- Harrods, London's upmarket department store, sells a Wagyu beef sandwich for £28 ($35.)
- The cost of the sandwich has raised eyebrows in Britain.
- Business Insider put the sandwich to the taste test so you don't have to.
In a world where a gold-encrusted steak can set you back thousands of dollars, perhaps $35 for a sandwich seems quite reasonable.
Nevertheless, the price tag has raised some eyebrows in Britain given that no matter what it contains – a sandwich is still a sandwich.
Simply called the "Wagyu Steak Sandwich," the new addition to the menu at Harrods in Knightsbridge contains strips of Wagyu beef fillet along with accompanied by porcini and truffle butter, gold mustard mayo, large portobello mushrooms, arugula, and beer- braised onions. All that is, erm, sandwiched between two thick slices of sourdough bread.
A single gram of truffle can cost between $3 and $3.50, making it one of the world's most expensive ingredients. High-grade marbled Wagyu beef is a delicacy typically imported from Japan and can cost anywhere between $120 and $300 per pound. Sourdough bread usually commands a premium too.
So, looking forward to tasting one of the world's rarest meats, I headed to Harrods to put this fancy sandwich to the test.
My first disappointment came as I reached the deli counter and realized all I'd get for my money was a cold, takeaway sandwich.
I was not offered a bar stool in the swanky, art deco food hall to enjoy a nice, warm steak sub. No, instead I was handed a wrapped sandwich without even a smile and directed to a self-service till to pay.
Accepting that the sandwich is what really mattered here, I headed for a bench in nearby Hyde Park.
On first bite, all I got was a mouthful of hard crust. Unfortunately, this set the tone for the whole "dining" experience.
The sourdough slices were so thick that, bar a few mouthfuls where I got lucky, the bread overpowered all the other ingredients.
Seven bites in and the starchy, acidic taste of the sourdough was overwhelming.
I decided to try each of the components – beef, mushroom, and onion – on their own.
The beef is the raison d'etre of this sandwich. It was a generous portion, well-cooked and soft – but so it ought to be for the price.
However, the flavor and texture got somewhat lost in the sandwich. My enjoyment for the bits of meat I did have was tainted by my annoyance that they were stone cold, alongside a mish-mash of flavors, and hidden among slabs of bread. The chefs I've previously worked alongside in restaurant kitchens would be horrified.
The beer-braised onions were perfectly nice and tangy, but their sweet caramelized flavor combined with the pungent truffle butter did not work well.
The threshold for cold mushrooms is low, but these ones had that slimy, squishy texture. And their earthy, umami flavor was lost against the bread.
I'll rule out commenting on the three small, limp pieces of arugula given how irrelevant they were. But Harrods at least had the right idea – some crunch would have been a good addition to this sandwich.
Not wanting to let an expectation for higher standards cloud my judgement, I tried for a second to imagine I'd bought the sandwich from a regular store. But even then I was not impressed and I'd be in no hurry to buy it again even if it was just $5.
Sick of all the bread, I gave the last crust to the pigeons.
To its credit, and to be expected when it packs a whopping 1,040 calories, the Harrods sandwich was a generous size and I was definitely full by the end. But I certainly was not satisfied.
I was just left wondering why on earth this sandwich had been created.
Harrods is not struggling: sales at the Qatari-owned department store jumped to just over $1 billion for the year to January 2023.
Mark Field, CEO of food consultancy Prof Consulting Group, told Business Insider: "Wagyu beef is growing in popularity and whilst to many it's a high price point, a Harrods customer has a higher level of discretionary income to spend," says Field. "Consumers expect Harrods to do things differently, which is part of their success."
He adds that the ingredients themselves are not only more expensive, but also involve a more complex and expensive supply chain, with a higher risk of waste – all of which pushes up the price.
Yet even if you don't think twice about dropping $35 on a snack while shopping, you could do a whole lot better than wasting it on this disappointing offering. Try the Pret a Manger Christmas sandwich instead with turkey, cranberry sauce, and pork stuffing and a steal at £4.99 (about $6.25.)
Harrods did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.