Lady beetles. Sapphires. M&M's. It’s true that some great things in life come in small packages. And so it is the case at Small’s Deli, an eight-seater sandwich shop located on Potts Point's leafy Victoria Street.
What Small’s lacks in size, it makes up for – and more – in its mighty flavours. Owners Ben Shemesh and Emily Van Loon are big on using seasonal produce and making as much as they can in-house, including all sauces and toppings from scratch. Throw in premium meats, ripened cheeses, zingy pickles and fresh veg on baked-that-day-baguettes and what do you get? Ripper sambos, that’s what.
Small’s permanent menu features six hits. A must-try is the Al Green, with kale puree, avocado, iceberg lettuce, Granny Smith apple, sprouts, and a vegan green goddess dressing on a fresh panini. She is messy, but my god, is she worth it. Hot tip: Add cheese, ham and chilli. Or, try Van Loon’s favourite, the Hi Harissa, featuring tuna mixed with chermoula dressing, coriander, black olives, harissa mayo and hard-boiled egg.
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“We get excited to work with quality suppliers such as Whole Beast Butchery to create a rotating specials menu, too ” says Van Loon. Currently on the specials menu is the Utah, Get Me Two with beef meatballs, tomato sugo, bechamel, pecorino and rocket on a toasted panini.
Small’s also has a brekkie menu with morning baguettes, and fresh salads and soups. Plus, there's Reuben Hills coffee, house-made sodas and cookies. And because this is a deli too, the shelves are full-to-the-brim with ingredients from artisanal suppliers, while quality meats and cheeses hang in a display fridge.
New to Small’s? Emily reckons you should start with Florence and the Aubergine, made with creamed pecorino, walnut paste, garlic and fennel salami (finocchiona), and smoky grilled eggplant. “It’s been labelled as the crowd pleaser, everybody loves it,” she says. Everyone, including me. Big time.
Our tip? Get here early before the crowds come and everything sells out. It shall be the first of many trips.
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