Nico's Sandwich Deli Fitzroy Pop-Up

If you missed the opening of Nico’s Sandwich Deli in the CBD, you’re forgiven.

Lockdown 2.0 came at a particularly unfortunate time for the tiny takeaway-only sandwich and coffee shop, co-owned by Tom Peasnell from Peaches, Cheek, Dexter, Takeaway Pizza and Kenny Lover.

Instead of immediately reopening in the CBD post-lockdown, Nico’s has set up shop on the corner of Brunswick and Kerr Streets in Fitzroy – opposite The Evelyn – with space for 28 people under its big blue umbrellas.

Headlining the menu is the Nico’s Original: a tomato, basil, buffalo mozzarella and crisp cos lettuce sourdough sandwich that’s been funked up with a creamy sauce laced with herbs, Japanese shio koji (an umami-rich seasoning), nori and kombu.

Other options include a brisket-and-pork meatball sub with bone marrow and a hearty, smoked cannellini-bean sugo; a Cubano with pork belly (smoked at Dexter), leg ham, swiss cheese, dill pickles and mustard; and a Chilean hotdog – aka a completo – which includes a frankfurter, “dirty but fresh” tomato salsa, avocado and kewpie mayo.

There’ll also be batch-brew and espresso coffee by Seven Seeds, and two types of ice-cream sandwich: Caramilk cookies stuck together with soy sauce ice-cream, and white-chocolate-and-oat cookies with a chewy (and vegan) rhubarb and coconut ice-cream.