Before I begin this review, I have to state that the problem with Subway is the amount of customisation which is possible. I will give a review of the patty itself as much as possible, but it has to be noted that my experience of it may be different to someone else’s due to the different bread, salad elements, and dressing which can be chosen. With that in mind, I will describe the exact Subway sandwich that I almost always order: a six inch veggie patty on Italian herb and cheese bread, with cheese, lettuce, sweetcorn, red onion, and ranch dressing. I’ve been eating it this way for years, and I doubt that I’ll be changing any time soon!
The patty itself is a quite flat rectangle of what can be best described as vegetable mush, but don’t let that put you off as it tastes better than it looks. Normally you should be asked whether you would like the servers to change their gloves (or they should change them anyway – this is actually company policy when switching to vegetarian food). If they do not change their gloves, you absolutely need to challenge them on it. Even if you are not actually a vegetarian and just want to try the patty, it is really important in the name of food hygiene that they are called out on this, as they absolutely should not be touching any of the veggie patties without changing their gloves. They do sometimes pick up all of the cheese to take a slice off, so if you’re leery of getting any kind of contamination, you may want to steer away from adding the cheese as well. It’s sad that this is the case, especially when Subway put themselves forward as a company that care about this sort of thing, but unfortunately their hygiene standards are really not up to scratch just yet. Watch out for them touching a meat sandwich ahead of yours when putting salad on, too, particularly when there is more than one server handling the food.
I really do enjoy eating a Subway veggie patty from time to time, though they are not the kind of food that you would want to eat every day. For one thing, the amount of calories does mean that you would see your weight ballooning, and for another they are not as cheap as they perhaps could be. Add the potential hygiene issues and the attitude of the staff – at several different branches I’ve been made to feel uncomfortable because I had to insist on them changing their gloves – and it all adds up to put this patty in the category of something that you might have once in a while. It’s a convenient food which I’ve sometimes gone for when in a rush, or when I had a voucher to get the meal cheaper. Nonetheless, it is very tasty, and for me the combination of all of the ingredients together against the veggie patty is very enjoyable. You can taste a few various vegetables in the patty itself, though the strongest flavour is the golden brown outside, which tastes of vegetable oil but not in an overwhelming way. It’s simply quite pleasant. That said, it’s never going to be the kind of food that takes the crown of being the best veggie meal, because it is designed to be quick and easy rather than extra special. It’s just a shame that the rest of the experience is often a lot less enjoyable than it ought to be.
On the VegBurge scale, I give this…
Taste – 7/10
Price – 5/10
Rest of experience – 4/10
