Sandwhich Is a Family-Run Indonesian Sanga Spot From Two Ex-Neptune’s Grotto Chefs

Charles Winardi and Nicole Alexandra have been working on their St Peters sandwich spot for more than a year now. The lease for the space, in the apartment building near Sydney Park that Winardi also calls home, was signed back in May 2025. “It’s consumed a lot of our time,” he admits. “It’s been a hard time, the last year. We almost lost the heart [to open the cafe]. But then, when we found the right people, we lit up again.”

In the end, the build came together in just over a month, an involved process that the pair documented on Instagram before their July 15 soft launch. The sparse concrete space has been transformed into an inviting neighbourhood brunch spot, offering baked goods and Indonesian-inspired sandwiches alongside matcha and coffee.

Alexandra and Winardi are both accomplished chefs. They’ve shared time in the kitchen in Neptune’s Grotto, while Alexandra has worked as chef and pastry chef at Ito, Rekodo and Dawn Baked Goods, and Winardi at Ovo, Dopa and Hubert. But their connection is more personal: Alexandra is married to Winardi’s brother and refers to her business partner as an “adopted brother”. “Ever since we got close we’ve dreamed of opening a cafe together,” she says.

The pair have combined their complementary kitchen skills with Alexandra’s design degree to create what they believe is a fresh approach to the humble sanga shop.

“We want to bring the idea of experience,” Alexandra says. “A sandwich place is usually more of a takeaway. We want to bring Australian cafe culture into the sandwich concept space. We have a lot of seats where people can chill.”

As you arrive, you’ll notice the custom sign by Domus Vim, the pops of blue and orange, and the sculptural cloud-shaped lampshade that hangs above the counter – a fitting Alexandra made herself.

The compact menu draws on nostalgic Indonesian favourites, time spent in Japanese and Italian kitchens, and Alexandra’s baking pedigree. There are a few breakfast and lunch sandwiches, but the star of the show is the chicken nanban roll – fried chicken glazed in sweet and tangy nanban vinegar on a burger-style bun with egg tartare sauce.

Waiting for you on the counter are baked goods like matcha-and-berry muffins, but the treat both chefs rave about is the black sesame banana bread. When Alexandra first baked it, Winardi says he “couldn’t stop eating it”. “Don’t change anything,” he told her.

A large Synesso coffee machine sits atop the bench, ready to work its magic on Headlands Coffee beans. Matcha also makes up a chunk of the drinks menu.

“Right now, a lot of people are making matcha,” Alexandra explains. “This is the matcha I like. It’s a bit nutty, a bit creamy. You can definitely taste the matcha, but I wouldn’t say it tastes grassy.”

Specialty drinks include a cherry Mont Blanc, while Indonesia’s popular jasmine iced tea, Sosro teh botol, is topped with a matcha cold foam.

“We’re trying to deliver something that people can only get here,” Winardi says.

Sandwhich
Shop 9/60 Applebee St, St Peters

Hours:
Mon to Sat 7am–2.30pm
Sun 8am–2.30pm

@sandwhichsydney