Smith & Deli

June 14, 2015


We are long and loud supporters of vegan restaurant Smith & Daughters. Over recent months, co-owners Mo & Shannon have been bursting with excitement over their new venture Smith & Deli and they threw a freebie our way today, inviting us to its media opening.


While their flagship restaurant is a place to sit and share something special, Smith & Deli is seat-free and stacked from floor to six feet with foodstuffs to take away.


Around the sides there's food for your home kitchen - housemade pizzas, pies and dips, fresh produce, dry staples and spices, plus many of those obscure ingredients that you might have wanted to hunt down, like coconut syrup and canned hominy. They're also stocking the best of brand-name vegan groceries, like Tofurkey mock meats, Alter Eco and Loving Earth chocolates, So Delicious ice creams and Daiya cheese.


Step up to the counter and things get really serious. Here deli favourites like pastrami, pretzels,  croissants and scrolls get the vegan treatment! They make sandwiches to order and the menu runs to almost three dozen options, with names like Club Sandwiches Not Seals, Parmageddon, and The Wiggum (photos of the sandwich menu linked at bottom of post). There's gluten-free bread with a $2 surcharge.


Mo packed us up with a Rubenstein and two salads. This sandwich is a glorious saucy mess of pink mock pastrami, sauerkraut, pickles and cheesy Russian dressing on thick rye slices (to be sold for $15). The peanutty noodle salad and spicy chickpea-dotted potato salad were meals of their own, and we saved most of them for later (price unknown).


The snickerdoodle and double chocolate cookies were fine specimens, more crunchy than chewy. When it comes to vegan amazestakes, though, they were roundly beaten out by the pain au chocolat (which Michael paid $5 for). It's a teensy bit on the bready side, but there are golden flakes to be had, not to mention soft, dark chocolate.


The array of vegan foods on offer here is frankly overwhelming and I'm sure everyone's going to find their own favourite delicacy, whether it's a croissant (always Michael's soft spot), a vegemite & cheese scroll, or an egg McMartinez. It'll be months, if not years, before we've got it covered and made our final judgements.

____________

Smith & Deli
111 Moor St, Fitzroy
9042 4117
sandwich menu 1, 2
facebook page

Accessibility: There's a lip on the door and the interior is flat. All foods are easily visible, but some of the groceries are easier to reach than others. Ordering and payment is at a low counter.
Location: 111 Moor Street, Fitzroy VIC 3065, Australia

Comments

  1. Vincent BeeroadJune 13, 2015 at 11:45 PM

    Cool! Can't wait to go there!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. CindyJune 17, 2015 at 4:04 PM

      Welcome, Vincent! Sounds like they've been doing a roaring trade on their first few days of business.

      Delete
  2. VeganopoulousJune 14, 2015 at 12:07 AM

    fab work getting this blog post up asap, I was hoping to see something today :D Can't wait to try everything there, especially that Reubenstein and the croissant!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. CindyJune 17, 2015 at 4:06 PM

      Thanks, Veganopoulous - we were unusually well organised with our blog this week. :-P

      Delete
  3. Johanna GGGJune 14, 2015 at 12:15 AM

    Looking forward to going there - the food sounds worth getting over to fitzroy for and I have a few opportunities coming up

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. CindyJune 17, 2015 at 4:08 PM

      Hi Johanna - I bet you and Sylvia will have a shot at the cheesymite scroll, right? Looking forward to your post.

      Delete
  4. Veggie MamaJune 14, 2015 at 4:10 PM

    Oooh there's me! hello!
    I loved it. Like you guys, I'm a loud and proud supporter and that's not just because we go way back. The passion and thoughfulness these guys put into their ventures consistently blows me away. I still regret not buying a take-home soup, but the haul I brought home just had to do. There's a beef bourgignon pie on my menu tonight and I'm just about dead with excitement, haha

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. CindyJune 17, 2015 at 4:10 PM

      Oh hi Veggie Mama! How was the pie?! We were ogling the margherita pizzas on the next shelf down.

      Delete
  5. CakelawJune 14, 2015 at 8:26 PM

    I love the look of this place!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. CindyJune 17, 2015 at 4:12 PM

      Hi Cakelaw - they've done an incredible job, the deli is very cute and postively bursting with great food.

      Delete
  6. littleveganbearJune 19, 2015 at 3:53 AM

    This is too exciting.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. CindyJune 21, 2015 at 12:53 AM

      I KNOW. Still, you could buy 3 Trang banh mis for one o' these sangas. ;-)

      Delete
  7. AnonymousJuly 7, 2015 at 6:21 PM

    I went recently and scoffed a reuben and a chicken pie. Both were absolutely delicious and the service was friendly and fast. Looking for any excuse to go back and scoff myself some more vegan deliciousness.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. CindyJuly 11, 2015 at 11:43 PM

      Yep, I'm looking for any excuse too! I need to try those pies. :-P

      Delete

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