Saint Dreux

Rating is for the taste of the food. The sandwiches were good. However, this is something without a doubt you can whip up at home by yourself. Easy to make. We thought the sandwiches were pretty overpriced for what it was. Good to try once or twice. But wouldn't come again. Easy to make and nothing unique enough to make it stand out from your usual sandwich.

Well it’s fancy I tell you. The Castella cake is very neat looking and pretty but is it worth $7.00? I am sure it requires lots of skill to make this but hmmmm tastes OK. The egg sandwich is $12 is it worth it? Maybe not. It tastes good but not for $12. If you have not tried them, then yeah go for it but will I come back? I doubt it.

I found this place after researching for latest food trend and newcomer in Melbourne, and this place stood out as I like katsu. I got the impression from reading the reviews that it can be popular and get sold out, so I arrived at 11am and it was quiet. I got a wagyu and pork katsu, and three castella cakes, original, hojicha and black sesame. The katsu sando we’re absolutely sublime especially the wagyu. Katsu were crispy, wagyu was cooked to perfection, pork was perhaps slightly dry but the mustard sauce/ mayo provide enough moisture to complement it. The bread was soft and provide enough substance to give an overall balanced texture. The castella cakes were nice but nothing special. The original was probably the best, hojicha was really subtle. I would definitely go back for the wagyu sando. It is pricey but there is immense joy in eating a quality a sando.

Great sando, cake and hojicha latte. The wagyu sando was done perfectly - the wagyu beef was juicy and tender, it just melts in your mouth - the bread was soft and toasted just right - the sauce goes well with the beef. Though, i think it is quite expensive for a relatively small sando, it is very delicious. The sesame cake was packed full of sesame flavour, loved it. Hojicha latte was on the sweeter side, with good hojicha flavour.

Date/time of visit: 28 May 2022 @ 3:40pm Wow! Beautiful sandos. The shokupan (i.e. the Japanese bread) was light, fluffy, soft. The wagyu beef was cooked perfectly - tender and juicy. The panko was fried amazingly well - very delicate to taste. The mustard mayo was excellent. Combine all the ingredients and you have an amazing wagyu katsu sando. We also puchased the chicken katsu sandwich - also amazing. However, we ate the chicken sando after the wagyu...not a good idea. :-) The wagyu sando was so good it outshone a good chicken katsu sando. Best to be eaten fresh while still warm. Another reviewer has stated this is something you can "easily whip up at home". That statement is NOT true, unless you have experience with the ingredients. I have made chicken and pork katsu sandwiches using high quality panko but not using shokupan. My chicken and pork katsu were good but no where as good as Japanese bakeries/cafes or Saint Dreux. Further, Shokupan is difficult to make at home (I've tried) and is a little difficult to find in Melbourne and it can also be expensive. Wagyu is expensive and cooking it with the juiciness exhibited by Saint Dreux takes practise. I've had plenty of katsu sandos in Japan and they were great. Saint Dreux katsu sandos are better than the average bakery/cafe in Japan. Saint Dreux's sandos are also better than the one high class cafe we visited in Ginza. They are better than your standard Australian bakery. But you need to understand what is you are buying. These sandos are not something you easily whip up at home or can get from your normal bakery. Consequently the cost of these sandos do reflect quality (in Japan, yes they would be cheaper because that's what they do day in day out). The only downside is, yes, the price means I can't have these on a regular basis like I did when visiting Japan. The poppy seed castella cake was also beautiful. You'll be paying similar for lesser quality Castilla cake at Asian grocery stores. I will go back for more sandos and castella. It would be nice for a lovely cafe environment to go with the food; as it is, it's located in a fancy food court (not your standard shopping center foodcourt). Well worth the price. Great quality.