I was very controlled. I tried not to tweet. Well at least not more than once or twice, anyway. I believe that I may have restlessly held my phone a lot though.

Naturally, we had to order some sides. These hand cut chips ($8.50) were very good chips indeed, and there was a fight for the final few. I won, of course.

Herewith, The Sandwich, described thus - "Toasted Reuben Sandwich - Corned Wagyu Beef braised in Balsamic, Sugar and Spices and served on toasted Rustic Loaf with Heidi Farm's Tilsit Cheese and Sauerkraut" ($15.50).

Ahh...crunchy bits of toasted cheese....

It seems that the very origins of this sandwich, of which this was a sophisticated tasty exemplar indeed, is itself a matter of passionate debate. Was it invented by Reuben Kulakofsky in Omaha in 1925 to feed poker friends or Arnold Reuben in New York in 1914 for actress Anna Selos? Russian dressing or Thousand Island?

You can read more about this fierce battle for ownership here.

Sometimes a hot chocolate is just what is needed. This bowl of it was just incredibly good. I don't want to go on about it too much but it was GOOD. It wasn't just about the taste of the chocolate but also the proportion of chocolate to milk. I could have consumed a gallon of it quite easily. I went on about it so much that my lunch companion asked me to pour a bit for him to taste, whereupon precious drops were wasted during the transportation process.....ARGH!!!

Yes these are photos of Silvio Berlusconi. These are but a part of those which adorn the upper level of Fratelli Fresh. Somehow it seemed appropriate to end this post with an unexpected sighting, since it began with one. Trust me when I say that a trip to Fratelli wouldn't be complete without a look at these photos.

Oh, and does anyone else know if there is another Reuben sandwich available anywhere in Sydney? I'd love to know.

[AP]

Addendum : Dec 2010 - More Reuben sandwiches now available at EAT Deli Kitchen and the new restaurant Felix.