First look: Sooshi Mango’s late-night panini bar ‘had to be’ on Lygon Street

Previous SlideNext Slide

Italian comedy troupe Sooshi Mango “put [their] arteries on the line” while developing the menu for Sangaweech, the panini shop they’re opening on Lygon Street this Saturday, three doors down from their red-sauce restaurant Johnny, Vince & Sam’s.

They went (too) big on smallgoods in a blind tasting to rigorously choose the best of the best for their sandwich fillings. “At the end you’re just gone,” says Andrew Manfre, one third of the trio, with brothers Joe and Carlo Salanitri. “Then you wake up at 3am absolutely dying of thirst.”

Their act is anything but serious, poking fun at all things Italian. But they’re more invested than you might assume in the quality of their eateries, flanked by business partner and chef Johnny Di Francesco, the man behind 400 Gradi pizzerias.

At Sangaweech, there are 12 panini on offer, served on house-baked bread made with a recipe Johnny developed while working with a flour technician in Padua, Italy.

Choose from two roll options: “The [oval-shaped] ‘nonna’ size, where you’re rolling out of here, or the smaller, [square-shaped] ‘mamma’ size, where you’re fed well,” says Carlo.

Then it’s time to pick your filling, with everything made to order. Classic, cheekily named choices include the Backhander, a “triple stack” of mortadella, prosciutto and salami, with green-olive tapenade that’s hand chopped in-house to just the right consistency.

The Wooden Spoon is centred around a freshly fried chicken cotoletta with pickled tomato and stracciatella.

What’s in the sandwiches isn’t vastly different to what you can find at other shops around town, but in true Sooshi Mango style, the surrounds are unlike anywhere else.

They’ve converted an old hair salon into what Manfre describes as “an homage to the ethnic kitchens of the ’60s and ’70s ... that many nonnas still have to this day”.

Look for a brown-brick facade with amber-glass detailing then head inside to find an orange Laminex benchtop running the length of the space.

An old-school oven and cooktop are not functioning, just there for the vibe.

As well as sandwiches, expect deep-fried add-ons, like home-style hand-cut chips “cooked like we had growing up” and “nonna’s nuggets”, essentially mini cotolette.

The signature dessert is tiramisu in a box, which slides out to reveal either a coffee- or lemon-flavoured creation. Milkshake flavours are inspired by Raffaello and Ferrero Rocher chocolates.

It’s not just another lunch spot, though. Sangaweech will open until 10pm Sunday to Thursday, and 1am on Fridays and Saturdays for late-night feeds. And on opening day, the trio behind it will be on site, dressed as their “ethnic mum” characters.

The Age recently reported that foot traffic had plummeted on Lygon Street, but for Sooshi Mango, there was nowhere else to open Sangaweech. “It had to be here,” says Carlo. “For us, it’s been way more positive than [the data] suggests.”

Their second venue − which comes with a handful of seats outside − may bring more energy to the strip, along with King & Godfree’s revival which began last week with the opening of Garfield pizzeria, the first of three new venues in the historic former deli.

Sangaweech opens on Saturday, February 28.

Open lunch and dinner daily

300 Lygon Street, Carlton, sangaweech.com