Mootz General Store, Edinburgh
Mootz bring some sparkling and surprisingly sizeable schiacciata sandwiches to Stockbridge
Another month, another big sandwich. But while Kofi Kade in Glasgow offered a fairly unique (and delicious) take on the sandwich last month, August’s contender is working in more familiar territory. Mootz is a new Italian-inspired sandwich spot and ‘provisions shop’ on the high street in Stockbridge – and yes, by ‘provisions’ they basically mean ‘olives’ and ‘olive-adjacent stuff’. It’s a slightly weird set-up to be honest; there’s a big, lovely, open bit of counter by the door, but you don’t order there, you order at the other end. There are seats for having your sandwich, but they are kinda in the way of folk coming in and out. Still, there’s a nice minimal vibe inside – gotta love a paint effect and some dark green wood – and loads of light from what can only be described as an enormous set of windows.
The absolute enormousness is a running theme throughout Mootz, starting with the paving slabs of bread that make up their sandwiches. The bread is schiacciata, the Tuscan bread best described as focaccia’s flatter, more aerodynamic cousin. Out the gate, this has its advantages. Good focaccia is pillowy soft and deliciously bouncy, but it’s also quite tall and structurally challenging (short version: "my sandwich is big, but it keeps falling apart!"). Schiacciata is much more compact and manageable, sacrificing a bit of height for practicality; you could put one of these in your bag confident that it will not unfold itself the second you try to cross a road. And you might need to pack some for later, because these sandwiches are absolute units. The size is truly deceptive, it’s almost an optical illusion or a trick of the olive oil-flecked light ("my sandwich is big, but it looks less big!").
As for fillings, the menu is devoted, by and large, to takes on Italian deli classics (we would have tried the eggplant lasagne sarnie, but couldn’t risk a half-day in the office covered in Milanese sauce). The eponymous Mootz sandwich (£12) is a pretty great take on that one viral sandwich with the mortadella and creamy cheese and pistachios. All the pieces are in place – the mortadella is thin, savoury and piled more than high enough; the stracciatella is creamy, faintly sweet and perfectly white. Lift the top and you’ll find an honestly surprising number of pistachios in the pesto, so hats off to that. It’s a fresh, delicious bit of lunch, only slightly undermined by hot honey that is neither hot, nor hot. A bit of spice would have elevated everything even further, but the extra untempered sweetness doesn’t add a huge amount. Your mileage may vary, but we’d recommend asking, in your nicest serious-food-person voice, exactly how ‘hot’ the honey is and going from there.
The prosciutto sandwich (£12) is a very, very solid example of the form. It’s more immediate and less complex than the Mootz – the prosciutto is saltier, the chimichurri olive spread has a briny punch, and the rocket brings a touch of bitterness to proceedings. These sandwiches are intriguing but not confrontational, imposing but not impossible. They’re exciting but not hugely surprising, which is alright by us – show us a dependable Italian deli-type sandwich within walking distance of the office and we’ll show you a Looney Tunes-style outline where that sandwich used to be. And these are high-quality as well; great ingredients, fresh bread, those lemon-scented hand towels for dabbing yourself down after running through a humongous oily sandwich. Sometimes when you go out you want to explore the far-reaching possibilities of food, but sometimes you want a treat lunch that’s just a great version of what you might have tried at home, and Mootz fits that slot pretty damn well.
Mootz General Store, 62 Raeburn Pl, Edinburgh EH4 1HJ
Mon-Sun, 10.30am-4pm (closed Tue)
@mootzgeneralstore