Just over a week ago, a giant billboard appeared on the side of Newmarket Road in front of the Homezone Windsor precinct. On the big yellow sign was a cross-section shot of a breakfast sandwich – one boasting a pillowy cloud of soft scrambled egg, strips of crispy bacon, glistening caramelised onion and gooey cheese practically spilling out from beneath two slices of lightly toasted bread. Such a distracting sight is enough to cause a traffic accident for any hungry commuter, however those that gazed long enough would have seen that the sign wasn’t merely there to arouse cravings, but to advertise the imminent opening of Sunny Side Sandwiches. Saturday November 20 marks the official launch of the colourful sandwich-centric concept, which – according to co-owners Mack Bowers and Charline De Conto – looks to grab folks by the tastebuds and tickle their nostalgia receptors with a series of well-executed sambos. The duo, who also own and operate Milton-based specialty coffee roaster and espresso bar Wanderer Coffee, have long held a soft spot for stellar sandwich shops like Melbourne icons Hector’s Deli and Nico’s Sandwich Deli, and London shop Brick Lane Beigel Bake, where the humble lunch staple is elevated into something indelible thanks primarily to the usage of incredible high-quality ingredients. At Sunny Side, Mack and Charline are applying their own take to the same hyper-focused sandwich-first service model, transforming a site at Homezone into an eye-catching dispensary designed with help from Derlot’s Alexander Lotersztain. The former kebab shop space has been slickly transformed with a maximalist aesthetic of bright-yellow tones and cork textures, while a refit maximises the spatial dimensions for takeaway service and lunchtime lingering. A set of bleacher steps – complete with their own affixed tables and charging outlets for phones – sit opposite a built-in high-top bench, while outside a scattering of tables also offer seating for dine-in custom.

Despite the near-limitless malleability of the sandwich format, Mack and Charline are opting to keep things restrained at Sunny Side, limiting its menu to just six staple options and one rotating weekly special. That’s not to say their list of recipes is small – the duo no doubt had a tough time whittling the offering down to the final selection. Assisting in the curation of Sunny Side’s sandwiches in a consultancy role is Evan White, head chef of Chupacabra Byron Bay, who has helped guide the delicate process of nailing each staple selection. It starts with the aforementioned breakfast sandwich – an Eggslut-inspired two-hander built atop slices of Japanese-style shokupan milk bread and elevated with kimchi mayo and a Sunny Side’s secret Egg Magic umami seasoning. Early risers are doubly spoiled at Sunny Side with a bacon-and-egg roll (a toasted milk bun stuffed with American cheese, a generous serve of bacon and a hash brown, if desired) also available. The rest of the selection includes the beef and pickles sanga (a take on the Reuben boasting Sunny Side’s own 20-hour sous-vide pastrami, piccalilli relish and Swiss cheese on rye), a panko-crumbed chicken schnitzel roll, a salad sandwich (featuring cucumber, heirloom tomatoes, bread-and-butter pickles, beetroot relish, cos lettuce, chimichurri, Sunny Side’s own salad cream and Swiss cheese on rye) and an egg-salad sandwich (with Kewpie mayo, dill, parsley, chives and shallots). The weekly special at time of launch will be an eggplant parmagiana sandwich, which can be made vegan upon request. While the staples are concrete for now, Mack and Charline aren’t ruling out seasonal tweaks or further additions based on customer feedback. Sunny Side will also be serving Wanderer Coffee (both its House Party blend and a newly formulated Sunny Side blend, plus batch brew served on rotating single origins) alongside freshly squeezed orange juice.

Sunny Side Sandwiches will officially open to the public on Saturday November 20. Be sure to check the sandwich shop’s website on Friday for pre-launch specials, including 50-percent off on pre-ordered sandwiches to be picked up on opening day. Operating hours and relevant links can be found in the Stumble Guide.