Vic’s Chadstone

Chadstone Shopping Centre
1341 Dandenong Rd
Malvern East, VIC 3145
https://www.vicsmeat.com.au/blogs/our-retail-stores/vic-s-chadstone

More birthday eats! This time it’s a quick lunch at Vic’s Chadstone before a chaotic afternoon at Hijinx Hotel. Given my proximity to Chadstone, I have been frequently tempted by the deli-styled sandwiches at Vic’s, but as they’re only available at lunch, most of the time I’m relegated to gawking at the menu wistfully on my way to and from dinner. Given their status as a high-end deli, I had lofty expectations for their sandwiches. Whilst our order that day was a bit hit and miss, I felt like that the overall quality is definitely there; maybe the menu just needs some fine-tuning, or maybe I just need to find the tried-and-true items to order. Either way, I would happily come back, especially for the Reuben.

Rating: 13/20 – carried by the Reuben.
To-order: the reuben, obvs.

Vic’s Deli ($23)

Saul’s has instilled in me a love for the cold Italian-styled deli sandwich, but unfortunately the Vic’s Deli ($23) falls well short of what I had learned to expect. Though full of quality cold cuts – sopressa, ham, mortadella – and topped with a generous spread of stracciatella, the overall effect was less than the sum of its parts, and just tasted like a generic meat sandwich. I actually actively disliked the addition of peperonata; though good on its own, the smoky, tangy capsicum flavour overwhelmed everything else until it was all I could taste. This is a sandwich that has definitely tried to do too much.

Reuben ($24)

The Reuben ($24) on the other hand was simply and masterfully done. The thick slices of full blood wagyu brisket were salty, smoky, and succulent – exactly what you want in a good pastrami. It is garnished with the no-fuss classics of creamy Russian dressing, melted Swiss cheese, and sauerkraut, then sandwiched between two wedges of dense rye bread. This is a meal and a half, and in the absence of a more generous hand with the kraut (my personal preference), the dill pickle on the side is very much warranted.