Chefs Andy Thiele and Paul Gray worked together at The Treasury and in Michelin-star restaurants and gastro pubs in Europe, developing a passion for French and English cuisine – and it shows at their joint venture, Delicatessen Kitchen & Bar on Waymouth Street.

Opening at 7.30am on week days, it’s a destination for local workers stopping to pick up coffee and homemade pastries on the way to the office, but if the occasion calls or time allows, it’s also a place to sit down and indulge in a leisurely breakfast.

Ben Copley is front of house and barista. Photo: Nat Rogers/InDaily

The breakfast menu features dishes such as blueberry and coffee bread with fresh banana; apple bircher with burnt strawberries and toasted grains; pumpkin and sourdough toast with French butter and housemade jams; whipped avocado on rye with truffle salt and washed-rind cheese; and, of course, eggs any way you like them with all the trimmings, calling for a sneaky glass of Hesketh ‘Madeleine Alice’ sparkling.

As with breakfast, lunch can fit into a busy schedule, with a selection from the “Delicatessen Lunch” menu (daily soup, salad and burger specials) or the option of sitting at a table with a white cloth up the back and enjoying a more refined dining experience of roasts, braises and confit, sides of green beans and cauliflower cheese, followed by tarte tatin and crème brulee.

The American-style cheeseburger with house fries. Photo: Nat Rogers/InDaily

From Thursday to Saturday, Delicatessen Kitchen & Bar serves bar snacks (oysters, escargot, charcuterie, homemade chicken-liver parfait and more) and dinner from that same French and English-inspired menu, but InDaily had time only for a quick lunch.

Favourite dishes: French onion soup ($12.90 from the Delicatessen Lunch menu). A deeply flavoursome and satisfying broth dense with caramelised onion and topped with a gratin of sourdough bread and Gruyere cheese is served in a terracotta earthenware dish on a wooden board with a slice of the freshest house-made sourdough bread.

French onion soup and house-made sourdough bread. Photo: Nat Rogers/InDaily

The New York Reuben Sandwich ($15.90; pictured at top). A generous club-style rye-bread sandwich toasted and filled with slice upon slice of tender corned beef, Thousand Island dressing (mayonnaise, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, tomato sauce, parsley), melted cheddar cheese, rocket and pickles.

Other dishes: Apple smoked chicken nicoise salad with buttermilk dressing ($17.90); American-style cheeseburger, chips and a bottle of beer ($18.90); and Ratatouille with fried brie and rocket ($22).

Ratatouille with fried brie and rocket salad. Photo: Nat Rogers/InDaily

Something sweet/to drink: Thiele and Gray make a fresh batch of Portuguese custard tarts ($3.50) every day, but if you miss out there will be something else to tempt you under the glass cloche. The cheese board is also very good, with an excellent French example always listed.

The wine list is concise and enticing, offering mostly boutique and local wines as well as a few French, Spanish and Italian varietals and labels.

House-baked goods are a specialty at Delicatessen Kitchen & Bar. Photo: Nat Rogers/InDaily

Delicatessen Kitchen & Bar is the kind of place you would love to have on your street corner. It’s not perfect or precious, but it is welcoming, inspiring and gratifying.

Delicatessen Kitchen & Bar
Monday to Wednesday, 7.30am to 4.30pm; Thursday and Friday, 7.30am till late; Saturday, 5pm til late
12 Waymouth Street, Adelaide, 8211 8711