Lunch the other day in a delicatessen (The Village Patisserie in Oak Bay, to be exact: I frequent several in Victoria) was a roasted chicken breast, balsamic glazed veggie salad (carrots, beets, parsnips, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, maple syrup), yam and squash salad (with feta cheese, walnuts and a hint of green onion), and a chocolate truffle tart for dessert. It all came to just over eight dollars and I took half the chicken breast home to make a sandwich for supper using a ciabatta bun from Fairway Market down the street. The ciabatta bun is the real thing with the unique flavor and holey texture. The truffle tart is a two inch size, thick shortbread crust, raspberry jam, frangipani filling soaked in Grand Marnier topped with a dome of chocolate ganache and three dark chocolate hollows.
Deli dining has come a long way from the same old/same old potato salad, coleslaw and processed meat on white sandwich loaf. This change came to my awareness suddenly when I noticed that one deli had black plastic cutlery and thick paper napkins. Many that provide seating have more environmentally friendly cutlery but the classy take-out forks and knives and spoons caught my attention and a "well, for goodness sakes," new awareness response.
The fact of being able to choose portion size is a benefit: we tend to eat what is put before us; most deli food is sold by so much per 100 grams and this is not a large serving.