Saturday, March 08, 2008

RIP deli


I have various favourite sandwiches. One came from the little deli in Greystones that's been there as long as I was. The one beside the bank of Ireland, owned by two ladies. Since I was wee, I would get their salad bap. A simple affair, just a brown bap with butterhead lettuce, tomato, thinly sliced onion, egg, cucumber - and this wondrous catering mayo, all eggy and creamy and mmmmm. I know not everyone here is a mayonnaise fan, but it was so good, it made the sandwich! It was such a treat. They'd wrap it in clingfilm and put it in a paper bag that it would only just fit in. And I could never wait to get it home, I'd eat it in the car, getting all covered in it and driving dangerously, and have to wipe it up with the bag, but I couldn't help it!
So I was in Greystones for the first time in a while the other day and I decided to go get one, and one for my daughter, as she's been robbing bits out of mine the last few times I got one. And the window was painted out, and there was a board up saying the ladies had retired and thanking the customers for their custom! No! I was traumatised. I moved to Wicklow when I was 7. That's 24 years of salad sambos. I'm so sad.

All my other favourites I make myself. You can't get a nice sandwich in Bray to save your life. What to do??

9 comments:

  1. Gosh, the only place I know that does sandwiches like that would be Eddie Rockets, but that's not really a great suggestion is it? When I lived in the states one could get lots of nice juicy warm sandwiches at Denny's and the like but not here. Here a toasted panini seems to be the best you're gonna get!

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  2. I so don't do sandwiches. I got thoroughly bored with them 15 years ago and only go near them when they're the only food at a party. To me they are the ultimate in torture food. The only thing that works between 2 slices of bread is greasy chips.

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  3. There's sandwiches and sandwiches. Eddie Rocket's is all meat and crappy white bread, not what I'm looking for.

    I'm not arguing that the sandwich monopoly in Ireland is a huge problem. Why is there nothing else to eat for lunch? What do you do if you don't want to eat wheat?

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  4. No wheat, you go with things wrapped in lettuce leaves. Rice paper. Most of the time, stuff brought in from home. Lots of soups, but if you can't eat other things, you just bring your own.

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  5. See, that's no good. Just because you don't eat bread shouldn't mean you can't eat lunch out anymore. :(

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  6. There was a manky pub along the quays for years called Valence and McGraths, it was a real shithole filled with dockers from 7am skullng gargle, you'd be afraid to set foot in the place let alone drink from a glass but my Jaysus I would have eaten the sandwiches straight out of the urinal. They were unreal.

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  7. I might get slapped for saying this to any of ye in public but I am partial to an O'Briens sanger from time to time. Over here, I'm all about the wraps - Satay chicken, lettuce and carrot..mmm

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  8. I get angry at times like this too Jo, any time little businesses I love like this close down or are squeezed out another piece of me dies.

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  9. WEll they were nice ladies who retired - no O Brien's or Starbucks in Greystones yet, in fairness. I'm just in mourning for the sanwiches.
    Angry? Hungry. Damn you, old ladies!!

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