Greenhills is alive with this sizzling new deli

Everyone gets the munchies, and not just those whose dream trip is to snack on space burgers in Amsterdam.

In the area where I live, like Edward Scissorhands among a citizenry of cutesiness, when I get a hankering for something — anything — say, a big bag of chips, dip and beer by brands I haven’t even heard of, or a piece of heavenly salmon — one of the usual stops is a place called Deli Master on Annapolis St. in Greenhills.

Deli Master is stacked with a virtual United Nations of products. Here be racks featuring Asia (particularly Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong), America and Australia, as well as Europe. Thus, you can channel metaphor-spouting Anthony Bourdain by sampling the coffees and chocolates alone, or end up quoting Pico Iyer or other frequent flyers.  

Owner Zeny Dy says 60 percent of their grocery items can’t be found anywhere else. The proof is in the PuddingCam viewfinder: we are flanked by an entire phalanx of apple vinegar, Japanese scallops and Australian abalones, organic condiments and sauces, almond clusters, pretzel sticks, etc. The soups are legion. (Oh, there, Warhol soup and dark chocolates for my Yellow Girl.)

Dy gives us an informal inventory of what else Deli Master has on hand.

“For coffee lovers, there are the ‘K’ cups,” she says, pointing out the Keurig display. This is a single-cup brewing system that lets people brew that perfect cup of gourmet coffee in less than a minute, without having to grind beans, measure coffee, handle filters or — very important for slob of a painter like me — even clean up.  “This is as simple as it gets; you need not brew a whole pot of coffee just to get a cup.  Aside from coffee, the machine can also be used in brewing iced coffee, tea and iced tea as well.” 

 The “K” cup capsules are from brands such as Caribou Coffee, Donut Shop, Donut House, Green Mountain, Newman’s Own, Tully’s, Wolfgang Puck, and many others. Yes, even Starbucks and Gloria Jean’s. Each offers a range of varieties, flavors, and blended options — Starbucks alone has eight.

We go to the refrigerated section.

“The best is the Deli Master Premium Ham that is made in-house,” she says. “This is a smoked ham with more juices added to enhance the taste, and is made without any preservatives.” A prediction: before the night is through, we would be served generous slices of the meaty subject and they’d taste like Christmas and New Year put together. Just the right sweetness and softness of holiday meat.

“We carry the A4 and A5 authentic Japanese Wagyu beef and the AA6 and AA7 Australian Wagyu. We also have USDA prime cuts and Angus beef as well.  You may choose any cut and ask our kitchen staff to cook it to your liking — on the spot — plus a small cooking charge.”

Yes, you can have meals at the back end of Deli Master. Sure, the dining area is quite simple, the food is simply prepared, but the medley of flavors rock ‘n’ rolling on your palate is anything but. I could eat Deli Master’s puffed salmon with a large swig of Schultenbräu beer every day. 

“This is the real ‘comfort’ food,” Dy says, adding that comfort food can be sophisticated and unfussy at the same time. “We’re not after fancy presentation, since Deli Master is all about offering high-end food and products at very reasonable prices.”

So, if you go to Deli Master in Greenhills and see a man in black snacking on a salmon pastry, that might be me.

Or at least a doppelganger with the munchies. 

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Deli Master is at Unit 103, Intrawest Center Bldg., 33 Annapolis Street, Greenhills (right beside Atlanta Tower). For information, visit www.facebook.com/delimasterstore or call 919-0285 or 703-6332 and look for Belle Tanlimco, Eds or Myla.