Talking to Hisham Cader is always hell on my diet – on average it falls apart spectacularly after approximately 10 minutes of conversation. You see, Cader understands good food – and that's what he wants his Sandwich Factory to offer - great food that's good value for money. The Factory is a little over two years old, and had its humble birth in Cader's mother's kitchen. Today it runs out of what is possibly an even smaller space, tucked into a corner at the Dwellings home store on Greenpath. The best bit is, of course, that they deliver.

The Menu

On offer is a menu with 14 sandwiches. These come either in wraps, submarines or burger buns - each of which features "a popular international flavor with a Sri Lankan twist," says Cader. This is a menu you want to work your way through – sandwich by sandwich. The Philly Cheese Steak (Rs.210 for the 6 inch version) is easily the best seller – made up of thin slices of marinated steak sautéed with green peppers, onions and mushrooms, topped with cheese and served on a sesame sub-roll. (You can also ask for chicken instead of beef.)

The Prawn Sandwich (Rs.280 for the 6 inch version) is another sub, stuffed with spiced up prawns, glazed with chilli-garlic sauce and topped with shredded lettuce and tartar. The Factory turns out a great classic Cheese Burger (Rs. 220 for a ¼ pounder) but The Cajun Grilled Chicken Burger - boneless chicken breast marinated in Cajun spices, butterflied and grilled with extra virgin olive oil and served with lettuce, tomato and hot buffalo wing sauce - is a must try and costs Rs. 270. The Thai Chicken Broccoli Wrap with grilled chicken, broccoli slaw, and spicy peanut sauce in a flour tortilla weighs in at Rs.260. Those with less adventurous palates can try the Chicken Tikka Wrap (Rs. 250) with acharu sauce spread on Arabic bread and rolled with raw red onions, shredded lettuce and raita.
The Factory has whole wheat bread (the Gluten free kind recommended for diabetics) baked fresh for them, and all the meats are lean cuts, Cader assures me. The vegetables are also fresh, and if you want your food grilled in olive oil, it gets done.

Cader: Going places

The man behind these culinary wonders is the perfect foodie, but it won't do to forget that somewhere in there is a canny businessman. Because he appreciates the importance of novelty, the Factory introduces a new sandwich every two weeks. Customer service means you can ask them to switch around your ingredients until you have a sandwich that is perfectly tailored to your taste buds. Value for money – which translates into unusual flavours and quality ingredients combined with portions large enough to fill you to satisfaction – is another one of his watchwords. Together, these are the keystones of the little empire (that I am convinced) Cader is in the process of building.

And he isn't wasting time. The fledgling company began two years ago, when Cader came back from America. Having lived in the U.S while attending college, Cader had spent his fair share of time sweating over the grill in several food outlets. Though he first got involved with the family leather tanning business in Sri Lanka, he soon opted out to do his own thing.

Of course, in the beginning it was chaos, and pure, fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants impulse. He began with a two day, Rs.100 for a sandwich promotion and found himself inundated with orders. After the first 200, they had to start turning people away. At that time, Cader was the only one who knew the recipes, so he frantically cooked it all by himself in his family kitchen, while his mother, aunt and cook packed everything up. Of course, they forgot to label it, and of course, Cader ended up hand delivering all his orders hours late. But that first experience gave him the shove he needed. The young, would-be entrepreneur took the time off to sketch out all the details, and when he came back it was with the plans for what would become The Sandwich Factory.

Almost since the day it opened, the Factory has had its share of loyal customers: “People would come, and then they would come back again, and bring a friend,” says Cader. Today, he has even more plans and these include a range of interesting pastas, barbecue specials and a line of creamy, indulgent milkshakes – all to be implemented in the course of a few months. It's still far from easy going – inflation makes it hard to stay affordable and keep quality a priority – but Cader is determined to make it work. "I used to laugh at people who said they were married to their jobs," he says ruefully admitting that now, the joke is on him.

To tuck into the goodies drop into Sandwich Factory at Dwellings at No. 52, Greenpath, Colombo 3.For those who are tied down, let the food come to you through delivery between 11am-8.30pm and the sandwich men could be contacted on 5666550.