Continental Deli

Here's a deli you could grow old and die in. And co-owner Elvis Abrahanowicz​ fully intends to. It's the dream, y'see, and one that's now been fully realised with the help of wife Sarah Doyle and fellow Porteno heavyweights Joe Valore and Michael Nicolian.

This is both Abrahanowicz and Nicolian (the latter managed the upstairs bar at Porteno for years) in their element here. Aside from the boozes (there's a neatly curated felt pin board pinboard of sherries and cocktails, wine and amari), a secret menu of non-alcoholic fizzes includes a plum shrub made on white vinegar (top up with extra soda if this gives you sour mouth) and a smart ode to Passiona – or as I like to call it, The Greatest Soft Drink That Ever Lived.

In fact, everyone looks to be having a great time slicing meats and cheeses, doling out tinned fish, having a chat. And why wouldn't they be? They've built this little deli to last.

If you've ever visited Barcelona tapas bar Quimet y Quimet, you'll have a strong appreciation for what's going down here. It's a menu heavily reliant on smoked, cured, brined and pickled foods, much of it made and tinned by the Continental Deli team.

And it's all served in a room that's made to only get better with age. Even the bathrooms are beautifully fitted out ("I could live in there – so roomy and stylish!" says my co-pilot).

"Classic" is the party line here from the strong curved wooden lines of the bar, the smoky glass lampshades and bar seating, to the wall of tins.

Here you can buy just about anything fit to be canned. There's dulce de leche, pears, creamed corn and peas (more on those later) and all the tinned fish a gal could ever want or need. They're even selling cocktails, T-shirts and desserts by the tin. For real.

And though the tinned martini is the cocktail everyone's talking about, it's the creme brulee that should be on everyone's lips. A super thick, yet utterly silky set vanilla custard is crusted with a deep umber toffee that's been seasoned with curry and orange zest, giving it immense savour, and then – this is my favourite bit – it's served with a side of potato chips. Salty, fatty, creamy, crunchy and sweet all at once.

Back to that creamed corn, those peas. I'm here to tell you it's not just possible for a vegetarian to eat here, but that they can have an actively good time. On top of that almost dessert-like creamed corn which you may also like to dress up with a few bloblets of taleggio, there's okra and potatoes and slices of thickly buttered sourdough. 

Fans of tinned fish, meats and cheeses can pretty much just pick up and set sail for Australia Street now and never look back. Order a single anchovy, a plate of sardines, douse a few pieces of octopus in the bright, piquant house-made hot sauce, eat as many cheeses as you care to.

But whatever you do, don't pass go without a serve of the pickled mussels. The delicate little things are in a light, bright pickling liquor you could almost see in a cocktail on its own and heaven with a side of potato chips.

Yes, everything seems to come with a side of chips here – that's what I call turning up some major charm.

(Or am I just a really cheap date?)                       

THE LOW-DOWN
Pro tip For maximum carnage, go omakase​ and let the Continental Deli team choose what goes on your deli plates
Try this Creme brulee in a can is everything that's great about dipping fries into a hot fudge sundae, only beautifully made and executed
Like this? Check out Delicado Foods for a celebration of the cured and pickled. 134 Blues Point Road, McMahons Point, delicadofoods.com.au