LOCATION: Monty’s Deli, Maltby Street Market, Bermondsey [map].
PRICE: £6
BREAD: Light rye.
FILLING: Pastrami, Swiss cheese, Russian dressing, yellow mustard, sauerkraut.
PROS: As my sandwich is built I stand, semi-catatonic, mesmerised; pastrami is sliced from wobbly hunks and piled into an ever-growing tower of protein. The Shard, overlooking the market, begins to look small in comparison. I’m offered a piece of the meat to taste as I wait, and….oh – it’s a little dry and chewy. Once pressed in the toaster however, which struggles to clamp its jaws around the beast, the fat melts and everything softens. Some pockets of fat remain intact (though I wish for more), begging to dissolve on the tongue and settle on the hips. The crust of predominantly black pepper and coriander seeds is really pokey; a revelation compared to the crap we usually get served in the UK. Russian dressing and sauerkraut are carefully applied in just the right amounts, too; their flavour and moisture is welcome and yet they do nothing more than big up the meat.
CONS: The pastrami could learn a few tricks from the salt beef, which is gloriously moist and fatty. As I wait for my reuben to toast I am distracted by the request of another customer, ‘one special, please’. One WHAT, sorry? What is this special of which you speak and why am I not having it? I am drawn to a frankly miniscule sign on the counter top. Turns out I could have been eating this reuben with an extra topping of salt beef. I try a piece. It is INCREDIBLE. This is lauded as the best salt beef in London by a man who really knows his salt beef. So, when I think about this sandwich compared to other reubens available in London it could easily have scored 9/10, but I’m knocking a point off for their failure to properly advertise their special.
SCORE: 8/10
Whoa mama
HUBBA HUBBA
your so funny, I laughed out loud several times! That looks like a pretty serious sandwich! My brother runs the Jamon stall on maltby street, have you tried they’re delicious sandwiches yet? Pretty bloody special too!
That’s funny I’m sure I went to that stall. I had a plate of jamon but I had no idea they did sandwiches! Will check them out…
Looks terribly good. I am having a patty melt tonight. Another famous American sandwich……
Rita’s has made the patty melt trendy here but i’ve yet to try it.
Oh, who is Rita?
Rita’s http://ritasbaranddining.com/
Thanks for this…. I was going to Maltby Street today anyways, but looked out for this especially. At your suggestion I asked for the special… and I have to disagree with you. It was a perfect 10. I also had a taste of their chopped liver and their chicken soup. Both outstanding!
I love, love ,love a good Reuben! I tend to prefer them made with pastrami, too bad it was on the dry side at this place. Still, though, it looks pretty awesome!
I want to know where they get their bread because I love rye with caraway seeds. It’s hard to find in South London.
Yeah I have to say I’ve never come across it either in a shops down here.
Sainsburys used to sell a Goswell sliced rye loaf. Not sure if they do anymore because I hardly ever go there. Think Waitrose have sliced rye with caraway, but don’t get there very often. Much easier to find in the bagel enclaves of North London.
Forgot to say this kind of rye bread makes scrumptious toast, add cheese for more pleasure. Easy to find in New York diners as well for breakfast where you are given a choice of bread that includes rye. It’s the kind of rye I grew up with, not the heavier kind popular now.
I loved this sandwich, though every time I bit into it half the meat would drag out with it. I need sharper teeth. I want to try the salt beef!
Yeah that didn’t happen to me. Either you have blunt teeth or mine are razor sharp…
So glad you went to this place! Their Reuben is much better than the one in Mishkins IMO. Have you been to Deli West One? I’ve read good things about them too
I’ve not been to Deli West One no. So many sandwiches….
I would love to get my chops around that! Looks as good as a Katz Deli rueben. Yum!
I was a little underwhelmed by the one I had the other day. It made me think of Katz, but not favorably, more longingly. Sounds like I should try their salt beef though.
I had one of their sandwiches this weekend and it was so delicious that I wanted to buy another so that I could wrap myself in the meat and have another little nap in it.
10/10
Mine was very chewy 4/10
Oh no! Thanks for the score
In Israel they have a small chain of sandwich shops called Reuben’s. I go there for work a lot and all i eat is this sandwich. It is the ONE! I’m over the moon i’ve found this site and i’m gonna try this place this weekend as i’m only in SE9.