EAT: SMITH AND DELI, FITZROY

Back in 2014, my socks were knocked off and my non-vegan taste buds were blown away by a delicious vegan meal that proved you don’t need things like butter, cheese, cream etc (pretty much all the good stuff non-vegans embrace) to make a dish outstanding. Said vegan meal took place at the launch of Smith and Daughters. There was not a single person in that room who wasn’t excited by the vegan fare brought out, and it seems much of Melbourne has been in agreement with this since - Smith and Daughters, alongside their second venue Smith and Deli, remain highly raved about as two of Melbourne’s most prominent and best vegan eateries.

I visited Smith and Deli two years ago after seeing one too many of their photogenic sandwich pictures pop up on my feed. That, and the high praises that followed in most of these captions finally compelled me into checking it out. Many of their deli sandwich options are a veganified version of a meat equivalent - which doesn’t usually get my taste buds going (why not just order the real deal?), but my curiosity was piqued AND I was willing to be proved wrong. I opted for their famed Foghorn Legless shnitty sandwich (schnitzel, bacon, tomato, lettuce, house-made ranch sauce) during my first visit. The texture of the schnitzel still wasn’t quite the same as the real deal but it was miles ahead of other faux meat products I have tried. Going in without the expectation of a meaty feed, it was a solid sammich that had me instantly sold on flavour alone. So much so that I ended up revisiting earlier this year, back in those pre-covid restriction days when social distancing was not yet a thing.

This time around, I tried one of their fresh made-to-order toasted sandwiches, the pesci pesto with grilled cheese and pesto. Hard to believe given the high bar set by the last visit, but the grilled cheese managed to trump the schnitzel sandwich. Easily. Who doesn’t love a good oozy grilled cheese sandwich, and the toastie delivered just that. So good that had I not ordered it myself from a vegan restaurant, I would’ve had a hard time believing that it wasn’t cheese… but there you have it, Smith and Deli serves up a mean grilled cheese toasted sandwich. And let’s not forget that fragrant pesto presence and the ‘buttery’ feel of the toast that both elevated the overall sandwich profile. Socks knocked off and taste buds won over yet again.

Needless to say, a return visit is definitely on the cards and I’m excited to see what other vegan goodies Smith and Deli have on their menu.

At the time of writing this review and the covid-19 restrictions currently in place, Smith and Deli remains open for takeaway.