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Every time I’m craving a sandwich on Sundays, I can never find a good sandwich place open. Thankfully, the new addition to Kensington Market, Dr. Augusta’s Samitorium helps fill my Sunday-sandwich void.

Dr. Augusta’s Samitorium

Dr. Augusta’s Samitorium is a sandwich and soda shop located on the edge of Kensington Market, at the corner of Augusta and Dundas. With its black and white checkered floors, it’s going for a retro soda shop feel. It’s too bad there’s limited seating in the place, given that it’s not exactly a small space. Guess they’re catering more to the take-out crowd.

The interior

They have a short menu consisting of 4 sandwiches (including a breakfast sandwich that’s served all day), a wrap and a selection of homemade sodas (rootbeer, ginger ale, cream soda, lemon soda and apple soda) for $2.75.

The menu

I decided to go with a traditional rootbeer. The great thing about these sodas is that they contain about half the sugar of canned pop. And to bring you back to your childhood, all their sodas can be turned into floats for $5.75.

Rootbeer

They have a roasted pork sandwich on their menu which was replaced today by a Braised Shortrib Sandwich – braised shortrib on a fresh Blackbird Bakery ciabatta roll, topped with a celery root/horseradish slaw ($9), which we ordered. After unwrapping the sandwich, I was a little surprised by how small it was, especially given its price.

The Braised Shortrib Sandwich

Nevertheless, it was a tasty sandwich filled with tender, flavourful pieces of shortrib. The melt-in-your-mouth meat was nicely contrasted by the crunch from the slaw. The slaw had just the right amount of hourseradish which wasn’t too overpowering. Last but not least, the bread was fantastic – a fresh, soft ciabatta roll. Nothing ruins a sandwich like stale bread.

The second sandwich we ordered was the Po Boy – cornmeal crusted shrimp, Marie Rose sauce, orange and fennel salad on a pain au lait bun ($8.85). Like the shortrib sandwich, I found the po boy to be delicious but small. I had never heard of “Marie Rose” sauce before and after a quick Google search, it turns out it’s a mix of ketchup and mayo…aka my usual fry sauce.

The Po Boy

The combination of the fried shrimp, Marie Rose sauce and fennel salad worked perfectly and the pieces of orange gave it a nice sweetness. I particularly enjoyed the lightness of the pain au lait bun. While both sandwiches were great, I think I preferred this po boy.

The Po Boy

It was a cold afternoon, so a cup of soup was a necessity. They have a daily homemade soup made with seasonal vegetables and today’s was Potato and Leek Soup ($3.50 small/$5.85 large). It was a satisfying bowl of soup which complemented the sandwiches nicely.

Potato and Leek Soup

Overall, we really enjoyed the food at Dr. Augusta’s Samitorium.  While they serve up a damn good sandwich, it’s probably not the best bang for your buck in the area.

At a glance:
• A sandwich and soda shop located on the edge of Kensington Market
• Meat and bread sourced locally from Blackbird Baking Co and Sanagan’s Meat Locker
• Delicious sandwiches but don’t expect enormous portions

Ratings (out of 5):
• Food: 4 stars
• Service: N/A
• Atmosphere: 2 stars

Dr. Augusta's Samitorium on Urbanspoon



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