The Hong Kong Clubhouse Sandwich 公司三文治 is one of my favourite things to order at Hong Kong Cafés. It started when I was little when my dad would often take me to the coffee shops of various hotels for lunch. I always went to Hong Kong during my summer vacation when it was super hot. And hotels had the best air conditioning!
I usually shared my sandwich with my mom and I’d also get to order a drink and a dessert. I don’t know about other people, but ordering a drink was special! My mom never lets me order a drink at a restaurant because they’re so expensive! Even now, in my 50’s, I never order a drink if my mom’s with me…I know she’ll say I’m wasting money! Anyways, my dad was all for ordering drinks because he liked them too. My favourite was the fruit punch. It was a fizzy drink, something like a Shirley Temple with fruit cocktail in it. It’s a bit too sweet for me now.
Recently, on a trip to Hong Kong, my cousin showed me her fruit punch recipe. It’s Orange Fanta, Schweppes Cream Soda and fruit cocktail. Both of these soft drinks are very popular in Hong Kong. I don’t know why most western grocery stores don’t carry Schweppes Cream Soda. I think it’s way better than the pink ones. But I can only get them at an Asian grocery store. Even though this drink is also very sweet too, it sure brings back memories!
Back to the Hong Kong Clubhouse Sandwich 公司三文治. Those unfamiliar are probably wondering what the difference is between the Hong Kong style and western style. In Hong Kong style, there’s the scrambled egg (omelette style), cooked ham and the pan-fried chicken. Some restaurants use pork chop or luncheon meat to substitute the pan-fried chicken. But that’s not the original. The Clubhouse, whether Hong Kong or western, should have a poultry. For me, the chicken, usually made from thigh meat, is the star ingredient. It’s juicy, tender and a perfect pairing with the crispy bacon.
It’s so unfortunate though that most restaurants have either taken this sandwich off their menu or have over simplified it. This is not a quick and easy….it has so many components that has to be cooked separately. It’s just not economically feasible for busy restaurants to make this to order anymore. It’s a good thing that we can still make it ourselves.
Looking for more Hong Kong cafe recipes? Check them all out here, or see my most popular ones below:
- Hong Kong Spaghetti Bolognese 焗肉醬意粉
- Hong Kong Curry Beef Brisket 港式咖哩牛腩
- Hong Kong Lemon Tea 港式檸檬茶
- Hong Kong Black Pepper Sauce 港式黑椒汁
Hong Kong Clubhouse Sandwich 公司三文治
Ingredients
- 3 slices White sandwich bread , Texas style or any thick and square sliced, toasted
- 1 slice Cooked ham , pan-fried
- 120 g Chicken fillet , pan-fried
- 3 strips Bacon , crispy
- 1 Large egg , fried
- 4 slices Tomato
- 1 leaf Lettuce
- 2 tsp Mayonnaise
- 2 tsp Butter , spreadable
- 1 tbsp Oil
- 4 Cocktail picks
Ingredients for chicken rub:
- ½ tsp Salt
- 1/8 tsp Ground black pepper or white pepper
- 1/8 tsp Garlic powder
Instructions
- Slice tomato and wash lettuce
- Dry sliced tomato and lettuce using kitchen towels to prevent making the bread soggy and set aside
- Beat 1 large egg and fry it in a non-stick pan with 2 tsp oil. Make it into the size of your bread, if possible and set aside
- Fry bacon until crispy and set aside
- Sprinkle salt, ground black pepper and garlic powder on both sides of the chicken fillet
- Add more oil to the pan, if necessary ,and fry the chicken fillet on medium-high heat until browned
- Flip the chicken fillet over and cook until the other side is brown and the chicken is cooked through. Remove from heat and let rest until ready to assemble
- Heat up the cooked ham by putting it on the pan for a few seconds each side
- Toast 3 slices of bread
- Spread mayonnaise on 2 faces of bread and butter on the other 2 faces I usually spread butter on the bottom piece to prevent the bread from getting soggy as I assemble the sandwich with the hot ingredients.
- Assemble your sandwich.
- Stick the picks in the middle section of each side
- Optional: cut off the bread crust with a very sharp knife to get nice clean cuts
- Cut the sandwich into quarters by cutting diagonally from one corner to the other
- Cut again from the other diagonal
- Serve
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