If you consider yourself a bit of a sandwich connoisseur, chances are you’ve seen Sandoitchi’s offerings on your Instagram feed. Literally translating to “sandwich” in Japanese, Sandoitchi are known for the kind of fluffy bread, loaded filling sandwiches you’d find at a convenience store in Japan. They’ve garnered a cult following, so much so the cafe has a location on both sides of the bridge. 

The team behind it are husband and wife duo Bhas and Ying, who met while working at Sydney’s Long Chim restaurant. “I was a chef and Ying was the front of house, so we were communicating with each other a lot about the food, dietary requirements and new menu training,” Bhas explains. “We started to feel we had a lot in common.” Fast forward a few years and Bhas and Ying were partners in both work and life. “Starting a business together was not initially a dream of ours,” Bhas says. “However, when we launched Sandoitchi cafe, we discovered that we shared many common goals and opinions. We realised that together, we make a strong team.”

The success of Sandoitchi is a testament to the couple’s collaborative nature. Inspired by a desire to translate Japanese flavours into dishes geared towards an Australian palate, Bhas and Ying decided sandwiches would be the perfect bridge between the two cultures. “We aimed to take key ingredients or dishes and give them a fresh, innovative twist for the market, like our Chicken Katsu on a Vietnamese roll and Okinomiyaki Sando,” says Bhas. The overwhelming response to Sandoitchi’s first cafe in Darlinghurst led the pair to open their second location in Chatswood Chase’s new food precinct, where their signature sandwiches have made them a fixture of the lunchtime rush. 

Where working with your life partner might be some people’s idea of chaos, it’s a dynamic that’s worked remarkably well for Bhas and Ying. “What we love most about being a husband and wife team is having the opportunity to dedicate 24 hours to discussing work and listening to each other’s problems,” Bhas reflects. “We find joy in supporting one another and collaborating to solve challenges. Even when we go out for dinner, our conversations are filled with new ideas to improve!” It’s little wonder Sandoitchi continues to go from strength to strength.