Fleur’s Deli

In an area packed to bursting point with every conceivable kind of sandwich shop, deli, café and bistro, Fleur’s really stands out for me. The portions are generous, the ingredients are almost always nop-​notch (except the pastrami, for some reason) and there’s a really great selection. Sandwiches, wraps, rolls, salad boxes and tray bakes are all available for very reasonable prices.
For me though, the wraps are where it’s at. Fleur’s avocado and mango salsa, or cous-​cous and feta salad are rich and delicious. Throw some bacon at either and you have the kind of indulgent lunch that would easily cost a fiver in some other places.
Fleur herself is the boss, not only of her (small) staff, but also of her customers. She’ll remember you by name, get to know the kind of things you like and make brilliant suggestions for surprising new flavour combos. But dither or change your mind and she will show you no mercy. I know it sounds intimidating, but the banter really is part of what makes this such a great place — the first time she calls you an idiot is like being accepted into a secret club.
There’s no sitting space and it gets pretty busy during lunch, so hanging about isn’t a great option. But I’ve always enjoyed sitting out on the Shore to eat my lunch and watch the seagulls, especially in summer.
If a belly full of fresh, healthy, home-​made food is more important to you than being treated like a princess, Fleur’s Deli really is as good as it gets.
Do say: Thank you Fleur. Sorry Fleur.
Don’t say: Can I have a minute?

Fleur’s Deli on the Shore is a no fuss lunch time place where you can get soup, sandwiches, cakes, salad etc.
I had just been walking and was looking forward to some soup. Preferrably hot. I walked past Rumbletums on Queen Charlotte Street, but unfortunately they were out of soup so I walked over to Fleur’s Deli.
Soup of the day was lentil soup. I asked for a small cup. To my slight disappointment, the soup was heated in the microwave instead of ‘lovingly ladled from a soup cauldron’. Maybe they were closing soon so the cauldron was not on anymore, I don’t know. Or maybe I’m just a romantic fool :)
Got my soup and headed home (2 min walk). The soup was only lukewarm by the time I got home. It tasted good though, just what a lentil soup should be like.
I am willing to try this place again, maybe next time I will choose a salad box or toasted wrap which seem to be popular.

One of the things I miss most about not working on The Shore — tasty takeaway lunches from Fleur’s Deli.
With a great selection of super-​fresh ingredients this was my favourite spot for a healthy salad box, or slightly less waistline-​friendly toasted wrap. Yum yum!
Wonderful owners, great food. Don’t be fooled by it’s plain décor, this place is a wee gem!

This used to be my local lunchtime haunt when I worked on The Shore. It was handy having a sandwich shop just a few doors down from the office. Although the fact that it was ‘handy’ was the main reason that I shopped in there — there are definitely better delis around The Shore.
The sandwiches weren’t of an amazing standard, but there was a reasonable array of fillings to choose from. Although how much you paid for each depended on who was serving you and on what day you went in. I rarely paid the same price for the same sandwich two days in a row! However when they ran out of rolls, baguettes and wraps, I did begrudge paying full price for a sandwich made from sliced bread. The toasted wraps come highly recommended however. The soups were averageexpect to be offered Carrot and Coriander on most days (yes, while I do like Carrot and Coriandereating it day in, day out gets a bit tedious at times), and if you’re vegetarianbe sure to mention this as often even the vegetable soup isn’t always vegetarian. Luckily, they knew me (being a regular), so they would always point this out to me.
The service, whilst mostly friendly can be a bit abrupt at times, especially during peak periodsdon’t always expect service with a smile. If you’re a regular, they will go out of their way to remember your favourites and recommend new things to try. If we ever dared walking past the shop with a bag from a competing deli along the road, we’d get absolutely glared at and would be scared to go back into Fleur’s for days.
It’s a handy little shop. It’s decent. If you’ve got more cash to splash however, there are some better sandwich shops in the area.