After being at the top of Manchester’s sandwich game for five years, chef Aanish Chauhan is hungry for a challenge. “It’s no good people saying you’re the best when there’s no one to compete with,” he says. “Manchester’s got an amazing food scene, but in London, every week there’s something new. In Manchester, we’ve proved that we’re one of the best, and we’ve won multiple awards … but London’s got way more competitors. It’s a place I want to learn from.”
In the next two to four weeks, Chauhan will open London’s first bricks-and-mortar Fat Pat’s. And unlike his Manchester venue – which operates out of a space the size of a shipping container, serving customers through a hatch in an alley – this will be a two-storey spot, allowing customers to dine in or collect their sandwiches.
“I’ve had loads of ideas but haven’t had the space to try them,” he says. “Here, I’ve got more creative freedom to test things and put new things on the menu.”
When Fat Pat’s opened in late 2021, word spread quickly. Influencers raved about Manchester’s “most viral sandwich” and queues began to form down an unassuming alleyway, the shop marked only by a round sign protruding from the wall and a hatch. There are just four sandwiches on the menu, developed by Chauhan, who has a background as a fine dining chef (including at Aiden Byrne’s now-closed Manchester House). The American-inspired subs include a hot honey fried chicken, Philly cheesesteak and shrimp po’ boy, with fillings generously stuffed into semolina milk rolls baked fresh in an off-site bakery every morning. All are halal-certified and come with the option of fries, dips and sodas.
Londoners aren’t strangers to Fat Pat’s. In summer last year, Chauhan opened a dark kitchen in Bethnal Green, serving the same Manchester menu. He’s now closed that in the lead-up to launching his Shoreditch venue – and is deep in the process of developing new sandwiches.
“Even though [keeping the same menu] is probably the right business decision, as a chef I just feel that it’s not the right thing to do. London is one of the best culinary cities in the world, so I need to do something special. We’re going back to basics and concentrating on what made us famous at the beginning.”
While he won’t reveal the menu yet (“It’s a secret!”), Chauhan says that he’ll keep some sandwiches from the Manchester menu and add new varieties that are “famous around the world, but our interpretation”.
Fat Pat’s will open at 48 Hanbury Street, E1 5JL, in the next two to four weeks.
