Amanda FooFor the lucky ones who have visited and fallen in love with the delicatessens in New York because of their slabs of cold cuts, smoked meats and freshly prepared sandwiches, miss it no more.
For those who haven’t had that joy, well, there’s hope.
Smoke Shack is a delicatessen right in the middle of Raffles Place and they’ve successfully given us great sandwiches without the New York attitude; their staff is all smiles the moment you step in.
It takes 5 days to smoke a piece of meat, from brining to the final process and everything is done here in the little shop.
UrbanWire sampled 4 of their 17 sandwiches and wanted more, more, more.
The Reuben ($8.50) had to be reserved for us because it usually sells out during lunchtime, which means that the dinner crowd misses out on this bestseller. Between 2 pieces of rye is a stack of tender corned beef with emmental cheese and sauerkraut.
The corned beef is sliced on the spot and it’s tender, however, the sour sauerkraut does need getting used to and this may not be the sandwich of choice if you’re not a big fan.
SmokeShack Roast of The Day ($10.90) is heaps of succulent roast beef topped with herb butter and gravy in between pieces of warm ciabatta bread. The gravy marries all the parts of the sandwich together and makes everything just that much more moist. Another high note is the caramelized onions, which are soft and sweet, the perfect partner to the meat.
Smoked Duck, Blue Cheese and Apple is exactly what it sounds like. The duck is tender beyond belief and is seasoned just right. While the apples might be too sweet to be featured in a savoury dish, the powdery texture adds contrast to the sandwich that turns out to be pretty enjoyable. The blue cheese isn’t too overpowering, instead just providing a depth of flavour at the back of your palate.
We saved the goliath for the last.
The Montevideo ($9.30) is a hulking mess of steak, ham, bacon, mozzarella, olives and so much more. It’s roughly the size of your face and should be eaten either with a friend or only during times of extreme starvation.
It’s flavors can come across as confusing and it takes you awhile to discern what you are tasting. The peppers round off the flavours at the end and you think you can taste bacon fleetingly once in a while, despite all that, this burger is more than just the sum of its parts.
Address: 146 Market Street, #01-33 Market Steet Car Park
Telephone No.: 6557 2214
Opening Hours: Mon–Fri – 10am to 8pm
Rating: ★★★✩✩
All photos taken by Jasmine Chong from Klix Photography.