Family Recipes and Pantry Story’s Croissant Dough Power Stanmore’s New Sandwich Sanctuary
Words by Ben Hansen · Published on 05 Aug 2026
Parramatta Road has long been known for its empty shopfronts and an array of stores that would be best described as “miscellaneous” – see, I Love You Bead Shop and Flags Fantastic. But in 2024, one little stretch in Stanmore became a bit of a dining destination when Pantry Story opened. The bakery’s serene vibe and outstanding, creative baked goods brought lines down the block. Now the team’s gone for round two, opening Sangcuary just next door.
At couple Mutiara Sucipto and Hari Wibowo’s just-opened sandwich spot, light streams in through a stained-glass window by glass artist Alex Schubert of Woffel Glass. Inside, the service counter is reminiscent of a home kitchen, while a stacked paper lantern that Wibowo handmade and dyed with tea leaves hangs over a large communal table. In the entryway, the 11-part menu of sandwiches is on display.
The name Sangcuary comes from Sucipto and Wibowo’s respective childhood nicknames, Sangcu and Ary – nodding to both “sangas” and “sanctuary”. That’s just one of many nods to Wibowo and Sucipto’s childhoods – the menu is built around nostalgic flavours that remind them of Indonesia.
The couple’s take on a bacon and egg breakfast sandwich began with Wibowo’s late mum’s pork satay recipe, which Sucipto adapted into a thick-cut bacon. The sticky pork is paired with fluffy omelette-style eggs, cucumber and a spring onion salad, which is packed into a scallion pancake (in place of bread) with garlicky mayo.
The Indonesian dish sop buntut (oxtail soup) inspires a French dip-esque oxtail and roast beef sandwich. The meat is cooked in sop buntut-style broth, and is then joined by thick slices of tomato and melted provolone on a sliced slab of focaccia. But what makes this one extra special is that same broth is served alongside, for all your dipping needs.
Hitting all the elements of Sangcuary’s motto – “Salted, sweetened, sandwiched” – you’ll find a malted croissant gelato sandwiched by sables, and another named Our Wedding Cake. This special wedge-shaped serve features layers of dark chocolate gelato, and is crunched up with a hazelnut praline. And, yep, it’s based on Sucipto and Wibowo’s own wedding cake, custom-made by Voeux Patisserie.
With help from her sous-chef Haribowo Chandra, Sucipto meticulously makes almost everything on the menu in-house. The focaccia and scallion pancakes are made fresh each morning. The roast beef is smoked out the back. The secret-recipe crispy chilli oil, found on the house-cured gravlax bagel, is made in big batches. And offcuts from next door’s beloved croissants are folded into gelato for that sweet sandwich. One of the very few items that doesn’t have Sucipto’s fingerprints on it is the pastrami and breakfast sausage, which arrive from fellow Stanmore spot Meaty’s Butcher.
Sangcuary and Pantry Story are already in fierce competition for whose queue will reach the corner of Parramatta Road and Cannon Street first. Hot tip: visit with a friend. One of you can line up at Sangcuary for the sangas, while the other lines up for coffee and a mochi-stuffed cookie. Then, reunite for a grand Parramatta Road feast.
Sangcuary
334 Parramatta Road, Stanmore
Hours:
Wed to Sun 8am–3pm
About the author
Ben Hansen is a Sydney-based writer, specialising in food, drink, culture and music. He is the former Sydney editor of Concrete Playground, and hosts mornings with Ben Hansen weekly on FBI Radio.
