These days, there is a lot of growth in plant-based products that are meant to imitate meat. From the days of tofu dogs to the current crop of products, such as the Impossible Whopper, a lot of changes have taken place.
Subway Sandwiches Korea has entered the fray with their version of a sandwich with a bean-based meat substitute they have dubbed Altermeat.
I had wanted to try this over a month ago, but the location I went to had apparently sold out, so I tried the Cheese Garlic Meatball sandwich instead. That wasn’t the most pleasant experience, so I was hoping for more this time around.
Going to a different Subway location this time, it was a mall version of Subway, almost exactly like a food court you would find in a shopping mall. It wasn’t busy, so I was able to place my order right away.
I ended up getting a 30-centimeter (12 inch) Altermeat Sandwich with ranch dressing, as well as a 15 centimeter (6 inch) K-BBQ (or Korean barbecue) sandwich with horseradish sauce.
After getting home, I unwrapped each of them to take a look.
The amount of vegetables that Subway puts on the sandwich is pretty decent, particularly lettuce, but it does make it hard to get a good photo!
So how did the sandwiches taste?
Well, the Altermeat was actually quite good! It is made with a bulgogi sauce, and it was a very tasty sandwich. Mixed with the ranch dressing and veg, along with a Honey Oat Bread, it was really hard to recognize that I was eating beans and not some pork.
One of the big problems with the Altermeat sandwich is that it only comes in the one flavor, so if you don’t feel like having a bulgogi flavored sandwich, you are out of luck.
Another is issue is the price. I believe it is the priciest item on the menu, which makes it hard to justify having it if you are not vegetarian or vegan.
That being said, the Altermeat really does look like regular meat, and the flavor and texture are really similar.
The K-BBQ sandwich uses pulled pork with a garlic soy-sauce marinate, and it also tastes very similar to bulgogi sauce.
The sandwich I got, with the horseradish dressing, had all the veg, on a Parmesan Oregano bun. The Subway K-BBQ sandwich is also very tasty, but I found it to be a bit salty.
Overall, I was much more impressed by my Subway dinner this time. The two new items are both tasty, although they probably shouldn’t be eaten together as they are of a similar flavor. On their own though, they would make for a very delicious sandwich!