An Edinburgh institution, and one of Edinburgh’s very first delicastessens'; Victor Hugo set up shop in 1955. That’s a whole 65 years ago people! They’ve been serving teas and coffees but have also become home to the Best Pastrami Sandwich this side of the pond.

REVIEW - TAKEAWAY FROM VICTOR HUGO DELI, EDINBURGH

Victor Hugo have been able to continue to survive the ups and downs, highs and lows, rules and regulations of 2020. Their deli on Melville Terrace remains open ready for you to pop in a get your coffee or tea fix, order your ryes, baguettes and ciabattas, pick up a breakfast roll or grab a piece of cake to go (the deli is open as a sit in cafe for breakfast, brunch and lunch as well as takeaways) but they are also happy for you to remain on the couch and let them ring your doorbell - Victor Hugo Deli Delivers!

It was picnic at home day.

The paperbags rustled as the delivery person ascended the stairs to our flat and as she peeked her head around the corner, I seen that she was laden with foodie parcels from VH Deli.

I had placed an order of way more food than we needed or wanted or our bellies could fit; but there was so much to choose from that I think I went a little mad on the ordering side.

First up was the Tomato & Rosemary focaccia. It was beautiful; golden on the top, pitted with tomatoes and rosemary flecks. I wanted to dunk this in hot soup and did so later on in the evening.

The Lasagne was tremendous. Layers of beef mince, pasta, cheese and white sauce. I loved that they’d given me a corner slice with all the gnarly bits of melted cheese and where the pasta had gone crispy; lovely contrast to the softness of the centre.

As for sandwiches they cater for vegan and vegetarians with the likes of the Le Parisien of brie, fresh apple, salad and red onion marmalade for vegetarians (or add ham to this for the Normadie) or the vegan offering of Guacamole and Grilled Veg where you get guac, toasted pinenuts, courgette, peppers, grated carrot and rose harissa stuffed onto a fresh baguette.

I tasted all these sandwiches and the flavours were well crafted and hit a good balance of flavour and texture. You’ll definitely not find any boring sandwiches here.

The piece de resistance was the Pastrami on Rye. No need to travel to the world famous Katz Deli in New York (not that we can at the moment) for your Pastrami fix, as VHD have perfected this classic sandwich ~ no wonder it's their most popular! Soft rye bread filled with silky salty layers and folds of pastrami, thinly sliced gherkins, cheese and just enough mustard to leave a wee tingle on your tongue. Have it as is or go for the toasted version, it's up to you.

Onto something sweet to tickle the tastebuds. I tried out their bomboloni and their nata tarts too. The bomboloni arrived fresh and soft and oozed with Italian cream. The custard tarts had a creamy centre and flaky pastry cases.

This all washed with down with one of their great Latte coffees.

There is so much amazing food to eat at Victor Hugo’s, it was hard to choose from their menu. Their waffles look incredible on their instagram - see here and their breakfast rolls look … just have a look - see here.

Their food travels well for delivery with everything arrived fresh and still intact. They provided cutlery and napkins and their packaging can be recycled as most of it is paper.

The Meadows isn’t an area in Edinburgh that I frequent but I definitely will be making an exception for Victor Hugo!

Victor Hugo Deli, 26-27 Melville Terrace, Edinburgh, EH9 1LP. Tel : 0131 6671827 www.victorhugodeli.com

My Spoon Award - Gold Spoon 9/10

I was invited by Victor Hugo Deli to review their takeawaymenu. Food and drink were complimentary but the views are very much my own.