Mount Street Deli

This is the best cafe I have ever been to. The Peanut Chicken (not a thai style dish that you find in all those Southwark British pubs, but a ball of beautifully strange shredded chicken with a dollop of peanut butter) was amazing and the people that fill up the small space during their lunch hour are equally as beautiful and strange. Worth a visit for the people watching alone! Lovely food, lovely service and a great vibe. I even like the tacky inviting flames outside, it all seems to work well.

What a breath of fresh air the Mount Street Deli is. There is such a dearth of decent cafes and coffee shops in the area; this is a welcome addition to the Mayfair culinary map. Fantastic thing is that if you're slogging round Selfridges or meandering through the Burlington Arcade, the Mount Street Deli is just a hop, skip and a jump from both, and you feel like you've entered another world when you enter the hallowed street and soak up the tranquility (well, it will be perfect when those road works are done). You can eat at the deli and while away the hours drinking delicious tea or any number of other choices (the coffee absolutely hits the spot too) and eating your way through a plethora of food glorious food. They change the salads and other mains every day, so you could happily go in 6 days a week (Sunday is their day of rest) and have something different. The fresh and crunchy Greek salad that I had the other day (along with some of the Culatello – the best Parma ham ever, blue cheese, Manchego, quiche, sausage roll, Scotch egg and, let me think, lardo on Poilane bread – a secret that simply shouldn't be one – you have to go and try it) was so satisfying and ticked so many boxes that I couldn't have asked for better. I was happy. There is a very jolly atmosphere in there too. The Manager Hannah is a fount of knowledge and sources all her food from Italy and Britain – she can talk you through the menu with such passion and knowledge, that you feel really enriched culinarily when you walk out. And, if the sun's shining and you feel like sitting outside, they even have a couple of tables on the terrace, about 30 seconds' walk from the glorious Mount Street Gardens. Oh, happy days, love love love this place.

Find it annoying that delis attract swarms of people despite astronomical prices. Since opening a few weeks ago, Mount Street deli has been mentioned all over the place, so I had to see what all the fuss was about. Chocolate cake from Annabel's? I must say I have had the same cake at Annabel's and this isn't a patch on it I'm afraid whether it's the same recipe or not is questionable.

What is weird is that on a summer day in June their dish of the day is a very Wintery Irish stew with barley, which is really bizarre. Are they not aware of seasonality? How odd. Minestrone is the soup of the day, another slightly odd choice. For a Mayfair-based deli, I would expect more appropriate seasonal selections.
I'm sure they taste delicious but its not really what I want to eat on a Sunny day in June.

Mount Street Deli gets a luke-warm reception from me… When I want to pay exorbitant prices, I will happily plod along to Ottolenghi instead, where at least every single dish is utterly delicious and vibrant, colourful and full of flavour.