Get the first look at Jane’s Deli – Snug’s new home of sandwiches, smoothies and pantry staples
From the team behind Snug comes Jane’s Deli, a new neighbourhood grocer and sandwich stop in Coorparoo. Blending the ease of a corner store with the quality of a cafe, the neighbourhood-focused space is stocked with quality produce and gourmet goodies, alongside a concise menu of made-to-order bites.
While most chefs dream about opening restaurants, when Jianne Jeoung was young she was more enamoured with supermarkets.
“When you were a kid, if you had a friend whose parents were running a supermarket in town or something, that friend was your bestie,” says Jianne, with a laugh.
These days, Jianne and partner Leaham Claydon count most of Coorparoo as their besties – a friendship forged through their Korean-inspired cafe and wine bar, Snug. But the duo’s newest concept, Jane’s Deli, is transforming Jianne’s childhood fascination into a lived reality.
“I finally get to sell some carrots and onions … it’s my dream come true!”
Jane’s Deli sells more than carrots and onions. Boasting corner-store energy with a cafe spin, Jianne and Leaham devised the concept as a way to better service the Coorparoo community, offering a selection of goods ranging from sandwiches and smoothies to pantry stuffers and fresh produce.
“The whole idea of this deli and what we’re offering here is just a reflection of what the regulars wanted at Snug,” explains Jianne. “People would always come by and say, ‘Oh, you guys should do smoothies,’ or ‘You guys should make more sandwiches’.”
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“It’s just not doable,” adds Leaham. “You don’t want to hear the blender going in there.”
So, when the opportunity arose for Leaham and Jianne to take over the next-door space previously home to California Native, the time seemed ripe for the duo to capitalise.
The space has been divided into two halves – one home to Jane’s Deli and the other housing the team’s soon-to-open Modern Australian bistro Bar Cooper’s. Jane’s Deli occupies the roomier of the two sites, with a timber-heavy materiality offset by forest-green walls.
There’s a square service counter at the entry and a sandwich prep station in the far corner, while the floor space is dominated by two lengthy tables laden with fresh fruit, veg and breads. Stainless steel shelves display an array of pantry items, while a fridge is stocked to bursting point with cheeses and small goods.
When it comes to curating Jane’s Deli’s grocer component, Jianne and Leaham approached their suppliers and favourite brands to help assemble a range that would offer visitors everything they might need to make or enhance a meal, or elevate their at-home entertaining.
On the shelves you’ll spy jars of mixed olives from Losada, various kinds of tinned tomatoes from Italianavera, Fancy Hank’s chicken salt and barbecue sauce, jams from Cuttaway Creek, loose-leaf tea from Love Tea, Mama Liu’s chilli oil, bread and bagels from Cordelia Sourdough Bakehouse, Woombye cheese and much, much more. The range is expected to grow, too, with more goods making their way to the shelves alongside some products made in-house.
“We’ve got a lot of cool meats that we’re going to be adding, as well,” reveals Leaham. “Borgo, they make it just up the road – same with Saison. We’ll have the La Boqueria range that’s just been released – made in the style of Spanish charcuterie, but with Australian products. It’s pretty new in Brisbane.”
“This will keep growing as we see what’s selling and see what people want in the area.”
For many customers, Jane’s Deli’s menu of sandwiches and smoothies will be the main drawcard. When it came to hashing out the offering, Jianne and Leaham worked off a simple framework – nail down the key categories first, then fill in the details.
“The structure started off with the proteins and dietaries, just so that every customer can try at least one of the sandwiches,” explains Jianne. “We wanted a couple of types of meat, a fish and a vegetarian or vegan option – the ingredients came after.”
“We’ve got the woodfired oven in Bar Cooper’s and the grill, so we’re able to utilise some of that stuff to make the sandwiches,” adds Leaham.
The menu currently includes a Hainanese chicken sandwich with spring onion and ginger sauce, cucumber and chilli crisp; a meaty number with mortadella, wood-fired broccoli, romesco, salsa verde and provolone; house-smoked salmon with honey gochujang, coriander kimchi and pickles; a vegetarian bagel with fava spread, roasted capsicum, red onion, capers, fetta, oregano and chilli oil; and a hot-honey cheese toastie with gruyere, mozzarella and Red Leicester with caramelised onions and hot honey.
Jianne and Leaham followed a similar method for the smoothie formulation, but used a simple colour spectrum as a starting point. There’s a pink smoothie with strawberry, banana and mango; a green smoothie with kale, cucumber, kiwi, spinach, banana and coconut; and a yellow smoothie made with mango, pineapple, banana and apple.
Ingredients will change depending on the season, while extras like protein powder, collagen and honey are available for those looking to customise. Soon, Jane’s Deli will also be equipped with a couple of coffee taps for express dispensing of filter brews from ST. ALi.
Though predominantly a grab-and-go operation, a few tables in a corner courtyard give those with time to kill a perch to relax at leisure. Those waiting for a spot at Snug are encouraged to pop in for a stickybeak – you never know what covetable confection, primo preserve or choice charcuterie you might find in stock.
“This space will also help service Snug, especially on those Saturdays and Sundays where there might be a bit of a waitlist,” says Leaham. “So instead of sitting around in the sun, you can walk in here and have a look around.”
Jane’s Deli is now open – head to The Directory for more information.