Take a longer lunch break and tour the fun, homely and delicious menu of new Waymouth Street restaurant, Delicatessen Kitchen & Bar.

There’s a line up ahead that looks like an event. It’s two people wide and travels some 15m along the footpath west. They’re lining up for Bahn Mi – just another lunchtime on Waymouth Street.

Lunch is a fool’s game; you’ve got approximately two hours to make a day’s income and most hungry office-types want their food as quickly and cheaply as possible.

Walking past the line at Soonta we wonder whether our destination, Delicatessen Kitchen and Bar, have contemplated this formula, but from the outset this new establishment on the corner of Waymouth Street and Waymouth Place seems to have gotten it right.

Contemporary restaurant chic is in full effect. Timber floors and stools, Edison bulbs and a beautiful copper-clad bar top give the space a warm and welcoming impression. No interior architect here though – just three guys, elbow grease and a keen eye for design.

And they’d want to have some clue because, for as long as CityMag can recall, this location has contained some of the most meek, mild and ultimately unsuccessful food businesses in Adelaide.

The suits and heels of the financial district loyally shirked the red and purple interior of what was Manna Café. Walking into the venue now, you can see them here, quite happily soaking up the newly re-instated timber aesthetic and a cool glass of chardonnay.

And it all goes perfectly with the food.

While new owners of the lease – Paul Gray and Andy Thiele – did spend three whole days removing the old paint job, they’ve obviously spent far longer streamlining their menu. The result is a list that carries an effortless and even fun approach to food. It’s not just lunch either – CityMag is astounded by their Thursday and Friday opening hours: 7:30AM – Midnight!

“We figured if we’re going to be here, we may as well serve food,” says Paul.

Formerly the Head Chef and Sous Chef of Treasury on King William Street, Paul and Andy want this new venture of theirs to give Adelaide a late-night dining spot without limitations.

“It’s our full menu,” says Paul. “Many places will do a reduced menu late into the evening but we wanted to offer everything, give Adelaide a place where you could eat a beautiful meal at 10pm”.

And the food is lovely. Our charcuterie board is full of delicate as well as fun flavours and textures. The Beef Cheek (strongly suggested by our waiter) as main course really demonstrates the maturity of the Chefs with traditional flavours accentuated by the presence of, what we’ve decided to call them, funions – tiny little pickled onions that pop and crunch in your mouth alongside the succulent beef.

Indeed the cooking is just that – cooking. And that’s what shined about Delicatessen; the lack of pretension.

Unfortunately a blood orange and jamon salad, that seemed like a good idea at the time, simply didn’t carry the effortless class of our other two dishes. The salad seemed like an attempt to modernise the menu (à la Peel Street) but tasted clunky and awkward in the mouth.

Delicatessen is a snug fit for Waymouth Street and, aside from the salad, has a strong handle on the food formula that extends beyond lunch and into breakfast, dinner and supper too!