Melbourne has no shortage of great banh mi, but Ca Com is in a class of its own. The details are everything at chef Thi Le’s sandwich joint, where the hearth is the beating heart of the clean-cut space. Bread and meat are grilled over flames, smoke lightly perfuming extra-crackly roasted pork belly and luring passersby into the sun-drenched shop.

Pull up a barstool as you wait for your crusty baguette to be slathered with fiery red curry paste or a rich and creamy chicken liver pâté. Herbaceous Laotian sausage and Vietnamese charcuterie are among the many items made in-house with great precision, skill and care.

Other fillings include tinned sardines braised in a spicy tomato sauce and reinvigorated by the brightness of fresh dill and red onion. Soulful, sui generis sandwiches you’ll keep coming back to.

Good to know: Nab a slice of feather-light pandan chiffon cake for the road.

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