A long-time yardstick for milk bars and country bakeries, the salad sandwich is a deeply personal thing. To beetroot or not to beetroot? Sprouts: in or out? Cheese? No cheese?

And sometimes it’s a case of all the gear but no idea; how the fillings are sliced, stacked and seasoned (and whether they’re in-season) also impact salad-sandwich success.

Melbourne has a rising number of excellent interpretations. Loafer revels in the greatness of carrot and beetroot; Morning Market binds the usual suspects together with ranch dressing; and Falco invites egg salad and snow-pea tendrils to the party.

But there’s one more-is-more salad sandwich that I keep going back to – despite it being a 90-minute drive out of town – which has absolutely everything I look for. It’s not too tricked-up but undeniably layered-up, though admittedly, I once ate two in one sitting.

Find it at St Paul’s, a gussied-up general store in Sorrento, towards the tip of the Mornington Peninsula, which nails the old school (dimmies, potato cakes) and new school (acai bowls, avo toast), in pole position less than a kilometre from the beach.

A carefully considered salad stack

St Paul’s co-owner, Kael Sahely, is very specific about the construction of the big salad rolls. “They’re without a doubt the most labour-intensive thing we make over summer.”

From the bottom up, there’s a “protective layer” of butter and whole cos leaves to shield the bread from the wet ingredients. Then, a few thin, bias-cut slices of cucumber; rounds of pickled beetroot (“from the can, like when you were a kid”); a square of tasty cheese; heaps of crunchy carrot, grated and drained daily; and a handful of alfalfa sprouts. To top it off: ripe avocado (“it must be sliced … if it’s mashed, you might as well not have it there”), lemon-zesty house mayo, and a liberal application of salt and pepper.

The most notable omission? Tomato. “We found it doesn’t need it,” says Sahely.

On a (winning) roll

While it usually plays a supporting role, the bread can make or break a sandwich-eating experience: too soft and slender and it becomes a sponge, too robust and fillings fly with one bite. Country-style rolls from The Red Hill Baker strike a solid balance, with an airy inner and a shell-like outer that’s structurally sound enough to hold the vertical veg in place. There are two to choose from: classic sourdough and extra-textural multigrain.

Grab-and-go isn’t a no-no

A cabinet of ready-made sandwiches can mean a one-way ticket to Sog Town. Not here. “[The construction] and high turnover doesn’t give them an opportunity to go soggy,” says Sahely. “We make some in the morning, remake more around 11.30am, and never use them the following day. Any excess we take to the local footy oval or something.” So, while you may have to wait to order, you don’t have to wait for your sanger to be made.

Make it meaty

Prefer your lunch to pack more of a protein punch? An extra $2 gets you a salad roll with the addition of ham or a simple, mayo-y poached-chicken mix made in-house.

How do I get one?

The big salad roll ($11.50, or $13.50 with ham or chicken mix) is available to dine in or take away at St Paul’s General Store, 69 St Pauls Road, Sorrento, from 9am daily.

This is the latest instalment of Sandwich watch, a column dedicated to the sandwiches you need to know about.